In choosing to base Irena in Abu Dhabi, a message has been sent to the Arab world.
The delegates at the Sharm Al Shaikh meeting are to be congratulated in awarding the site of the headquarters for the new International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) to the UAE.
It is the first international agency to be headquartered outside North America or Europe, and as such is an important breakthrough for the way that the major global players think about the world. It is wrong for international inter-governmental agencies to be a ‘Western' club.
The international community has to move on and start to include Asia, Africa and Latin America in a much more meaningful way than it does at present. One example is the structure of the UN Security Council, which needs urgent reform, so as to be updated from giving special powers to the victors of the Second World War, as well as the superpowers.
While we acknowledge the brave decision by Germany and Austria to pull out of the race, the UAE has earned the right to host Irena. Monday's announcement is recognition that the developing world has a vital part to play in managing the affairs of the world. It is a vote of confidence in an Arab and Asian state rooted in the global society of the 21st century.
It is also a great vote of confidence in the UAE, recognising that the country has the right credentials to be the Irena headquarters.
The vote takes note of the responsible way that the UAE is playing an increasingly important role in foreign affairs. It takes note of the UAE's consistent position in favour of negotiations and rational discussion, and against violence and prejudice. The vote also takes note of the UAE's important position in the energy community, and how it has been planning ahead not just for the next decade, but looking for a long-term sustainable future for mankind, which is what the work of Irena is all about.
Your comments
Really we are very glad
Mohammad Shafi Al Alam
Al Ain,UAE
Posted: June 30, 2009, 11:58
