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Experts and policy
leaders convened by the Regional Bureau for Arab States of UNDP in
partnership with the Arabian Gulf University met under the auspices
of the National Oil and Gas Authority to take stock of challenges
and opportunities related to sustainable energy in the Arab
countries.
The consultations, entitled Climate Change Impacts in the Arab
Region: Toward Sustainable Energy focused primarily on the
resources, challenges and opportunities for the Arab countries to
make accelerated progress toward sustainable energy, contributing to
increasing access to energy at home and around the world, while also
playing a leading role in the drive to energy efficiency.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, H.E. Dr. Abdul Hussain Ali Mirza,
Minister of Oil and Gas Affairs, said that “Bahrain has an abundance
of solar energy, and wind energy. For example, wind power has been
used, in the form of turbines, to generate nearly 13% of the total
energy of the
Bahrain Trade Center. The Kingdom of Bahrain has also begun the
implementation of a pilot project on the use of solar energy in
street lighting and is currently conducting a feasibility study for
expanding the use of solar energy on a large scale. In 2009 a
committee for renewable energy, was established for identifying and
assessing sources of renewable energy as well as for drawing out
plans for the development and utilization of the same.”
Mr. Sayed Aqa, United Nations Development Programme Resident
Representative added “As a small island state, Bahrain is one of the
countries which will be greatly affected by Climate Change with sea
level rise and critical water stress being among the most
significant issues threatening the country. Along with other GCC
countries, Bahrain could be at the forefront in adopting clean
technologies, as it has been blessed with an abundance of natural
renewable resources; mainly solar and wind. Under the pillars of
UNDP’s response to Climate Change, we have been working with our
partners in Bahrain on Environment strategies and action plans;
including Climate Change.”
A broad and high-level consultation, the two-day meetings brought
together more than 60 experts and policy leaders from Arab
countries. Discussion panels covered a range of topics from the
broader context of sustainable energy, including challenges related
to energy access, climate change and enabling environments, as well
as specific policy issues related to the promotion of sustainable
energy. The meetings also served as an opportunity to take stock of
the range of innovative institutions that are already making
tremendous progress in increasing the sustainability of energy in
the Arab countries. Economic and financial opportunities related to
development were also covered, with a focus on how energy
diversification can promote growth and create jobs. The net outcome
of the meeting was a synthesis of the challenges, priorities and
opportunities in the Arab countries in the area of sustainable
energy.
This Regional Meeting is the third in a series of consultative
meetings. The consultations are part of a broader process led by
UNDP-RBAS and national partners to address climate challenge as an
utmost development priority, following the recommendations of the
Arab Human Development Report 2009 as well as the Arab Ministerial
Declaration on Climate Change. These consultations will continue to
build knowledge and generate partnerships for responding to climate
challenge, and will feed into a high-level regional meeting in
Morocco in November. In this regional meeting, key leaders and
experts will come together to review the finding of the three
workshops and come up with practical recommendations. All these
efforts will prepare the ground for the launching of an Arab Climate
Resilience Initiative that will subsequently be launched and
endorsed by UNDP-RBAS and partnering Arab governments. |
