ABU DHABI — The International Renewable Energy Agency’s (IRENA) Eleventh Assembly will get under way virtually from Monday setting the course for a critical year of global commitments to low-carbon development.

With the postponed COP26 set to take place later this year, 2021 is seen as an important moment for countries to raise climate mitigation ambition including renewable energy deployment, to align economic recovery efforts with the goals of the Paris Agreement.

"The COVID-19 pandemic defined 2020," said Francesco La Camera, IRENA director-general. "However, as countries look to recover from the devastating impacts of the pandemic and build back in a way that is more resilient, just and sustainable, we can define this year as the moment we placed the energy transition at the heart of global policy and investment decision making."

The opening day of the Assembly will be marked as World Energy Transition Day, setting the direction for four days of high-level discussions on net-zero policies, national energy planning, renewable energy investment and the energy-healthcare nexus, from Jan. 18-21.

Close to 2000 high-level attendees including heads of state, ministers, energy decision makers, multilateral organizations, international stakeholders, and private sector actors will engage in Assembly meetings under the overarching theme of 'COVID19 – Energy Transition'.

The UN Secretary-General António Guterres said, "The trillions of dollars needed for recovery from the pandemic must be simultaneously used to move our economies towards net-zero emissions. We must build a global coalition to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Renewable technologies are the first choice for decarbonization strategies."

Teresa Ribera, deputy prime minister of the government of Spain and minister of ecological transition and demographic challenge, will be president of the Assembly.

"We are all well aware of the pressing need to change gears towards a sustainable energy future: with over 70% of GHG emissions coming from this sector, the energy transition plays a key role in managing the global climate emergency," said Ribera.

"Developing countries, economies in transition and highly industrialized countries all have huge opportunities in the decarbonization of their development pathways: energy access and security, sound economic growth, industry modernization, job creation.

"To us all, IRENA has become a lighthouse in the energy revolution we need," she added. "Promoting innovation and widespread adoption of renewables and energy efficiency technologies and encouraging Governments to accelerate the transition. Spain is proud to align with IRENA’s endeavors and I will be honored to take the lead of its 11th Assembly in 2021."

Assembly sessions on the 18th, 19th and 20th will include a high-level panel on energy transformation for a sustainable post-COVID recovery, followed by four ministerial discussions covering the topics of national energy planning and implementation, scaling up of renewable energy financing, the pathway to carbon neutrality and the role of the energy transition in energizing healthcare.

Additionally, conclusions from preliminary stakeholder meetings that took place on Jan. 13 and 14, including IRENA’s Legislators Forum, Public-Private Dialogue and the IRENA Youth Forum, will be reported back to the Assembly. The Assembly, which takes place at the start of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, will be live-streamed on the IRENA website.

"IRENA’s global mandate offers us a unique opportunity to convene global leaders, promote knowledge sharing and create the partnerships needed to advance low-carbon development and realize the immediate and long-term benefits of the transition," continued La Camera. "The Assembly is at the heart of these efforts." — WAM