About The Permanent Mission to IRENA

The UAE Mission to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) aims to spearhead and advocate renewable energy deployment through representation, diplomacy, public engagement, knowledge development and dissemination. The Mission acts as an agent of renewable energy in the UAE and abroad. It aims to increase the knowledge base, and identify and create opportunities to drive renewable energy adoption in the UAE. The Mission works with other country permanent representatives, the IRENA Secretariat and related think tanks to facilitate cooperation and mutual understanding that contribute to achieving IRENA’s goals.

The key objectives of the Mission are:

To position the UAE in the global renewable energy space through leveraging its strong reputation in the renewable energy and sustainability sectors, and maintaining its influential voice as a key stakeholder in defining the international renewable energy agenda.

To act as a liaison between IRENA and local and federal government and private sector stakeholders, and encourage them to use soft power to protect the UAE’s interests in the renewable energy domain.

To consolidate IRENA’s reputation as the top global authority on renewable energy.

To raise the profile of the UAE as a climate-responsible member of the international community through identifying and proposing innovative renewable energy policies, programmes and partnerships, and leading industry-related media campaigns and expert forums.

Vision:

To be the regional leader and conduit of the UAE’s renewable energy agenda and sustainable development message to the international community.

About the Permanent Representative to IRENA:

Her Excellency Dr Nawal Al-Hosany was appointed Permanent Representative of the UAE to IRENA on April 2018.

Her Excellency’s career spans business and academia. Prior to her current position, she was Deputy Director General of the Emirates Diplomatic Academy (EDA). She was instrumental in the realisation of the Academy’s mandate to equip the UAE’s current and future diplomats with the relevant knowledge and multi-disciplinary skills to effectively serve their nation.

Previously, Her Excellency was Executive Director of Sustainability & Brand at Masdar and Director of the Zayed Future Energy Prize (now the Zayed Sustainability Prize) – the UAE’s annual award that acknowledges global achievements in renewable energy and sustainability. Earlier in her career, she held senior leadership positions with Abu Dhabi Police General Headquarters, including Head of Design and Studies in the Engineering Department. In 2007, she became the first-ever female Deputy Director of Abu Dhabi Police. Her Excellency passionately believes in the leading role of women in responding to global sustainability and climate change challenges. In 2015, she launched the UAE-led Women in Sustainability, Environment and Renewable Energy (WiSER) initiative, and remained at its helm until February 2018. Highly regarded for her expert counsel, Her Excellency has been invited to sit on several boards and intergovernmental bodies. These include the Advisory Board of the Payne Institute for Public Policy at Colorado School of Mines, the Advisory Panel for the Momentum for Change initiative of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and the Troika+ of Women Leaders in Gender and Climate Change. A prolific writer, Her Excellency has been published in global journals and newspapers, including Management of Environmental Quality, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Renewable Energy, and International Journal of Renewable Energy Technology. Her professional achievements have been widely acknowledged through prestigious awards. In July 2018, Her Excellency received the Doctor of Letters Honoris Causa title from Keele University in the UK in recognition of her achievements in the field of sustainability. She also won the Arab Woman Award in the Energy category and the Emirates Women Award in the Business, Professional and Career Achievements category. Her Excellency is one of the first two Emirati women to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest free-standing mountain in the world at 5,895 metres above sea level. Her Excellency Dr Al-Hosany graduated from the Faculty of Engineering at the United Arab Emirates University in 1992 and obtained a PhD from Newcastle University in the UK in 2002.