The upcoming Assembly session will delve into the crucial theme of “Outcome of COP28: Infrastructure, Policies and Skills for Tripling Renewables and Accelerating the Energy Transition”. Marking the 4th World Energy Transition Day, the Assembly session will also gather global leaders and energy decision-makers to chart a strategic way forward across countries, regions and the world, in light of the findings of the first Global Stocktake at COP28.

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Roundtable on the role of public finance and policy in achieving universal energy access under SDG7

16 April; 14:00-15:30 GST

The session aims to convene governments, development institutions, donor agencies, the private sector, and energy access practitioners to discuss the role of public finance and policies in addressing energy access needs. Stakeholders will exchange best practices and lessons learned in ongoing efforts to deploy public funding toward universal energy access. The event will provide opportunities to identify additional cooperation and collaboration necessary to address the current finance gaps. IRENA’s brief on Structuring public finance for universal energy access will be launched during this event.

CPI Manager Costanza Strinati will participate in this session.

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Regional Energy Transition Outlooks for Africa – Pathways to 2050

18 April; 13:00 – 14:30 GST

IRENA is developing Regional Energy Transition Outlook (RETOs) reports for the five African regions (Central, East, North, Southern, and West). RETOs for Africa build on IRENA’s contribution to the Continental Power System Masterplan (CMP), an initiative led by the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) to which IRENA is a modelling partner, IRENA and AfDB’s Renewable Market Analysis for Africa and its regions, as well as Renewable Energy Roadmap Analyses already conducted in Africa. It will also complement IRENA’s World Energy Transition Outlook (WETO) by exploring potential opportunities for Africa through embracing a sustainable development pathway. The African RETOs will mark the continuation of the Agency’s efforts to support African partners in envisioning holistic, inclusive, and just energy transitions in the continent.

The RETO programme is one of IRENA’s key engagement activities with countries, aimed at creating dialogue, promoting knowledge exchange and raising ambition towards low-carbon pathways. Central to this programme is an extensive knowledge transfer component, involving direct consultation with country and regional stakeholders. This collaborative approach ensures local ownership of the collective effort and fosters national and regional action based on the analytical outcomes. This side-event marks the official kick-off of the project and will introduce African RETOs to stakeholders. Subsequently, a full-day workshop will delve into RETOs’ regional aspects and discuss their narratives in greater detail.

CPI Director Dharshan Wignarajah will speak at this event.