Session Four (Part 2) - Energy: Alliances of Horses and Forces

Dina Ismail, Chief Editor
Budoor, Eman, Hatoon, Raghad, Rama; Contributing Editors

After a particularly spirited morning session, the highlight of which was Nobel Laureate, Professor Mohamed Yunus' speech, I wondered whether the afternoon session, the theme of which was 'Energy: Alliances of Horses and Forces', would be able to re-energize (no pun intended) an audience experiencing a visible mid-afternoon slump.

Introduced to the session's theme by an eloquent John Defterios, the audience was definitely given an energy boost while they were told about the diverse alliances undertaken by energy corporations throughout the global community.

This international feel was reflected in the diversity of the session speakers who were all from a variety of countries and backgrounds as well as their speaking styles.

The session began with a speech given in Russian by Mr. Aslakhanov Aslambek, Advisor to the President of the Russian Federation, who urged world leaders to renovate present 'energy infrastructures' as well as to reduce energy consumption in industrial areas.

He also called for a multilateral coming together of world leaders to solve what he called, 'the energy problem.

In contrast, the much more anecdotal Peter Robertson, Vice-President of Chevron, whimsically described the beauty of Jeddah and the strategic alliances of the U.S. and Chevron with Saudi Arabia.

Robertson also talked at length about the need for a coherent and organized approach to alternative energy solutions and reduction of CO₂ without compromising industrialization and 'economic disruption.'

It would be remiss not to mention that a large part of Robertson's speech revolved around and stressed all of the various ties of friendship and cooperation between the United States and Saudi Arabia, and was even concluded with an old Arab proverb.

Dr. Ali Reza Attar, the Deputy Foreign Prime Minister of Iran, was the next speaker and gave an unique view of the energy market from the somewhat controversial Iranian perspective.

As OPEC's second largest producer of oil after Saudi Arabia, Iran's stance on the alliances of energy producers and energy consumption was not to be missed.

Next was Mr. Khalid Al Yahya, President of Middle East & AsiaCapital Partners (MAP). Mr. Al Yahya expounded upon the alternative energy capabilities of Asian nations.

He encouraged a shift to a 'clean energy future' and praised the efforts of GCC countries in contributing over $400 million dollars in climate change research.

His was an interesting commentary on the capabilities of so called developing countries investing their efforts in a future where clean and sustainable energy is the norm rather than the exception.

All in all, I would have to categorize 'Energy: Alliances of Horses and Forces' as among the more serious of the six sessions of the JEF. It was interesting to note that although the speakers were from varied backgrounds and disciplines, the core message of the session was cohesive; the search for alternative energy supplies and its relationship to sustainable development in world economies can only be achieved through cooperation and alliances, both on an international as well as an individual basis.