The Abdullah Bin Hamad Al Attiyah Foundation for Energy and Sustainable Development Urges Gulf States to Curtail Domestic Energy Consumption or Risk Losing Critical Export Revenue

Doha, Nov. 1st, 2015

The Abdullah Bin Hamad Al Attiyah Foundation for Energy and Sustainable Development, the first think tank of its kind in the Middle East, urged the governments of the region to tackle soaring domestic energy consumption trends at its inauguration ceremony in Doha today.  

The Al Attiyah Foundation, which hosted 400 distinguished national and international guests from industry, academia and government at a launch ceremony on Sunday, will look to advise states on how to tackle such critical challenges as energy efficiency. It will aim to deliver useful counsel and share knowledge by providing information, research and analysis on energy and sustainable development, primarily related to the Arabian Gulf region.

The Foundation will also host foremost experts from around the world who have played an active role in the advancement of the international energy industry. Having previously served in some of the senior energy positions in government and industry, they shall thus bring to the table their proficiency, expertise and knowledge of the global energy industry.

"We want people to knock on our door with questions which we will aim to answer based on our vast experience," said H.E. Al Attiyah, Qatar's former Minister of Energy & Industry and Deputy Prime Minister. "I would like to see The Foundation become the leading think-tank in the region and one of the leading institutions in the world in the areas of energy and sustainable development," he said.

The Foundation is the Middle East's first institution committed to the creation of knowledge and solutions critical to the future of the regional and international energy system.

HE Al-Attiyah is joined on the board of the Foundation by a group of distinguished individuals from the past and present leadership of Qatar Petroleum, including Saad Al Kaabi, President & CEO of Qatar Petroleum; H.E. Dr. Ibrahim Ibrahim, Economic Advisor to H.H. the Emir of Qatar; H.E. Abdulaziz Al-Malki, Qatar's Ambassador to Italy; Nasser Al-Jaidah and Hamad Rashid Al-Mohannadi, both board members of Qatar Petroleum.

"As the rest of the world is gradually turning towards greater energy efficiency in economic terms, much of the GCC is going the other way, using ever more energy to produce a unit of economic growth and becoming less competitive in the process," H.E. Dr. Ibrahim told the audience of industry and government officials in his keynote speech. "If these long-term consumption trends continue, the Gulf States are forecast to be just a few decades away from relinquishing their long-held position as global energy suppliers," he said.

In 1973, oil consumption in Arabia was less than one percent of global demand. Forty years later, the Gulf States, with just 0.5% of the world's population, consumed 5% of its oil. Primary energy consumption in the past decade has grown more than twice as fast as the world average of 2.5% per year. The Gulf's 2001 consumption of 220 million tons of oil equivalent nearly doubled by 2010 and is expected to nearly double again by 2020.       

-Ends-             

Additional Information on the Foundation

      The Abdullah Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah Foundation For Energy and Sustainable Development  Foundation was established in 2015 with the aim to preserve the legacy of over 40 years' service to the State of Qatar, chiefly in the oil and gas Industry, and to promote the ongoing work of its founder, His Excellency Abdullah Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah.

      The vision of the Foundation is to become the leading think-tank in the region and one of the leading institutions in the world in the areas of energy and sustainable development. The Foundation will aim to give advice and share knowledge by:

·         Providing information, research and analysis on Energy and Sustainable       Development, primarily related to the Arabian Gulf region.

·         Running joint educational programs with Qatar-based educational establishments.

·         Providing relevant publications, papers and special reports to its members.

·         Participating in and organizing events (Conferences, Symposia and Seminars) related to Energy and Sustainable Development.

      The Foundation, founded in the State of Qatar, is a "Not-for-Profit" organization

      The Foundation Board of Trustees: 

•       Chairman                    H.E. Abdullah Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah

•        Vice Chairman         H.E. Dr. Ibrahim B. Al-Ibrahim (Current Board member of QP)

•        Board Member        H.E. Abdulaziz Ahmed Al-Malki (Qatar Ambassador to Rome)

•        Board Member        Hamad Rashid Al-Mohannadi (Current Board member of QP)

•        Board Member        Nasser Khalil Al-Jaidah (Current Board member of QP)

•        Board Member        Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi (President & CEO of QP)

•       Foundation MD        Reda Ibrahim Ali 


Bio - H.E. ABDULLAH BIN HAMAD AL-ATTIYAH 

H.E. Abdullah Bin Hamad Al Attiyah Born in Qatar in 1952, H.E. Al Attiyah has some 40 years of experience in the energy industry and has served in a variety of senior leadership positions within the government of Qatar.

In 1992, H.E. Al Attiyah was appointed Minister of Energy & Industry and Chairman and Managing Director of Qatar Petroleum, before being entrusted with the additional responsibility of Second Deputy Prime Minister in 2003. Four years later, H.E. was elevated to Deputy Prime Minister, and in 2011 was appointed Chief of the Amiri Diwan. H.E. Al Attiyah has also served as Chairman of Qatar's Planning Commission, and was elected as Chairman of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development in 2006; and the President of 18th Session of UNFCCC Climate Change Conference (COP18/CMP8) Doha-2012. During his illustrious career, Al Attiyah has been bestowed a number of awards and honours including the Grand Cross in the Order of the Orange Nassau conferred by Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Kingdom of Netherlands, and the Grand Cordon Order of the Rising Sun awarded by His Imperial Majesty Emperor of Japan in recognition of his contribution in promoting bilateral relations between Qatar and Japan. In December 20th 2011, HE Al Attiyah was also conferred the Necklace of Independence award by HH Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Emir of the state of Qatar, for his salutary contribution in towards Qatar's commitment to transparency in business and governance and for his efforts towards the progress of the national economy.

Producer of the Al Attiyah Foundation Launch Event - Gulf Intelligence

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© Press Release 2015