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28 March 2024

Amin to replace Pelosse as interim chief of Irena

Adnan Amin of Kenya, new interim director general of Irena, speaks during a press conference in Abu Dhabi on Monday. (AFP)

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Adnan Amin of Kenya will replace Helene Pelosse of France as the interim director general of the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena), the head of its preparatory commission said on Monday.

"The preparatory commission has decided that as of November 1, Adnan Amin will perform (the) functions of Interim Director General of Irena until the first assembly in April 2011," said Rafael Condo de Sara, the Spanish chairman of the preparatory commission.

Speaking on the sidelines of the fourth Irena preparatory commission meeting in Abu Dhabi, de Sara announced "the acceptation of the resignation of the interim general director (Helene) Pelosse".

"On behalf of member states I thank Mrs Helene Pelosse for the hard work she has put in setting up the agency, and welcome Mr Amin," de Sara said. He did not provide reasons for Pelosse's resignation.

Amin, a Kenyan citizen, served as the director of the UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination before being selected to head Irena, the agency said.

"My priority will be to put Irena on a firm institutional footing and to develop a compelling vision for the future of renewable energy worldwide," Amin said.

Irena announced last Tuesday that Pelosse was leaving the agency less than 18 months after she was elected interim director general, beating off challengers from Denmark, Greece and Spain.

She had previously served as deputy head of staff in the private office of French Ecology Minister Jean-Louis Borloo.

The preparatory commission met on Sunday and Monday with about 300 delegates from more than 100 countries attending the sessions, according to Irena.

Irena, which was founded in Bonn in January 2009, is "dedicated to facilitating the rapid development and deployment of renewable energy worldwide", its website says.

A total of 148 states and the European Union have signed its statute.

The agency is based in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi.

The UAE government plans to relocate the agency's headquarters to Masdar City, which is to be powered entirely by renewable energy, cost between $18.7 billion and $19.8bn and will be completed between 2020 and 2025.

Phase one of Masdar City, which is located outside Abu Dhabi, and is to include Irena's headquarters, will be completed by 2015, according to Masdar.