- Global energy leaders will gather in Abu Dhabi for the first major international energy meeting of 2026.
- Discussions to centre on regional energy transitions, grids, finance, digital innovation and green industrialisation.
- Assembly launches Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week and sets cooperation priorities for the year ahead
The sixteenth International Renewable Energy Agency Assembly will take place in Abu Dhabi from 10 to 12 January 2026, marking the first international energy meeting of the year.
Held under the theme Powering Humanity Renewable Energy for Shared Prosperity, the Assembly will bring together around 1,500 ministers and senior delegates from IRENA’s 171 Member States, alongside chief executives, investors, international organisations and youth representatives. The objective is to shape a shared global agenda and agree on international cooperation priorities to guide the energy transition in 2026.
Key discussions will address regional energy transitions and critical enablers such as electricity grids, energy planning, digital innovation and artificial intelligence. Delegates will also examine ways to mobilise finance, including for sustainable aviation fuels, and explore how renewable energy can support agri food systems and green industrial development.
IRENA Director General Francesco La Camera said the Assembly comes at a pivotal moment for the global energy transition. “It is time to ignite a global push and a positive vision for the energy transition. The world is changing fast. Shifting geopolitics and intensifying climate impacts are putting countries’ energy resilience at risk. While renewables continue to break records, progress remains uneven across regions, leaving many countries unable to access the benefits. This Assembly will place real world solutions and new approaches at the centre, unlocking the full potential of renewables as a driver of inclusive development and long term resilience.”
Bojan Kumer, President of the fifteenth IRENA Assembly and Slovenia’s Minister for the Environment, Climate and Energy, highlighted the agency’s role in global cooperation. He said IRENA remains a trusted platform for advancing renewable energy technologies and promoting sustainable growth and long term economic prosperity worldwide.
Representing the incoming Presidency of the sixteenth Assembly, Betty Soto, Deputy Minister of Innovation and Energy Transition of the Dominican Republic, emphasised the importance of the energy transition for Small Island Developing States. She noted that renewable energy is closely linked to resilience, justice and energy security, pointing to initiatives such as the Sargassum to Energy project as evidence of what can be achieved through strong international cooperation.
As IRENA’s highest decision-making body, the Assembly is recognised as a strategic global platform for inclusive dialogue on all aspects of the energy transition. The programme includes the sixth World Energy Transition Day, which will begin on 11 January with a high-level dialogue on Reimagining Energy Futures Bold Visions for Shared Prosperity.
In addition, a series of ministerial and senior level events will be held on 10 January during Pre Assembly Day to strengthen political momentum and inform the future work of the agency.
The sixteenth IRENA Assembly will also mark the start of the 2026 edition of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, running from 11 to 15 January, where global leaders and experts will convene to accelerate sustainability efforts worldwide.
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
