Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) Adnan Z. Amin and the Ambassador of Germany to the United Arab Emirates, Nikolai von Schoepff, today signed an agreement concerning the employment of German Associate Experts\' at IRENA. Under the Agreement, Germany will propose and sponsor highly qualified young German professionals to work at IRENA headquarters in Abu Dhabi for twelve months. IRENA Director-General Amin and Ambassador von Schoepff hailed the signing of the agreement as an important step towards enhancing IRENA\'s capacity to accelerate the development and deployment of all forms of renewable energy. Germany is a founding member of IRENA as well as the host of the IRENA Innovation and Technology Centre in Bonn. Through this agreement Germany will further contribute to strengthening the capacity of the Agency to fulfil its mandate, while also enhancing the expertise and experience of German early-career professionals. Actively engaging with 161 states, including 118 Member States and a further 43 signatories and states in accession, IRENA currently employs staff from 52 countries. Other IRENA Member States such as the United Arab Emirates, Japan and the Republic of Korea support the Agency through Loaned Officers and sponsoring internship positions. All staff of the Agency work as international civil servants and are therefore subject to the authority of the Director-General of IRENA.