Abu Dhabi: Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan and French President Francois Hollande will be the key speakers at the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) during the opening ceremony of the World Future Energy Summit (WFES) and the First International Water Summit which will be held in Abu Dhabi from January 15 to 17, 2013,
More than 150 eminent scholars and 30,000 participants from 150 countries, will attend the summit, said Masdar.
“His Majesty King Juan Carlos of Spain, the President of Iceland Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, Prime Minister of Serbia Ivica Dacic, Prime Minister of Montenegro Milo Djukanovic, and President of Mauritania Mohammad Ould Abdul Aziz will be also attending the WFES,” according to Masdar.
Dr Sultan Al Jaber, CEO of Masdar, said that the WFES will be under the patronage of General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of UAE Armed Forces, and will focus on advancements in future energy, energy efficiency and clean technologies.
“It is an honour to have Her Majesty as a featured speaker at the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. “Her Majesty is an influential voice and a strong advocate for sustainable development throughout the region. The Middle East, through a collaborative effort, has an opportunity to capitalise on the sustainable growth opportunities that renewable energy and clean technology have to offer,” said Al Jaber.
Investing heavily
“The Sixth (WFES) is the world’s foremost annual gathering to enhance advancement of future energy, energy efficiency and clean technologies through the involvement of political, economic, business, and academic leaders who innovate and initiate business and investment opportunities to meet the growing demand on sustainable energy,” said Al Jaber.
“Abu Dhabi is a world leader in energy because it is investing heavily to be a regional and international powerhouse in the field of renewables,” said Al Jaber, adding that January 2013 will also focus on the nexus of energy and the challenges in some counties.
WFES said in a statement that more than Dh29.44 billion ($8 billion) of international clean-tech and renewable energy projects will be displayed at the Project and Finance Village during the sixth World Future Energy Summit (WFES) in Abu Dhabi during this week
Naji Al Haddad, Show Director for WFES 2013, had earlier said: “Investment in clean-tech and renewable energy continues to grow globally,” as 40 projects will be exhibited on the Sustainability Week.
For his part, Philipp Sonnauer, Siemens sales and bid manager at the renewable division in the Middle East, said the transition to clean energy will be hastened in the near future with the rise in oil prices.
“Such evolutions and advancement in renewable energy is greatly becoming a priority for many countries in the Mena whether they are oil or non-oil producers,” added Sonnauer.
Important platform
Nimer Abu Ali, Ernst and Young Middle East and North Africa Clean-tech, says the connection between innovators and investors is essential in the development of clean-tech solutions.
“We believe the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi is an important platform to engage leaders, decision-makers and innovators to develop new ways of shaping the future of renewable energy,” Abu Ali said.
Last year, Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary General, said that over a billion people lack access to electric power and three billion people depend on coal, wood and waste substances for their heating and cooking purposes.
A report by the International Energy Agency’s World Energy Outlook said that around half of the 1.3 billion energy-poor populations live in Africa. Additionally, there are 2.7 billion people living without clean cooking facilities; more than 25 per cent of these people reside in Africa.
The (ADSW) will include the third general assembly of the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena); the sixth World Future Energy Summit; the International Renewable Energy Conference; the International Water Summit; and the fifth Zayed Future Energy Prize Awards Ceremony and the first energy ministerial of South American and Arab countries.
