International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) Headquarters

General information

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) is an intergovernmental organization, mandated by governments worldwide to promote the widespread and sustainable use of all forms of renewable energy. This concerns all forms of energy produced from renewable sources in a sustainable manner, which include bioenergy, geothermal energy, hydropower, ocean, solar, and wind energy.

IRENA was founded on 26 January 2009 in Bonn, Germany, by 75 States which signed its Statute. As of September 2012, IRENA participants include 158 States and the European Union (EU), of which 100 States and the EU have ratified the Statute and are IRENA Members. IRENA is the first global intergovernmental organization to be established in decades – a clear sign of the international community’s commitment to renewable energy and an acknowledgement of the need for focused action in this respect.