MECS contributes towards clean cooking discussions and The UN’s SDG7 Technical Advisory Group planning at the 16th Session of the IRENA Assembly

Date: 16th January 2026

Categories: Clean Cooking, electric cooking, Event, General

The UK aid (FCDO) funded Modern Energy Cooking Services (MECS) programme was delighted to participate in the Sixteenth Session of the IRENA Assembly, held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, from 10-12 January 2026. The Assembly session focused on the theme of “Powering Humanity: Renewable Energy for Shared Prosperity.” The session gathered global leaders and energy decision-makers to discuss strategies and underline necessary actions for the acceleration of renewable energy across countries, regions, and the world, driving economic inclusion, equity, and human wellbeing.

Professor Ed Brown, Research Director of MECS (left), and Mr. Jose Luis Ortega Moreno, Research and Programme Assistant, MECS (right), represented MECS at the 16th Session of the IRENA Assembly (photo credit: Jose Luis Ortega Moreno, MECS).

Professor Ed Brown, Research Director of MECS, and Mr. Jose Luis Ortega Moreno, Research and Programme Assistant, MECS, represented MECS at the global event. During the event Prof. Brown represented MECS in the side event ‘Mobilising Finance for Clean Cooking’ and Prof. Brown and Mr. Ortega Moreno participated in various meetings including those of The UN’s SDG7 Technical Advisory Group which undertook forward planning for the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on SDG7 to be held later this year.

Experts, financing institutions and government representatives of the side event ‘Mobilising Finance for Clean Cooking’ at the Sixteenth Session of the IRENA Assembly (photo credit: Jose Luis Ortega Moreno, MECS).

Chaired by Ute Collier (Deputy Director, Knowledge, Policy and Finance Centre, IRENA), the side event ‘Mobilising Finance for Clean Cooking’, held on 10 January, brought together experts, financing institutions and government representatives from Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda and Nepal, as well as Denmark & Norway, to discuss scaling investments to close the clean cooking access gap and deliver SDG7. Key messages emphasised by Prof. Brown during the session are as follows:

Clean cooking transitions must be approached through a multi-fuel perspective, not single-solution programmes.
Countries must learn from past policy mistakes across different regions, like LPG over-subsidisation.
In a restricted funding environment, countries must embed clean cooking and especially electric cooking, into existing energy access projects such as Mission 300.
High integrity carbon finance can be a key component in financing clean cooking solutions but cannot be a standalone solution.

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Featured image: Prof. Ed Brown delivers MECS key messages during the side event ‘Mobilising Finance for Clean Cooking’ at the Sixteenth Session of the IRENA Assembly (photo credit: Jose Luis Ortega Moreno, MECS).