What is IRENA?
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) is an intergovernmental organisation set up to promote the adoption of renewable energy. IRENA was established on January 26, 2009, in Bonn and currently has a membership of 78 countries. Its members will work together with a mandate of disseminating knowledge, developing regulatory frameworks and actively promoting the wide scale adoption of renewable energy technologies around the world. The founding conference of IRENA in Bonn, Germany in January this year included 75 signatory states including the UAE. Bahrain was the only other Gulf Cooperation Council state to sign and other Arab signatory countries included Algeria, Comoros, Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia, Syria and Yemen. IRENA aims to have be fully operational by 2010 with an initial annual budget of $25m. Discussions about setting up the organisation started in 1981. IRENA envisages providing practical advice and support for both industrialised and developing countries, thereby helpin
