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The International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena), and the UAE Mission will co-host the agency’s members for the first of its quarterly “Renewables Talks” on May 13, in a virtual webinar.
Set to be hosted every three months throughout the year, the first Renewables Talks will assemble Irena’s Permanent Representatives and the broader diplomatic community to discuss the challenges facing the industry in 90-minute interactive sessions moderated by Dr Nawal Al-Hosany, the UAE’s Permanent Representative to Irena.
More than 100 participants are expected to dial in for the webinar, which will also be overseen by Irena’s Director-General, Francesco La Camera.
Ahead of the event La Camera said, “The unprecedented nature of the challenge we face today must serve as a reminder of the need for a more equitable, sustainable future. As all countries look to build resilience and stability into their economies now is the time to strengthen the policies needed to dramatically scale up the speed of energy transformation.”
He added that this platform will bring Irena Members’ representatives together to share ideas, experiences and challenges while broadening their understanding of the socio-economic benefits associated with a renewables-based future as outlined in Irena’s recent Global Renewables Outlook.
Speaking ahead of the first Renewables Talk, Dr. Al-Hosany stated, “It is an honour and testament to the UAE’s reputation for convening the world, that we are able to host the international Irena community for series of collaborative and productive discussions on taking the rapidly developing field of renewable energy industry forward.
She added, “Our ability to seamlessly adjust our hosting platform to a virtual space and still accommodate the international community is an example of the kind of agility that the UAE has ingrained in its working culture, and one that organisations around the world will also be looking to incorporate as they seek to kick-start a social and economic recovery from the impact of the coronavirus – a topic which we will discuss in detail at this meeting.”
The first Renewables Talk will discuss the findings of IRENA’s seminal “Global Renewables Outlook: Energy Transformation 2050” report published in April 2020, and also explore the role renewable energy has to play as a stimulus for the global recovery from the pandemic.
The report set to be discussed in detail during the Renewables Talk, outlines a transformed future energy scenario which could see up to $98 trillion added to the global economy in 30 years.
