Cyprus participated in the 13th General Assembly of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) which took place between 13-15 January 2023 in Abu Dhabi.
The delegation of the Republic of Cyprus consisted of the Director General of the Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry, Mr. Mr. Marios Panagides, the Ambassador of Cyprus to the United Arab Emirates and Permanent Representative to IRENA, Mr. Yannis Michaelides and the responsible official of the Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry, Mr. George Partasidis.
During the IRENA General Assembly, the strategic and programmatic orientation of the Agency, the re-election of the Director General of the Agency and the election of the new Council were discussed, among other things.
During the IRENA General Assembly, the strategic and programmatic orientation of the Agency, the re-election of the Director General of the Agency and the election of the new Council were discussed. In his intervention during the General Assembly, the Director General of the Ministry of Energy, Mr Marios Panagides, stressed the importance of energy infrastructure for renewable energy sources for Cyprus, while he welcomed the initiatives of the Agency in which Cyprus participates, with emphasis on the Long Term Energy Planning (LTS) initiative. He also mentioned that Cyprus, based on the latest data, has increased the share of renewables from 2015 to 2021 by 5.2%, a performance that is higher than the average growth across the European Union (3.7% points).
During the General Assembly, various themes were presented in which Cyprus participated, such as the restructuring of the electricity system for the energy transition and the avoidance of the next electricity price crisis.
Cyprus also participated in the official inauguration ceremony of the United Nations and IRENA initiative to increase the penetration of renewable energy in the facilities of UN peacekeeping missions worldwide.
In his intervention, Mr. Panagides referred, inter alia, to the actions and licensing facilities offered by the Republic of Cyprus through the new One Stop Shop legislation in order to expedite the licensing of renewable energy installations.
At the above-mentioned meeting, UNFICYP representative Mr. Joel Cohen thanked the Republic of Cyprus for its support, stating that UNFICYP has already installed 600 kW in Cyprus for its mission needs and that it intends to move forward with investments to meet 80% of the force's needs from renewable energy sources.
Along with the above, Cyprus had the opportunity to participate in bilateral meetings with the Secretariat of the Organization, with representatives of the United Nations and UNFICYP, where the next steps of cooperation were discussed. Cyprus' proposal to organise a joint conference next autumn was accepted by both IRENA and the United Nations.
Our country was also invited by the Federal Government of Germany to participate in a meeting on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)-Europe High Level Exchange Initiative, which was established during a conference held in Jordan in June 2022.
Cyprus was also elected as a member of the Credentials Committee of the General Assembly and an alternate member of the Council of the Organisation for the years 2023-2024.
(MΓ)
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