Tonga joins IRENA Council [1]
Thursday, April 7, 2011 - 20:43. Updated on Wednesday, September 11, 2013 - 10:06.
Tonga has been confirmed as one of the 21 Council members of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) at the end of its inaugural assembly at Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, April 5.
IRENA's director general, Dr Adnan Amin from Kenya said that the Council will play an important role in the organisation's decision making. Decisions at IRENA are made at bi-annual assemblies and discussing issues among 160 diverse countries can be challenging.
The council will have the task of holding consultations and preparing documents to inform the discussions of the full assembly.
"By the time member states come to the assembly, the decisions are much more streamlined," said Dr Amin.
UAE
The assembly also confirmed during its two days of deliberation April 4-5 for the United Arab Emirates to be the permanent headquarters country for IRENA.
With the conclusion of Irena's inaugural assembly, the organisation became a fully fledged international body that will now receive mandatory funding from members.
IRENA was created in 2009 and has 149 member states. A total of 75 countries signed the Statute at the Founding Conference on January 26, 2009, and 69 countries have already ratified the Statute.
Pacific countries which are members of IRENA include Australia, Fiji, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Samoa and Tonga who have ratified the Statute, while Pacific countries that have not ratified the statute are Kiribati, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu.
Tonga was represented at the IRENA's inaugural assembly in Abu Dhabi by the Prime Minister, Lord Tu'ivakano, Crown Prince Tupouto'a Lavaka, the Prime Minister's Special Advisor, 'Akau'ola and the Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Mahe'uli'uli Tupouniua.