IRENA Assembly

The Official Opening of the 13th session of the IRENA Assembly will take place on 14 January 2023 at 10:00 am, with high-level statements including by the Presidency of the Assembly, the Host Country and the IRENA Director-General, amongst others.

The first UNFCCC Global Stocktake will conclude at COP28 in Dubai. It will consider the world’s collective progress in the implementation of the Paris Agreement and its long-term goals. Energy transitions are a central part of this effort, and IRENA’s World Energy Transitions Outlook sets out a pathway aligned with a 1.5°C future that can help guide the Global Stocktake. Among other things, IRENA is providing the best available science to inform the process as well as a venue for dialogue and a framework for action.

The High-level Plenary session will set the scene for the Assembly’s deliberations and consider the role of energy transitions in the context of the Global Stocktake. In preparation for COP28, it will reflect on the key priorities of the energy transition, in diverse geographical and sectoral settings.

Topic: Renewable energy transition in cities.
The dominance of fossil fuels in the urban energy supply puts cities on the frontline of climate change. Cities account for about 75% of global primary energy use and are responsible for 70 per cent of energy related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, making them key actors in both national and global efforts to transition to a net-zero future. These videos show examples of how cities can catalyse the shift to a low-carbon future. The videos include stories on: Solar Power in Kasese, Uganda, E-mobility in Cartago, Grecia and Guanacaste in Costa Rica, Wind-powered heating in Zhangjiakou, China, Geothermal energy for district heating in Bogatić, Serbia and Geothermal energy for district heating and cooking in Xiong’an, China.

The Director-General will present the Annual Report on the Implementation of the Work Programme and Budget for 2022-2023, including on the contribution to the Global Stocktake process and plans for Member consideration and input, as well as the Draft Medium-Term Strategy 2023-2027, for adoption by the Assembly. Following the Director-General’s presentation, delegations will have the opportunity to make interventions from the floor within an allotted time of three minutes, providing guidance for the Agency’s work.

This Ministerial Roundtable aims at sharing experiences around the strategies to address the decarbonisation of the shipping sector by facilitating a high-level dialogue between Ministers and Senior Executives from the renewables and shipping industries and port authorities.

This Ministerial Dialogue will provide a platform for a high-level discussion on scaling up renewable energy uptake in Southeast Asia, with a view to supporting the region’s ambitions to achieve sustainable growth and prosperity.

This Ministerial Dialogue will focus on experiences on de-risking supply, including materials innovation and recycling, and making the supply chain more environmentally and socially sustainable. The discussion will contribute to the work of the Collaborative Framework on Critical Materials for the Energy Transition, amongst others.

This event will serve to take stock of the progress on the Energy Compacts, one of the key outcomes of the UN Secretary-General’s 2021 High-level Dialogue on Energy, and consider collective actions required towards 2030, as Member States prepare for the review of SDG7 at the UN High-level Political Forum 2023, the SDG Summit 2023, and the global stocktaking of SDG7 to be held in 2024.

This Ministerial Dialogue will focus on the ETAF Platform, partners and its innovative business model aimed to increase investments in renewable energy to meet the developing world’s energy transition ambitions and potential, while meeting Sustainable Development and Climate Goals. This session will also facilitate discussions on reducing barriers to greater investment growth in energy transition assets by taking steps to reduce project risk and raise capital.