Italian official to lead IRENA over the next four years

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) Assembly has selected Francesco La Camera to be the next Director-General of IRENA. La Camera will take office on April 4, 2019, succeeding Adnan Z. Amin, who has been IRENA Director-General since 2011, IRENA said in a press release.

The new Director-General was appointed during the 9th Assembly of IRENA, the ultimate decision-making body of the agency.

Francesco La Camera currently serves as the Director-General for Sustainable Development, Energy and Climate at the Italian Ministry of Environment, Land, and Sea. La Camera led the EU and Italian negotiation teams at the climate COP20 in Lima and was the head of the Italian delegation to the three previous COPs.

He has represented Italy in many international forums including at the EU, UNECE, UNCSD, UN Environment, and the OECD. From 2003 to 2010 he was also Professor of Environmental and Land Economics at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Rome Tre. La Camera has a degree in political science from the University of Messina.

#IRENA9A Assembly selects Italian official, Francesco La Camera, to lead @IRENA as the next Director-General https://t.co/QnIbuZyPmX #ADSW

— IRENA (@IRENA) January 14, 2019

La Camera is elected for a term of four years. He will lead the IRENA Secretariat and the implementation of the Agency’s work programme and budget.

The IRENA Assembly has also adopted a decision to pay tribute to current Director-General Adnan Z. Amin for his outstanding contribution to the establishment, development and work of IRENA, and accorded him the honorary title of Director-General Emeritus.

The 9th Assembly of IRENA gathered 1,200 delegates including representatives from more than 160 countries, the private sector and civil society to discuss key issues in the global energy transition.

With a membership approaching near-universality, IRENA serves as the principal platform for international cooperation on renewable energy, providing a center of excellence for knowledge and innovation which supports countries worldwide in their transition to a sustainable energy future, the press release reads.