WiRE's Participation at the IRENA 15th Assembly, Global Coalition Annual Meeting and Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
IRENA Global Coalition Members; Francesco La Camera, Ilina Stefanova, Raul Alfaro-Pelico, Giedre Vizkantaite, Jared McCarthy, Monica Oliphant, Stefan Gsänger, Jan Mola, Rana Adib, Asma Al bhjaray & Tania Zepeda Luna, among other members.
Tania Zepeda Luna & Maria Flouda – Co-Chair, Lean In Network | Equity & Sustainability
We are pleased to share the UAE chapter's active participation in the recent IRENA 15th Assembly, Coalition Annual Assembly, and Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. Asma Adam and Tania Zepeda represented WiRE at these significant events.
Tania represented WiRE, speaking at two key panels: the IRENA Youth Forum panel, "Powering a Fair Future: Building a Workforce for a Just Energy Transition," and the IRENA panel discussion, "The Role of Women in the Energy Transition," held during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.
During the IRENA Coalition for Action Annual Meeting, we followed up on the task force progress, planning frameworks essential for investments, and potential areas for improvement.
As WiRE we want to highlight, Asma’s active contribution to the Coalition’s efforts supporting the the Battery Energy Storage Task Force and report. This project is a critical pillar for achieving 100% renewable energy. It exemplifies the actions needed to accelerate the global energy transition and increase the share of renewables in the energy mix.
IRENA Global Coalition & WiRE UAE: Raul Alfaro-Pelico, Jared McCarthy, Jan Mola, Asma Al bhjaray & Tania Zepeda Luna.
At the 15th IRENA Assembly (January 11-13), roundtables were organised to underscore the inevitability of 100% renewable energy and highlight its significance for energy security, sustainability, and socio-economic development.
Addressing the challenges posed by high capital costs and financial barriers, particularly in developing countries, which hinder investments in renewable energy projects.
Exploring ways to optimise system-level integration by tackling demand-side issues, capacity constraints, and resource scarcity.
Emphasising the need to enhance policy frameworks and strengthen international cooperation to support the transition to 100% renewables
Innovation is required in Risk and mitigation instruments for fast access to finance and acceleration of mini-grids.
Asma Al bhjaray & Melody Fu of JinkoSolar
WiRE UAE volunteer Asma Al bhjaray and Monica Oliphant of World Wind Energy Association (WWEA)
At the Assembly, the discussion focused on the urgent need to increase renewable energy capacity threefold in the next five years to meet global climate targets and the importance of integrating more comprehensive grid planning into NDCs to ensure that renewable energy targets align with infrastructure development and avoid creating inefficiencies and making a call for increased financial flows, particularly to developing countries, to bridge the gap and meet the $3.8 trillion needed annually to achieve renewable energy goals.
Also, the WiRE delegation was honoured to attend the event, "Empowering Women Through AI: Pioneering Gender Equality in the Energy Transition”, and joined the discussion on how our organisations can support AI deployment in the Renewable Energy Sector, mitigate the challenge of bias and risk and looking the opportunity to develop the next generation of STEM, developing the skills that look into gender policies.
The event particularly emphasised how AI can empower women in the energy sector by providing access to training and advanced tools, enabling them to lead innovation, optimise energy systems, and overcome barriers to achieve a just Energy Transition.
The energy transition is fundamentally about serving people, empowering communities, and building the capacity to forge a sustainable future, ensuring that no one is left behind in the global shift toward renewable energy. The 15th IRENA Assembly highlighted the critical role of capacity building as a cornerstone of this transition, equipping communities and stakeholders with the tools and knowledge necessary to confront the challenges ahead.
WiRE IRENA Committee Leaders Tania Zeppeda-Luna and Asma Al bhjaray
“With approximately 750 million people still without electricity, particularly in Africa and the Global South, energy equity must be prioritized as a central pillar of our efforts."
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