Francesco La Camera is the Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). He took office on 4 April 2019 and brings more than thirty years of experience in the fields of climate, sustainability, and international cooperation.
In his role, Mr. La Camera is responsible for leading the delivery of IRENA’s work programme and strategy in cooperation with the Agency’s members. At a critical time for climate change and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, Mr. La Camera is tasked with redefining the structure and operations of the Agency in response to the urgent needs of its members.
Under his leadership the Agency has forged a series of new strategic partnerships with UN organisations including UNDP, UNFCCC and Green Climate Fund among others and Financial Institutions. A key priority of his tenure is to implement a more action-oriented approach to the Agency’s work.
Previously, Mr. La Camera served as Director-General of Sustainable Development, Environmental Damage, EU and International Affairs at the Italian Ministry of Environment, Land & Sea since 2014. In this capacity, he developed cooperation and partnership agreements with a wide range of countries. As the national coordinator for climate, environment, resource efficiency and circular economy, he led the Italian delegation to UNFCCC’s COP 21 to 24 and the EU Presidency at COP 20. He was also responsible for the preparation and organisation of Italy’s G7 Environment Presidency in 2017.