The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) is an intergovernmental organisation dedicated to renewable energy. In accordance with its Statute, IRENA’s objective is to “promote the widespread and increased adoption and the sustainable use of all forms of renewable energy” (Article II). This concerns all forms of energy produced from renewable sources in a sustainable manner, which include bioenergy, geothermal energy, hydropower, ocean, solar, and wind energy.
IRENA was founded on 26 January 2009 in Bonn, Germany, by 75 States which signed its Statute. As of September 2012, IRENA participants include 158 States and the European Union (EU), out of which 100 States and the EU have ratified the Statute and are IRENA Members.
