United Arab Emirates submits official bid to host headquarters of International Renewable Energy Agency

The UAE has officially submitted its bid to host the interim and eventual permanent seat of the International Renewable Energy Agency in Abu Dhabi, a move that is aligned with the UAEs' clear commitment towards the development of renewable energy. The UAE will compete with three European countries to host the IRENA HQ, marking the only submission from a developing country. If the UAE is successful in its bid, this will be the first time a major international agency is located in the developing world.

A United Arab Emirates delegation to the Republic of Korea led by Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, Chief Executive Officer of Masdar, a multi-faceted initiative advancing the development, commercialization and deployment of renewable energy technologies,), H.E. Ambassador Khalid Al Ghaith Director of the Department of Economic Affairs and International Co-operation at the UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and H.E. Abdulla Al-Maainah, UAE Ambassador to the Republic of Korea, officially delivered the UAE's bid to host IRENA in Abu Dhabi's Masdar City.

"Based on the firm belief in providing a bridge between north and south and as part of our commitment to become the central point of south-south cooperation in the field of renewable energy, the UAE strongly supports the mission of IRENA. IRENA will benefit as an agency from the support and commitment of the UAE government and its regional partners if it is hosted in Abu Dhabi." said Dr. Anwar Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.

"Placing IRENA in the UAE will also send a strong signal to the international community that we are serious about sharing the technology and know-how of renewables with all countries, both developed and developing," said Dr. Gargash.

IRENA was established on January 26 2009, in Bonn Germany and currently has a membership of 78 countries. IRENA 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 UAE's bid document was delivered to the Chairman of the IRENA steering committee, H.E. Ambassador Hyun Cho, Ambassador for Energy and Resources at the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade on April 29, 2009. IRENA founding members will meet in Egypt at the end of June to cast their vote for the location of the agency's headquarters. – Emirates News Agency, WAM