Vienna, Austria — The OPEC Secretariat, the Energy Charter Secretariat (ECS) and the OPEC Fund for International Development jointly hosted the third annual legal workshop via videoconference.
The workshop constitutes an important part of OPEC’s outreach programme, through which the Organization strives to dialogue and exchange knowledge and information with various industry stakeholders, including producers, consumers and investors, among others.
It addressed a number of topics relevant to the energy industry, such as national laws and bills related to climate and the impact of legal decisions on climate policies.
The Secretary General opened the workshop by highlighting its timeliness and relevance, adding, “This workshop is an outcome of the Organizations’ unwavering commitment to work together to address the complex challenges of our age.”
In reference to the COP26 meeting, Barkindo underscored the importance of the conference and discussions held in its lead-up.
“This public discourse is having a major impact on policy makers, corporate executives and civil society, and by extension, many national climate laws and jurisprudence,” he stated.
The Secretary General also emphasized the need to develop a fair, inclusive and comprehensive approach to addressing the climate change challenge, in order to ensure the involvement of the entire global community, including developing countries.
“We all share this planet. We need multilateralism at the centre of energy, climate and sustainable development future,” he said, adding “OPEC, as an intergovernmental organization, has always been a proud member of the multilateral system.”
He continued by stressing several issues of global concern, such as energy poverty and accessibility to affordable, reliable and sustainable energy sources.
“It is important to state that OPEC has continuously been a promotor of both sustainable development and efforts to combat climate change, with a focus on the need to utilize all solutions to reduce GHG emissions and adapt to their impact, and at the same time ensure energy access for all,” Barkindo said.
The Secretary General also highlighted the potential of oil and natural gas in supporting climate change mitigation efforts.
“We need to show how the oil and gas industry can foster its resources and expertise and help unlock our carbon-free future, through its role as a powerful innovator in developing cleaner and more efficient technological solutions to help reduce emissions.”
The inaugural joint workshop was held in October 2019, followed by the second iteration held in October of last year.
