IRENA PREPARATIONS IN FULL SWING

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABU DHABI 000769 SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ARP, EEB/ESC/IEC/ENR (MONOSSON, SECOR) AND OES/EGC (THOMPSON) AMMAN, BERLIN AND PARIS FOR ESTH OFFICERS E.O. 12958: 04/05/2019 TAGS: SENV ENRG KGHG PREL PGOV AE SUBJECT: IRENA PREPARATIONS IN FULL SWING CLASSIFIED BY CDA DOUG GREENE FOR REASONS 1.4 B AND D REF: STATE 73217 ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: UAE officials report their efforts to stand up the Abu Dhabi headquarters of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) are in full swing, in cooperation with Director General Helene Pelosse. MFA and Masdar officials asked for USG comments on the IRENA Admin Committee Work Plan and the IRENA Work Program. Officials also inquired about US plans to second staff to IRENA and appoint a Permanent Representative. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (SBU) On July 29, EconOff met with MFA and Masdar (Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company) officials responsible for IRENA to deliver reftel talking points on opportunities and challenges in advance of the October IRENA Admin Committee Meeting and the January Third PrepCom Meeting. MFA IRENA POC Lana Nusseibah said the UAE is committed to supporting tangible goals for IRENA to ensure the organization's success and that the UAE, like the United States, would remain focused on capacity building. Nusseibah opined that DG Pelosse has a strong mandate, due to her support from developed and developing nations, that will be key to IRENA's progress. Serene Serhan, from Masdar's IRENA Liaison Office, inquired about the status of USG feedback on the IRENA Work Programme. Serhan said the UAE hoped to receive US feedback in advance of the October Admin Committee meeting. STAFFING -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Serhan inquired about US plans to name an IRENA Permanent Representative and second employees to IRENA. She also asked about US interest in a seat on the IRENA Council. EconOff said such matters were currently under consideration, noting the USG, as the largest budgetary contributor, would be an active IRENA member. Nusseibah commented that she and her colleagues -- as well as DG Pelosse -- had already received a number of job applications from individuals who hoped to work at IRENA. ADMIN CHALLENGES -------------- ¶4. (C) Serhan asked for USG assistance in reviewing the IRENA Initial Work Plan (emailed to OES and EEB). Serhan said the UAE, hosting its first international organization, would appreciate USG input on the work plan action items and target delivery dates, to ensure both the organization and timeline is appropriate. While the UAE is willing and able to dedicate all necessary resources, Serhan said it was important the timeline be logical and reasonable. ¶5. (C) Serhan and Masdar colleagues Thani Al Zayoudi and Hadef Al Shamsi reported DG Pelosse had expected the IRENA offices to be ready in July and had initially intended to move to Abu Dhabi then. Noting the UAE IRENA bid clearly stated three months would be needed to prepare the temporary offices, Serhan said they were looking to the DG for input into office configurations and technical requirements. Although Pelosse rejected the proposed temporary IRENA HQ offices, after reviewing several properties, she accepted an office location in downtown Abu Dhabi. (Note: The IRENA Headquarters at Masdar City are scheduled for completion in 2011. End Note.) Nusseibah said Pelosse would likely visit several times in the coming weeks, and was expected to relocate to Abu Dhabi in time for the October Admin Committee meeting. GREENE