WASHINGTON, DC – The inaugural Atlantic Council Global Energy Forum will convene in Abu Dhabi on January 12-13, 2017, Council President and CEO Frederick Kempe announced today.

This flagship initiative, launch in partnership with the Energy Ministry of the United Arab Emirates, will kick off Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, with the intention of setting the 2017 energy agenda in a manner that will strengthen energy markets, encourage breakthrough technologies, and foster climate action.

“The United Arab Emirates is a global leader in developing both traditional and renewable energy resources,” said Atlantic Council President and CEO Frederick Kempe. “Thus Abu Dhabi is an ideal location and partner for this global forum, which will be a critical forum to convene policy makers, business leaders, and private experts to explore the geopolitical and economic impact of rapidly changing energy markets and technology.”

The partnership between the Atlantic Council and the United Arab Emirates was formalized in a memorandum of understanding signed by Mr. Kempe and Emirati Energy Minister Suhail Mohamed Faraj Al Mazrouei.

“In line with the efforts of the UAE leadership to position the nation as a global leader in the energy sector, we are pleased to partner with the Atlantic Council to host the inaugural Atlantic Council Global Energy Forum in Abu Dhabi, marking this occasion as the first time the Atlantic Council has hosted a flagship event in a GCC country,” said His Excellency Suhail Al Mazrouei, Energy Minster of the United Arab Emirates. “This forum will serve as an ideal platform for crucial discussions with world leaders and key players in the global energy sector about the future of the energy sector and how it will be affected by recent political and security trends.”

The summit will focus on three key themes: the implications of the US elections for the global security and energy space; the emerging new oil and gas market order; and breakthrough energy technologies in the context of energy sector transformation and climate change.

“Energy security is becoming an increasingly important aspect of US national security, with far-reaching repercussions on global power dynamics,” said Ambassador Richard L. Morningstar, founding director of the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center. “The new forum will no doubt provide an essential venue for discussing paramount energy challenges and forging the way forward with creative solutions.”

The Abu Dhabi forum will address disruptive trends in energy systems and technologies, and examine oil, gas, nuclear, and renewable energy market developments in the context of major political and security challenges.

For more information about the Atlantic Council Global Energy Forum, please email press@atlanticcouncil.org.