I am pleased to greet the 11th IRENA Assembly.

The new year brings hope that we can tackle the COVID-19 crisis through vaccination.

But we must also deal with another crisis -- the climate emergency.

The trillions of dollars needed for recovery from the pandemic must be simultaneously used to move our economies towards net-zero emissions.

We must build a global coalition to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

Renewable technologies are the first choice for decarbonization strategies.

They make economic sense and create jobs.

We need to ensure universal sustainable energy access by 2030.

This is the objective of Sustainable Development Goal 7.

Today, we are falling short.

For this reason, I am convening a High-level Dialogue on Energy, in September, in New York.

We count on IRENA’s analytical capacity and global reach to help accelerate just energy transitions around the world.

Thank you.