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In his speech, Shaikh Abdullah expressed his appreciation for the confidence placed in the UAE, as shown by its selection as the location for Irena's permanent headquarters, stressing that the country was able to take on the responsibility of providing solid foundations so that the Agency could work on the basis of constructive dialogue among all parties to achieve real progress in the best interests of all members Image Credit: WAM

Abu Dhabi: The first session of the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) officially confirmed the UAE as the permanent headquarters of the global agency on Monday.

Although the UAE was chosen as the headquarters of the agency in June 2009,
the agency made the formal approval in its first assembly being held in Abu Dhabi, as part of its transition into a fully fledged international organisation from the status of a 'preparatory commission'.

The UAE 2009 win to host the agency brought the first headquarters of an international organisation in a Middle East city, making it a historic development.

It is the second headquarters of an international agency in a developing country after Nairobi in Kenya, which houses the headquarters of UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme).

The UAE had strongly advocated the relevance of a developing country hosting the Irena, in its campaign to win the bid for Abu Dhabi.

Now a prominent UN diplomat from a developing country (Kenya) leading the agency has increased that relevance. As Gulf News reported on Sunday, the two year old agency witnessed its second historic development by electing Adnan.Z Amin as the designated director general of Irena.

Adnan Amin is slated to hold the post for the next 4 years.

Ameen had served as the Director of the UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB).

The first session of the General Assembly gathered 800 delegates from 150 nations and was attended by more than 90 ministers.

Dr Sultan Ahmad Al Jaber, UAE Special Envoy for Energy and Climate Change, CEO of Masdar, and President of the ongoing session, said: "Today’s first meeting of the Assembly is a momentous occasion for Irena, demonstrating the vision of our wise leadership as well as the strong global determination to work cooperatively to advance the use of renewable energy around the world. The UAE is honoured to be the permanent home of Irena and will continue to be a strong advocate for further global collaboration and the deployment of renewable energy," he said.