The Government of the Maldives, in its capacity as Chair of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), and in partnership with the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), hosts the inaugural High-level Meeting of the Initiative for Renewable Island Energy (IRIE). The meeting is attended by energy and environment ministers from the 17 AOSIS membership countries.
The inaugural High-level Meeting of the Initiative for Renewable Island Energy (IRIE), attended by energy and environment ministers from 17 AOSIS membership countries is being held at Bandos Maldives Resort. The meeting was inaugurated by Vice President of the Maldives Abdulla Jihad. The primary objective of IRIE is to enhance AOSIS political coordination and outreach to development partners with a view to mobilising finance, technology, and capacity building required for a rapid transition to renewable energy systems in Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
During his opening remarks at the inaugural ceremony, Minister of State for Environment Abdulla Majeed stated that IRIE reflects long standing vision of SIDS to tackle climate change and realise the promise of a transition to renewable energy.
Speaking at the ceremony, Director General of IRENA Adnan Amin said that global efforts to address climate change needs to be strengthened, citing that SIDS have long been in the forefront of the effort. He noted the importance of the meeting, citing that it comes at an important occasion for AOSIS to enable political engagement and improve coordination with partners to achieve Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement.
The Ministerial Meeting aims to bring together policy level officials from AOSIS states and discuss pertinent issues to IRIE and renewable energy related projects. Efforts to overcome financial, technical and political barriers faced by SIDS could be enhanced by greater cooperation and knowledge sharing among SIDS, development partners and private sector stakeholders. The enhanced collaboration has the potential to lead to improved economies of scale, reduced transaction costs and better enabling environments for donors and investors.
IRIE is designed to support SIDS in the implementation of the renewable energy and energy efficiency components of NDCs. This will require further mobilisation of financial and technical support within the governments and private sectors.