The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) hosted its first Ministerial Roundtable on Energy, Climate, and Sustainable Development yesterday, September 6, 2021.

The meeting was organised under the Charter of Cooperation (CoC) and provided an engaging platform for talks on critical energy industry challenges, including global efforts to address climate change in the context of sustainable development.

Ministers, senior officials, high-level decision and policymakers, industry experts from OPEC Member Countries and non-OPEC oil-producing countries, India, and representatives from several international organisations, including the African Petroleum Producers’ Organisation (APPO), the African Energy Chamber (AEC), the African Energy Commission (AFREC), the African Refiners and Distributors Association (ARDA), Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF), the International Energy Forum (IEF) and the Organisation of Arab Exporting Countries (OAPEC) were all in attendance.

A FEW OF THE MEETING’S HIGHLIGHTS:

• It encouraged the exchange of information and experience on new problems and opportunities coming from climate mitigation and adaptation efforts.
• It highlighted the importance of energy in helping to accomplish the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG7.
• Climate change is recognised as one of the major issues of today, with both developed and developing countries feeling the effects.
• It emphasised the importance of utilising all available energy sources and technologies, such as carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS), and the development of the Circular Carbon Economy (CCE) platform to meet SDG7 and reduce emissions.
• It stressed the importance of providing developing countries with substantial, dependable, and equitable help to improve their adaptation and mitigation efforts.
• It emphasised that the oil industry has the expertise and capabilities to support sustainable energy systems, and it should be a key component of innovative and long-term climate change solutions.

Other topics discussed included the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s “Saudi Green Initiative” and “Middle East Green Initiative,” as well as the latest developments and critical issues related to COP26, which will take place from October 31 to November 12 in Glasgow, UK, and the UN High-Level Dialogue on Energy, which will take place on September 24, 2021.

To conclude the meeting, the Ministerial roundtable adopted ‘A Ministerial statement for COP26 and beyond.’ To read the statement and details of the Meeting CLICK HERE