Just recently, the UAE made history by winning the bid to host the 2019 World Energy Congress in Abu Dhabi. For the first time, in more than 90 years of its existence, the prestigious forum will be held in the Middle East and in an Opec (Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) nation. Every three years, the Congress unites global energy leaders from governments and businesses to discuss and shape the energy industry’s evolution and growth. Hosting the Congress underlines the UAE’s energy authority, our reputation for shaping ideas, for having a long-term vision of the industry and for innovating technology that improves the production and delivery of energy.
This is a proud moment. And we should embrace winning such a highly competitive bidding process. We emerged victorious — up against Brazil and Russia — not only because of our modern infrastructure and hospitality sector, but primarily because of our unprecedented efforts to help diversify and strengthen the global energy mix. Our success is also a testament to the UAE’s competitive spirit and our government’s bold vision to maintain its long-standing position as a responsible and reliable energy leader. This vision, put forth by our late founding father Shaikh Zayed, remains a foundational pillar of our leaders’ economic growth plans.
In fact — as many will remember — this is not the first time that the world has acknowledged the UAE’s instrumental role in the energy sector and in the broader geopolitical landscape. In 2009, Abu Dhabi was selected as the permanent home of the International Renewable Energy Agency — a global vote of confidence for our pioneering efforts to deploy renewables and lead in an ever-more, interconnected energy landscape. This milestone was recently followed by the UAE’s successful bid to host Expo 2020 in Dubai, becoming the first Arab country to host the ‘World’s Fair’ in its 160-year history. Today, we are seen as a convenor of dialogue and a broker of partnerships — the same reasons that Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, the World Future Energy Summit and Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (Adipec) have evolved into a few of the world’s largest annual energy related events.
The competitive nature and complexity of international bids is not to be underestimated or taken lightly. It requires a highly coordinated effort involving multiple domestic and international players, each with a specific role within a carefully crafted multifaceted strategy. For instance, the bid for the 2019 World Energy Congress involved close coordination among many of our national entities underpinned by a fierce international lobbying campaign led by the Department of Energy and Climate Change at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The hard work and close collaboration among our entities, including the Ministry of Energy, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, Emirates Nuclear Energy Company, Masdar, Mubadala Petroleum, Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Center, the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority and others, was crucial.
The decisive factor, however, which always underpins the success of our international bids, rests with our nation’s strong political ties with the global community. These are deep-rooted relationships, carefully forged by Shaikh Zayed, that continue to benefit our nation today. It is these relationships — which we are thankful for — that enable us to achieve international success and recognition.
Hosting the World Energy Congress also comes with tremendous responsibility.
As an energy leader, we have an international responsibility to protect and shape future markets and to carve a pathway that delivers a sustainable supply of energy to the world, but we are neither strangers to responsibility nor to the fast-evolving energy industry. In fact, our strategic economic development plans ensure that we remain in front as innovators and guardians of energy supplies to the world. Since the discovery of oil in 1958, the UAE has played a central role in supplying the world with energy. And ever since, we have embraced the responsibility and duty to deliver the energy necessary to ensure economic growth, both domestically and internationally.
However, maintaining our role as a reliable energy supplier requires us to innovate and diversify. Today, by adopting new technologies, the UAE is on track to lift its oil production and deliver peaceful nuclear and renewable energy.
We stand prepared to share the knowledge and experience that has enabled us to establish and maintain our energy leadership. The arrival of the World Energy Congress in Abu Dhabi is an honour, a responsibility and an opportunity to shape the future of energy.
Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber is UAE Minister of State and Energy CEO of Mubadala.
