Executive Vice-President Timmermans and Commissioner Simson in Abu Dhabi for the International Renewable Energy Agency Assembly and COP28 preparations
On 14 and 15 January, the Commission will be represented by Executive Vice-President for the European Green Deal, Frans Timmermans, and Commissioner for Energy, Kadri Simson, at the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) Assembly in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
On Saturday, Executive Vice-President Timmermans will deliver a statement at the IRENA High-Level Plenary Session: ‘World Energy Transition – The Global Stocktake’. Later, he will exchange with the IRENA Youth Forum. On Sunday, Commissioner Simson will attend the Ministerial Dialogue on ‘Regional Energy Transition Outlooks: Southeast Asia Energy Transitions’. She will then deliver a keynote speech at the Ministerial Dialogue on ‘Critical materials for the Renewables-centered Energy Transition: How to jointly harness opportunities’. In the evening, Commissioner Simson will participate in the launch of the ‘Empowering Lives and Livelihoods’ initiative. She will also attend the Atlantic Council Global Energy Forum, participating in a fireside chat with Ambassador Richard Morningstar.
Executive Vice-President Timmermans will also start preparations for the 2023 UN Climate Change Conference (COP28), hosted by the UAE. He will meet bilaterally on Saturday with the new COP28 President-Designate Dr Sultan Al Jaber, and with the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Tonga, Siaosi Sovaleni. On Sunday, he will meet US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, John Kerry; Spanish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, Teresa Ribera; Indian Minister of Power, New and Renewable Energy, Raj Kumar Singh; State Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Technology of Maldives, Khadeeja Naseem; and Indonesian Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Arifin Tasrif.
On Monday, Executive Vice-President Timmermans will participate in the Opening ceremony of the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. Later, he will hold bilateral meetings with IRENA’s Director-General, Francesco La Camera; UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation, Reem Al Hashimy; UNFCCC Executive Secretary, Simon Stiell; and Damilola Ogunbiyi, CEO SEforALL. The Executive Vice-President’s trip will also include a visit to the Jubail Mangrove Park.
A detailed programme of the IRENA Assembly is available here and the sessions will be livestreamed on the IRENA Assembly event webpage.
