IRENA and UN-Habitat Join Efforts to Accelerate Global Energy Transition in Cities

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 12 February 2020 – The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) today with the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), to cooperate on sustainable energy in the context of urban development.  IRENA’s studies show that cities are responsible for 65 per cent of global energy demand and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change data shows cities are responsible for 71-76 per cent of energy-related carbon dioxide emissions.  

As such, high-level cooperation to support municipal governments in their energy transition is crucial.  

Signed by IRENA Director-General Francesco La Camera and UN-Habitat Deputy Executive Director Victor Kisob during the Tenth Session of the World Urban Forum (WUF10) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), the MoU will see the two organisations work to advance the role of cities in the global energy transformation whilst promoting cleaner, low-carbon urbanisation.  

“Cities are the engines of modern economic growth, supporting prosperity and opportunity, and are also a source of significant energy demands and of carbon emissions,” said IRENA Director-General Francesco La Camera. “In the pursuit of climate and sustainable development goals, municipal governments have an opportunity to strengthen policy frameworks that can help cities shift to renewable energy use. Cities can significantly contribute to the achievement of global energy transformation objectives and this partnership will help accelerate that process.”

IRENA and UN-Habitat have been working together for several years by sharing expertise in different occasions.  Commenting on this, UN-Habitat Deputy Executive Director Victor Kisob said: “The signing of this MoU is one of the many testaments of UN reforms to advance synergy and partnership.  We are happy to strengthen our partnership with IRENA for a more sustainable energy future.”

The cooperation agreed upon by the MoU covers among others the exchange of relevant information, expertise, and viewpoints in order to realise potential synergies, enhance public dialogue, and implement common positions.  Under this MoU, both IRENA and UN-Habitat hope to be at the forefront of the global efforts to achieve sustainable urban development.