On January 14, 2012 Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the United Arab Emirates Yuriy Polurez attended the Second Assembly of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

The Assembly of the International Renewable Energy Agency was held on January 14-15, 2012 in Abu Dhabi gathering nearly 1,000 delegates from 137 countries, the European Union and 57 organizations.

The Assembly approved IRENA’s 2012 Work Programme and Budget. An important outcome of the two-day Assembly was the establishment of the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development procedure, which has positive implications for developing countries. Other highlights of the Assembly were the interactive Ministerial Roundtables, one of which discussed cooperation with the private sector, while the second focused on policy issues related to IRENA’s medium-term strategy. Activities also included technical meetings of the Global Solar and Wind Atlas, and on the competitiveness of renewable power generation.

In his final address to the Assembly Dr. Sultan Ahmad Al Jaber, President of the First IRENA Assembly, UAE Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and Special Envoy for Energy and Climate Change emphasized: “If 2011 was about ensuring that IRENA is on the right track, then 2012 will be about empowering IRENA and its leadership!”