Abu Dhabi: Under the patronage of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, the third annual Atlantic Council Global Energy Forum opened in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.

The forum gathers international and regional political, industry, and thought leaders to set the global energy agenda for the year and examine the long-term geopolitical and geo-economic implications of the changing energy landscape,

“We are gathering at a time of rapid geopolitical and technological change, which is challenging energy markets and governments around the world,” said Frederick Kempe, president and CEO of the Atlantic Council.

“For that reason, each year we convene in Abu Dhabi some of the world’s most important policy and business actors to discuss how these shifts are driving innovation, investments, corporate strategy, geopolitics and the energy sector as a whole.”

The 2019 Forum focuses on four key themes: the future of oil, the digitisation of energy, diversification within energy companies and countries, and will have a regional focus on East and Southeast Asia energy demand and energy innovation.