“You Will One Day Shape the Future”

The Vienna Energy Scholar Programme (VESP) is an integrated knowledge and networking platform for students and young professionals based in Vienna and Austria. Participants have the opportunity to learn more about energy security and climate change. The OPEC Fund is cooperating with the initiative and hosted seven Bachelor’s and seven Master’s students in September as part of this one-week program organized by OPEC and the City of Vienna. 

The event was opened by Başak Pamir, Acting Head of Outreach and Multimedia, Communications, who gave an overview of the OPEC Fund’s role in reference to the 2030 Agenda and the need to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7 – Clean and Affordable Energy. “It’s wonderful to see young people so engaged in our work,” said Ms. Pamir. “They really appreciated the deep dive into all aspects of development finance.” 

Turning to “bread and butter”-issues, Hatem El Bakkali, Senior Country Manager, Public Sector shared a case study on how to construct an energy transmission line in Tanzania. “The attendees – who came from diverse backgrounds such as Engineering, Economics, Law and International Relations – asked interesting questions from different angles about how we select priority projects, especially in the energy sector,” he said. “They were particularly impressed with our meticulous mapping of the SDGs.” 

Gerardo Parco, Senior Environmental Specialist, followed with a presentation on environmental and social safeguards. As a case study he presented one of the greatest environmental disasters of the 20th century – the loss of the Aral Sea, once the third-largest lake in the world, straddling the border between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. “I was energized by these young scholars,” said Mr. Parco. “Their questions on environment and sustainability aspects were insightful and we had a lively discussion on everything from community consultations to child labor to elephant crossings.” 

Said Taufik Ridha, Director, Portfolio Management gave a presentation on the private sector perspective, including a quiz on a bankable power plant project, focusing on stakeholders, beneficiaries and how to secure a win-win scenario. His message to the scholars: “You will one day shape the future. Stay curious and don’t be afraid to make mistakes!” 

Closing the knowledge sessions was a presentation by Ulrike Haarsager, Acting Director of the Development Effectiveness Unit, who asked the scholars to interrogate the funding process for a large hydropower plant. “I was particularly impressed with the students’ quick-fire responses and their ability to differentiate between project outcomes and outputs,” she says. 

The day was rounded off with an energy quiz presented by Social Media Associate Julia Zacharenkova, featuring questions on the history of the OPEC Fund, the 2030 Agenda, clean cooking and energy access. Energy quiz winner Luca Rasore from Italy, who is currently doing an internship with OMV in Vienna, said: “I’m really proud to be here. The week was perfect and this was the best day for me because I admire the work being done in developing countries by the OPEC Fund. It relates well to my thesis on smart residential microgrids powering rural areas in Africa and Asia.” 

Another participant, Giovanna Franca from Brazil, said: “It’s been an amazing opportunity and very positive experience. We had a comprehensive overview and I was impressed by the commitment to the SDGs. The different parts of the program were complementary: The legal, political, technical, even geological sides related to environmental consequences, have all been very interesting. Here at the OPEC Fund we got a strategic perspective on how projects are implemented and we saw concrete examples of South-South cooperation in action.”