The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) today with the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), to cooperate on sustainable energy in the context of urban development. IRENA’s studies show that cities are responsible for 65 per cent of global energy demand and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change data shows cities are responsible for 71-76 per cent of energy-related carbon dioxide emissions.
As such, high-level cooperation to support municipal governments in their energy transition is crucial.
Signed by IRENA Director-General Francesco La Camera and UN-Habitat
Deputy Executive Director Victor Kisob during the Tenth Session of the
World Urban Forum (WUF10) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), the
MoU will see the two organisations work to advance the role of cities in
the global energy transformation whilst promoting cleaner, low-carbon
urbanisation.
“Cities are the engines of modern economic growth, supporting prosperity
and opportunity, and are also a source of significant energy demands
and of carbon emissions,” said IRENA Director-General Francesco La
Camera. “In the pursuit of climate and sustainable development goals,
municipal governments have an opportunity to strengthen policy
frameworks that can help cities shift to renewable energy use. Cities
can significantly contribute to the achievement of global energy
transformation objectives and this partnership will help accelerate that
process.”
IRENA and UN-Habitat have been working together for several years by
sharing expertise in different occasions. Commenting on this,
UN-Habitat Deputy Executive Director Victor Kisob said: “The signing of
this MoU is one of the many testaments of UN reforms to advance synergy
and partnership. We are happy to strengthen our partnership with IRENA
for a more sustainable energy future.”
The cooperation agreed upon by the MoU covers among others the exchange
of relevant information, expertise, and viewpoints in order to realise
potential synergies, enhance public dialogue, and implement common
positions. Under this MoU, both IRENA and UN-Habitat hope to be at the
forefront of the global efforts to achieve sustainable urban
development.
