IRENA retreat in Austria, 14 – 17 April, 2009

Newsletter

Impressions of the IRENA retreat

delegates-at-the-retreat retreat-participants-in-front-of-the-alps
delegations-at-the-working-sessions
Source: The Austrian Foreign Ministry
 
At Austria’s invitation, more than 100 delegates from 52 countries convened in Vienna and Styria between 14 to 17 April, 2009 to exchange views on IRENA’s interim work programme. The meeting stimulated a fruitful discussion on the basic tasks and initial activities the Agency will have to implement within its first months of operation, as well as on the interface with existing organisations and initiatives already active in the field of renewable energies.

All organisations and networks who participated at the retreat including REN21, EREC, UNEP, UN-Energy, GNESD, IEA, UNIDO, AEE underlined their openness for cooperation and outlined various areas with great potential for future collaboration with IRENA.

There was an overall agreement on IRENA’s mission to establish the internal capacity and infrastructure of the Agency and to undertake knowledge management, communication and cooperation networks. Further exchange with all Signatories will follow in order to identify those concrete practical activities that IRENA will undertake in its start-up phase. The goal is to adopt a common interim work programme for IRENA at the second meeting of the Preparatory Commission in Sharm El-Sheikh in June this year.
 
To download all documents regarding the IRENA retreat please click here.