June 2009

At the start, four cities from four countries are competing for the seat of IRENA: Bonn, Copenhagen, Masdar and Vienna. Copenhagen recently announced that it retracts its candidature in favour of Bonn.

We ask from you that during the 2nd session of the Preparatory Commission on 29-30 June 2009 in Sharm El Sheikh you vote for locating IRENA in a country which has a sound record of sustainable development and support of renewable energies.

We ask you to vote for one of those candidate cities which already have a record of lasting and mature encouragement for renewable technologies and a sustainable environment. Bonn, Copenhagen and Vienna are candidate towns from countries which have for many years been committed to deployment of renewable energies, are frontrunners in policy instruments enabling safe investment conditions and the chance for small companies, municipalities and citizens to directly engage in renewable technologies. They all come from countries which do not have nuclear power or which are phasing out nuclear power.

We ask you to vote for a city in a country which has already made a difference for renewables, based on clear policy instruments and for decades has generated sound deployment of renewable energies, which for many years has ensured the creation of sustainable jobs in the field of renewable energies.

Comparing all four candidate towns we do not see benefit in voting for a city in a country which has only begun to acquire renewable technologies but lacks proof of lasting commitment to date.

We strongly criticize that decisions for the seat of IRENA are motivated in exchange for strategic military treaties and the ordering of nuclear power stations. Therefore we also underline that the Secretary General should have an absolute priority agenda for renewable energy policies and should not be seen linked to nuclear interests.

We want a strong IRENA in a supportive environment - for the better of our common world.