Biography
Francesco La Camera is Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the intergovernmental agency for renewable energy headquartered in Abu Dhabi. He took office on 4 April 2019 and was appointed by IRENA’s membership for a second four-year term in January 2023. IRENA’s work in Africa includes the Africa Clean Energy Corridor and modelling support for the Continental Power System Masterplan led by the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), as African leaders pursue a goal of at least 300 GW of renewable generation capacity by 2030.
An Italian national, La Camera graduated from the University of Messina in political sciences with a major in economic policy and began his career as an economic analyst at the Italian Ministry of Budget and Planning. He has lectured in sustainable development at the University of Cosenza and in environment and land economics at Roma Tre University.
Before joining IRENA, he held a number of roles at the Italian Ministry of Environment, Land and Sea, serving from 2014 as Director-General of Sustainable Development, Environmental Damage, EU and International Affairs. As national coordinator for climate, environment, resource efficiency and circular economy, he led the Italian delegation to COP21 to COP24 and the EU Presidency at COP20, and was responsible for preparing Italy’s G7 Environment Presidency in 2017. He co-chaired the Africa Centre for Climate and Sustainable Development, established in Rome in partnership with FAO and UNDP, and developed initiatives with the World Bank, the African Development Bank, UNEP, UNDP and FAO.
At IRENA, La Camera has pursued a more action-oriented approach to the Agency’s work and forged strategic partnerships with UN organisations including UNDP, UNFCCC and the Green Climate Fund. He describes renewables-based energy transitions as a powerful equaliser that can deliver climate-proof energy systems, improved energy security, reduced inequality and long-overdue universal access, and he has called for tripling global renewable power capacity by 2030, the goal agreed at COP28.
Career Highlights
- Director-General of IRENA since 4 April 2019, reappointed for a second four-year term in January 2023
- Former Director-General of Sustainable Development, Environmental Damage, EU and International Affairs at Italy’s environment ministry
- Led the Italian delegation to COP21 to COP24 and the EU Presidency at COP20
- Responsible for preparing Italy’s G7 Environment Presidency in 2017
- Co-chaired the Africa Centre for Climate and Sustainable Development in Rome, set up with FAO and UNDP
On the AETC Stage
“Africa’s energy transformation is a key priority for IRENA. For the continent, renewable energy is not just a climate priority but a pathway to socio-economic transformation. Reaching climate and energy goals needs a bottom-up approach to energy planning. The building of a new energy system is not just a technical challenge. It is a collective endeavor that requires sustained commitment and collaboration from all stakeholders.”
