IRENA Chooses New Director-General

Francesco La Camera will take office on April 4, 2019, succeeding Adnan Z. Amin, who has been the International Renewal Energy Agency's director-general since 2011.

At a meeting held in Abu Dhabi on Jan. 13, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) Assembly selected Francesco La Camera to be the agency's next director-general. The appointment took place during the Ninth Assembly of IRENA, the ultimate decision-making body of the agency. La Camera will take office on April 4, 2019, succeeding Adnan Z. Amin, who has been IRENA director-general since 2011.

La Camera currently serves as the director general for Sustainable Development, Energy and Climate at the Italian Ministry of Environment, Land & Sea. He headed the EU and Italian negotiation teams at the climate COP 20 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 Rome Tre University.

La Camera has been elected for a term of four years. After assuming office as director-general, he will lead the IRENA Secretariat and the implementation of the agency's work program and budget.

With 160 members, IRENA plays a leading role in energy transformation as a center of excellence for knowledge and innovation, a global voice for renewables, a network hub, and a source of advice and support for countries.