The meeting, which will take place at Emirates Palace, will be attended by 150 IRENA delegates and will signify the beginning of Irena’s global activities from its headquarters in Abu Dhabi.

IRENA, an intergovernmental organisation, advocates the adoption of renewable energy internationally by acting as a thought leader and advisor in the areas of policy, regulation, capacity building, and knowledge transfer. Irena Headquarters will be located in Abu Dhabi’s Masdar City, the world’s first carbon-neutral, zero-waste city, powered entirely by renewable energy.

Dr. Anwar Gargash, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, said: ‘The UAE is delighted to welcome all members of the Irena administrative committee attending the two-day long meeting in Abu Dhabi. This will mark the first time the newly elected home of Irena will hold an official meeting for the Agency in Abu Dhabi, which welcomes the inter-change of ideas and expertise that hosting IRENA meetings will bring to the country. Hosting Irena is in line with the UAE’s mandate to be a leader in the field of renewable energy and to facilitate the empowerment of developing countries with this knowledge and expertise.’

He continued ‘During the course of the UAE bid to host Irena’s headquarters earlier this year, we were fortunate to further develop and strengthen our excellent relationships with countries across the globe. We look forward to harnessing these relationships in the coming years and to working together for to promote the development of renewable energy resources for a sustainable future.’

The selection of Abu Dhabi as the location of Irena’s headquarters in June of this year denotes the first time that the UAE has been chosen to host a major international organisation.