The IAEA and IRENA cooperate in the area of energy planning with a view to enhancing the effectiveness and impact of capacity-building efforts in that area by joining the complementary competencies of the two organizations.
IRENA is an intergovernmental organization that supports countries in their transition to a sustainable energy future, and serves as the principal platform for international cooperation, a centre of excellence, and a repository of policy, technology, resource and financial knowledge on renewable energy. It promotes the widespread adoption and sustainable use of all forms of renewable energy, including bioenergy, geothermal, hydropower, ocean, solar and wind energy in the pursuit of sustainable development, energy access, energy security and low-carbon economic growth and prosperity.
Collaboration between the IAEA and IRENA is formalized through a Practical Arrangement, signed by both organizations on 2 November 2016. Under the Agreement, the agencies pursue the following activities:
- exchange of unclassified information on capacity-building needs and opportunities in their respective Members and on past and planned training events;
- accommodation, if deemed necessary, for the participation of national and regional experts (including lecturers and trainees) designated by the other Party in training events held by it or under its sponsorship;
- sharing of unclassified information on existing energy planning capability in their respective Members;
- sharing of the relevant unclassified data and methodologies at the capacity-building events held by the other Party;
- consultations with each other with a view to combining the capacity-building opportunities and avoid duplication of resources; and
- as appropriate, co-operation in the development of national and regional case studies.
