The event, seen as a key step in building up the diplomatic functions of the organization, occurred during ceremonies at IRENA's headquarters on 18 and 19 November.
During the event, diplomats from the UAE and Germany presented their credentials to IRENA’s Director-General, Adnan Z. Amin.
The countries are home to IRENA’s permanent headquarters, which is located in Abu Dhabi, and its Innovation and Technology Centre, which is in Bonn.
"The appointment of permanent representatives reinforces IRENA’s partnership with the UAE, Germany and other member countries, strengthening international cooperation to capitalize on the huge market changes that are making renewable energy a competitive, realistic option around the world," Amin said.
Dr. Thani Al Zeyoudi, a former IRENA Council chair who was recently named the UAE's Ambassador Extraordinary Plenipotentiary, presented his letter of accreditation to IRENA last Tuesday.
"IRENA is the first major multilateral organization to be headquartered in the Middle East, and it heralds an era of change in the heart of the energy industry," said Al Zeyoudi. "I am privileged and humbled to represent the UAE to IRENA as we embark on a defining period for the industry."
The event followed the passage of landmark legislation in the UAE, encouraging all 160 of IRENA's member countries to establish formal diplomatic representation with the organization.
The German Ambassador to the UAE, Nikolai von Schoepff, followed Al Zeyoud's lead on Wednesday, presenting credentials as Germany’s Permanent and Plenipotentiary Representative to the organization.
"The quick accreditation of Germany — coming only weeks after the entry into force of the headquarters agreement between the Government of the United Arab Emirates and IRENA in October this year — is significant proof of the increasingly important role IRENA is playing as the international organization for the promotion of renewable energy and the sustainable use of all its forms," von Schoepff said.
IRENA is expected to be completely moved into its new headquarters building in Abu Dhabi’s low-carbon Masdar City by 2015.
It will also continue to maintain the Innovation and Technology Centre in Bonn, and a liaison office to the United Nations in New York.
"I am honoured and very pleased to receive Dr. Al Zeyoudi and Ambassador von Schoepff as the first two permanent representatives to IRENA, and it is fitting that they have come from the UAE and Germany," Amin said. "These are not only IRENA’s host countries, they are two of the most active partners in our mission to build a clean energy future powered by renewables."
IRENA will hold its 4th General Assembly in Abu Dhabi on 18 and 19 January, kicking off the annual Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.
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