H.E. Kenred Dorsett, Minister of the Environment and Housing of the Bahamas was appointed Chair of the meeting

Abu Dhabi, UAE: International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has announced that it has elected H.E. Kenred Dorsett, Minister of the Environment and Housing of the Bahamas as Chair of the meeting, and Ethiopia as Vice Chair, during the 11^th meeting of the Council of IRENA. More than 300 high-level government representatives from 96 countries – reportedly the highest number of countries ever represented at a Council – gathered on May 24 in Abu Dhabi, the announcement added.

IRENA’s Director-General, Adnan Z Amin, the announcement said, presented a progress report on the Agency’s work.  During the two-day meeting, the announcement informed, attendees will discuss cost reductions in solar and wind technologies, regional work to increase renewable energy deployment in Latin America and West Africa, initiatives to increase renewable energy on islands, IRENA’s roadmap to doubling the global share of renewables by 2030 and the strategic future direction of the Agency’s work.

IRENA revealed that it would launch the third edition of Renewable Energy and Jobs Annual Review, a publication that provides global analysis of jobs in the renewable energy sector, presenting the status of renewable energy employment, both by technology and in selected countries, over the past year, during the meeting.

“IRENA as a global organisation has made tremendous contributions to the advancement of renewable energy, notwithstanding its relatively short history,” said Dorsett. “The Bahamas has relied heavily on IRENA to chart its renewable energy future. We look forward to the deliberations over the next few days as countries come together to guide the work of the Agency, and are humbled to be elected Chair for this important meeting.”

Acknowledging that the Agency is proud of its achievements, Amin said, “We are implementing our new work programme with determination and confidence that the current biennium holds great promise for accelerating the global uptake of renewable energy.”

Composed of 21 IRENA Members, the Council, the announcement said, meets twice annually to facilitate cooperation among Members, oversee implementation of the its work programme and complete substantive preparations for the Agency’s annual Assembly.