The establishment of the global policy network REN21
was embraced in the Political Declaration of the International Conference
for Renewable Energies,
renewables 2004, that took place in Bonn, Germany,
from 1 to 4 June 2004.
After the renewables 2004 conference, a very extensive
consultation process
among some 70 stakeholders confirmed the need for the network and provided
many helpful ideas.
Building on this, some 40 participants gathered for a preparatory workshop
in
Berlin, Germany in October 2004,
and developed a provisional work plan. The German government was asked to
take the lead in establishing an Interim Steering Committee that should
guide the evolution of the network's composition as well as its
substantive focus and work.
In February 2005, the Interim Steering Committee held its first meeting in
Casablanca, Morocco. In order to
provide for an open exchange by all relevant parties, the Committee
commissioned this website to be launched, enabling stakeholders to
communicate, share experiences and coordinate their activities according
to their wishes.
In June 2005, the extended and consolidated Steering Committee met for the
second time in
Copenhagen, Denmark. Celebrating
the official launch of the network precisely one year after the Bonn renewables conference, the governance and structure of REN21 were
elaborated and SC members looked ahead on individual and concerted actions
planned for the coming years.
In November 2005 – prior to the Beijing
International Renewable Energy Conference (BIREC) – the Steering
Committee convened in the Chinese capital
Beijing. Recognising the special
opportunities for the promotion of renewable energies in the CSD context
and others, the meeting participants defined the central tasks to be
undertaken by REN21 in the upcoming years.
In May 2006, the Steering Committee Members met in
New York
during the 14th Session of the UN-Commission on Sustainable Development.
They discussed the follow-up of the International Action Programme and
the Global Status Report.
In January/February 2007, against the
background of the alarming Fourth IPCC Assessment Report and the
positive spirit of the European Renewable Energy Policy Conference,
REN21 held its fifth Steering Committee meeting in
Brussels.
In September 2007 – almost three years after the preparatory workshop –
the Steering Committee returned to
Berlin, where it convened in
connection with the Gleneagles Dialogue Ministerial Meeting. The Network
resolved to highlight the paramount importance of renewable energy
technologies in the climate change debate as the only viable long-term
option.
In March 2008, the Steering Committee met for a one day meeting
preceding the
Washington International Renewable Energy Conference (WIREC)
2008. The discussions focused on the future strategy of the Network in
pursuing its mission as a catalyst for renewable energy policy.
In November 2008, the SC came together in
Paris for the eighth meeting. In the midst of the worldwide financial crisis,
the group affirmed that renewable energy should be a privileged sector for government action to relaunch the economy through
sustainable investment.
In September 2009, hosted jointly by the Indian Ministry of New and
Renewable Energy, the Ninth Steering Committee meeting took place in
New
Delhi, India. The discussion focused on REN21's Strategy and Work Programme
and the upcoming Delhi International Renewable Energy Conference 2010.
