(Abu Dhabi) – Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces inaugurated the fifth World Future Energy Summit (WFES 2012); hosted by Masdar, the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC).
The opening ceremony was also attended by Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, President of Iceland, Atifete Jahjaga President of the Republic of Kosovo, Boris Tadic, President of Serbia, Wen Jiabao, Premier of the People’s Republic of China, Kim Hwang-sik, Prime Minister of South Korea and UN Secretary General Ban Ki moon, Nassir Abdulaziz Al Nasser, President of the 66th UN General Assembly, various international agencies, sustainability advocates, global heads of businesses and experts, academics and students.
The summit will commence with a ‘Policy and Strategy Forum’, where government leaders and global development organizations will put the future energy challenge in perspective.
Keynote addresses during the opening ceremony include speeches from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon; Wen Jiabao, Premier, People’s Republic of China; Kim Hwang-sik, Prime Minister, South Korea, and Nassir Abdulaziz-Al-Nasser, President United Nations General Assembly.
Following the opening session, the summit will break into three Ministerial Panel sessions with former heads of state, ministers and key advisors to governments on energy exchanging views on ‘Sustainable Energy for All,’ ‘Action Towards Universal Energy Access’ and ‘The Role of Government Institutions in Accelerating the Transition to a Global Clean Energy Economy.’
Built around the theme ‘Powering Sustainable Innovation,’ WFES 2012 will stage both a high-level conference and exhibition, with companies from all over the world promoting their latest products and services.
“The attendance of key political leaders from across the world on the opening day and throughout the duration of the summit is a reflection of the convening power of Masdar,” said Naji El Haddad, Exhibition Director WFES 2012.
