The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) won the first-ever “United Nations (UN) SIDS Partnership Award” in the environmentalist category in recognition of its essential support of sustainable development in Small Island Developing States (SIDS). The recognition of the Agency’s response to a call for action under the SIDS Accelerated Modalities of Action (S.A.M.O.A) Pathway is provided through the award for IRENA’s SIDS Lighthouses Initiative (LHI).
The award was established in accordance with the Pathway and addressed the particular difficulties faced by SIDS in accomplishing the sustainable development goals and carrying out their obligations under the Paris Agreement. It was established by Portugal and Samoa in their capacities as Co-Chairs of the Steering Committee for SIDS Partnerships. For SIDS for the ensuing ten years, the Pathway lays out a thorough plan of action.
On July 11, 2022, prizes were presented during “The Annual Global Multi-Stakeholder SIDS Partnership Dialogue,” which was held in New York alongside the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development. The grant will strengthen the Agency’s commitment to assisting with the acceleration of the deployment of renewables in SID, according to Wilfried Biya, IRENA Permanent Observer to the UN, who accepted it on behalf of IRENA Director-General Francesco La Camera.
“As one of the original partners of the S.A.M.O.A Pathway, IRENA is committed to supporting the energy transition in SIDS through the Initiative,” he said.
Mr. Fatumanava-o-Upolu III Pa’olelei Luteru, the Permanent Representative of Samoa to the UN, and Ms. Ana Paula Zacarias, the Permanent Representative of Portugal to the UN, gave Mr. Biya the prize at the event. It is a genuine honor for IRENA to earn the SIDS Partnerships Award, Mr. La Camera stated in a statement made while on a visit to the United States.
The SIDS LHI is a multi-stakeholder framework of action that unites 32 partners from the public, business, intergovernmental, and non-governmental sectors with 39 SIDS from the Caribbean, Pacific, Atlantic, Indian Ocean, and South China Sea (AIS) areas. By 2030, all SIDS are expected to have installed a total of 10 gigawatts of renewable energy, according to the Initiative.
Since it was established in 2014, the Initiative has propelled alliances to expand renewable energy. It establishes workable scenarios through country-led assessments of the preparedness of the renewable energy sector and specialized roadmaps, as well as offers assistance in luring the right investments through project facilitation, among many other activities. The adoption of renewable energy in SIDS is amazing right now. The aim of 5 gigawatts by 2023, set under the SIDS LHI, has been surpassed globally by installed capacity in all SIDS. Later in July 2022, a yearly SIDS LHI progress report will be released.