18 April 2018: The Global Commission on the Geopolitics of Energy Transformation will be led by Iceland’s former President Olafur Grimsson. Other members include government and business leaders from, among other countries, the US, Saudi Arabia, China, Germany, Brazil and the Russian Federation.

Launched in January during the eight session of the Assembly of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the Global Commission’s mandate is to “work to achieve a better understanding of the geopolitical implications of a large-scale shift to renewable energy” in the context of the implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change and the SDGs, in particular SDG 7 on achieving access to affordable and clean energy for all.

The members of the Commission were announced on 18 April, during fourth Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue convened by the German Federal Government in Berlin, Germany. Prominent members of the Commission include IRENA Director-General Adnan Z. Amin (Kenya); former UNFCCC Executive Christiana Figueres (Costa Rica); former Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Pascal Lamy (France); and former Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Carlos Lopes (Guinea-Bassau).

The Global Commission is supported by the Governments of Germany, Norway and the United Arab Emirates. It held its first meeting during the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue. Three additional meetings are planned during 2018. The Commission is expected to present its report at the next meeting of the IRENA Assembly in January 2019. [IRENA News Release] [Global Commission on the Geopolitics of Energy Transformation website] [Global Commission Members] [Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue]