The Secretary-General of the UN and five global heads of state were among the speakers at the World Future Energy Summit opening ceremony held in January 2011 in Abu Dhabi.
Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary General of the United Nations, was making his first appearance at WFES following the recent progress made to renew international efforts to combat climate change during talks at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP16) in Cancun, Mexico, from 29 November - 10 December 2010.
HRH Guillaume, Crown Prince of Luxembourg and HRH Crown Princess Victoria, Princess of Sweden, also took part in the Opening Ceremony alongside the presidents and prime ministers of five leading nations in the field of renewable energy:
- Ólafur Ragnar Grimsson, President, Iceland
- Asif Ali Zardari, President, Pakistan
- Jose Socrates Carvalho Pinto de Sousa, Prime Minister of Portugal
- Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister, Bangladesh
- Nikoloz Gilauri, Prime Minister, Georgia.
Commenting on the line-up, Frederic Theux, President, Reed Exhibitions Middle East, said: "Their attendance is true testament to the esteem in which the event is now held globally, as leaders from around the world gather to shed light on the importance of taking the steps necessary to make all nations more environmentally cautious."
Themed ‘Enabling Future Energy Solutions’, WFES runs from 17-20 January 2011 and comprises the four day conference, alongside two sold-out exhibitions - the World Future Energy Exhibition and World Future Environment Exhibition.
For more information visit www.worldfutureenergysummit.com.