On Saturday 14 January 2023, Giorgio Silli, Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, attended in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, the 13th Annual Meeting of IRENA, the International Renewable Energy Agency, at the invitation of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, and the Minister of Environment and Energy Security, Gilberto Pichetto Fratin.
During the event, Undersecretary Silli talked with H.E. Sharif Al Olama, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure of the United Arab Emirates, and met with Francesco La Camera, Director General of IRENA, Ditte Juul Jørgensen, Director General for Energy of the European Commission, and Nawal Al-Hosani, Permanent Representative of the UAE to IRENA.
Italy is among the founding countries of IRENA, an intergovernmental organisation, currently headed by an Italian, and the largest platform for international cooperation in the field of renewable energy sources. IRENA supports states in their transition towards energy sustainability. It counts 168 members, including the European Union, as well as around 150 observers from companies, NGOs, state and parastatal agencies, and 16 states in accession.
“Today’s meeting was a wonderful opportunity to share policies, strategies, knowledge and best practices,” said Undersecretary Silli about the event, adding that he also had “the opportunity to exchange interesting and insightful opinions on the global energy situation with a number of leading experts in the field such as the Director General of IRENA Francesco La Camera, the Director General for Energy of the European Commission Ditte Juul Jørgensen, the UAE Undersecretary Sharif Al Olama and the UAE Permanent Representative to IRENA Nawal Al-Hosani.”
“The unprecedented energy crisis we are currently experiencing, triggered on a global level by Russia’s ruthless aggression against Ukraine, has prompted significant improvements in energy use, with a strong boost to the energy transition in Europe, in particular over the past year,” said Giorgio Silli in his speech.
“Investments in energy efficiency and in the production of energy from renewable sources generate development, employment, and play a crucial role in the ecological transition, and especially in the path towards security and strategic autonomy in the field of energy,” claimed the Undersecretary, who believes that these are the reasons why “Italy will continue to work in this direction both nationally and internationally with IRENA and in all international organisations and fora.”
The meeting with the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure of the United Arab Emirates, H.E. Sharif Al Olama, which was described by Undersecretary Silli as “truly fruitful”, covered “the contexts and opportunities for cooperation in the political, economic, cultural, scientific, and technological fields that exist between Italy and the United Arab Emirates, which are increasingly numerous.”
“Talking with Undersecretary Sharif Al Olama, I observed that the United Arab Emirates have a strong interest in the know-how, technologies, experience, and skills developed in Italy in the field of energy efficiency, renewable sources, and the circular economy,” declared Undersecretary Silli.