OFID concludes mission to UAE after its active participation at AFED conference

The conference took place under the patronage of HH Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council of the UAE and Ruler of Sharjah (3rd from left). On the left, OFID Director-General, Mr Suleiman J Al-Herbish, delivers his keynote speech.

The 6th Annual Conference of the Arab Forum for Environment and Development, which took place in Sharjah, UAE, concluded on October 29. The event, which held under the theme Sustainable Energy: Prospects, Challenges, Opportunities, was attended by 600 delegates from 52 countries.

AFED Secretary General Najib Saab cited a draft of the conference recommendations which endorsed the AFED report on Sustainable Energy, advocating that Arab countries can foster the sustainability of their energy sectors by making crucial strategic choices, which entail high economic potential while at the same time securing balanced resource management. Read more

During the opening ceremony, OFID Director-General Mr Suleiman J Al-Herbish delivered a keynote speech that highlighted OFID's activities in combating energy poverty. To illustrate OFID’s commitment, the Director-General pointed out that in 2012 alone, the institution approved 30 energy projects, 10 of which were based on the use of renewable energy sources. Given that the focus of the conference is on the Arab world, Mr Al-Herbish spoke of the region's 52 million energy-poor people, (Source: IEA), and made reference to several Arab partner countries that were included in OFID's 2012 energy-related commitments: Jordan, Mauritania, Morocco, Palestine, Tunisia and Yemen.

Mr Al-Herbish also spoke of his capacity as a member of the advisory council on UN Secretary-General Mr Ban Ki-Moon's Sustainable energy for All initiative that, he explained, aimed at promoting human development within an economic, social and environmental context.

The same day, Mr Faris Hasan, Director of OFID's Corporate Planning and Economic Services Unit, moderated the OFID-hosted session Energy for Sustainable Development - OFID’s Perspective. Mr Rachid Bencherif, Head, and Ms Souhad Khriesat, Technical Assistance Officer, both from OFID's Grants Unit, were panelists at the session, in addition to Dr Layla Dagher, Professor of Energy Economics, AUB. See OFID's presentation.

Prior to the conference, Mr Al-Herbish attended the AFED Board of Trustees in his capacity as member of the Board. OFID was a "platinum sponsor" of the event, having extended a grant that was also used for the preparation of the AFED Annual Report Sustainable Energy in Arab Countries.