The appointment of the Director-General of IRENA took place during a closed session yesterday afternoon. Pedro Marín (Spain) obtained 36 votes, Adnan Amin (Kenya) obtained 76 votes, and one ballot was declared invalid. Amin was therefore declared the designated Director-General of IRENA. Today’s decision will be formally confirmed in the first formal session of the IRENA general assembly which opens today.
In outlining his future vision for IRENA, Director-General designate Adnan Amin said, “In 5 years time, IRENA should be the hallmark in terms of renewable energy information, technology cooperation and facilitation, setting the standards that will facilitate the uptake of renewable energy globally.”
The Global Wind Energy Council was among organisations to quickly welcome the election of Amin. “With Adnan Amin as Director-General, IRENA will get off to a running start,” said Steve Sawyer, GWEC’s Secretary General. “He has the experience and the knowledge necessary for IRENA to play a key role in transforming the global energy supply into a system based on clean, renewable energy, thereby building new industries, and consigning the polluting and dangerous technologies of the 19th and 20th centuries to the dustbins in which they belong.”
Prior to Amin’s appointment yesterday, IRENA delegates considered the organisation of work; the report of the Chair of the Administrative Committee; the provisional rules of procedure of the Assembly and of the Council; multilingualism; staff regulations and the staff provident fund; the secondment of personnel to IRENA; financial matters; the establishment of committees; the transfer of assets and liabilities from the Preparatory Commission to IRENA and recommendation on other transitional arrangements; host country arrangements; and the draft agreement on privileges and immunities.
In addition, Adnan Amin, presented his annual report on the implementation of the 2010 Work Programme and Budget. He explained that the focus had been on institutional and management issues, including implementation of recommendations and audits, with particular attention to human resources, finances and procurements. During the discussion of the Draft Decision on the Establishment of Committees, delegates debated a proposal by Sudan to add reference to the creation of a committee on technical and technological issues.
In the afternoon, delegates agreed to recommend to the Assembly of IRENA to adopt the Draft Work Programme and Budget for 2011. The Draft provides for a core budget of $13.26 million and details three sub-programmes for IRENA on: knowledge management and technological cooperation; policy advisory services and capacity building; and innovation and technology.
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) was officially established in 2009, and its statutes have to date been signed by 149 states and the European Union.
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