Only five months after it was founded, on 26 January 2009 in Bonn, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has already reached the 100-member mark. Today (19 June), Bangladesh became the 100th signatory State, joining the Agency in a ceremony at the Federal Foreign Office. Germany is the depositary state of the IRENA Statute.

Along with Spain and Denmark, Germany was a driving force behind IRENA's establishment. Together with the Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMU) and the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Federal Foreign Office has campaigned for IRENA and helped secure the necessary international support by dispatching special envoys and launching a global demarche effort.

IRENA is the first international organization to concentrate solely on renewable energy. Its aim is to close the global gap between renewables' huge potential and their relatively small share of the energy market.

The Agency's main task will be to advise its members on how to create the right framework conditions, build competencies and improve financing as well as renewable energy technology and knowledge transfer.