OPEC International Seminar Background

The OPEC International Seminar is now regarded as one of the premier events on the world energy calendar, bringing together Ministers from OPEC Member Countries and other oil-producing countries, heads of intergovernmental organizations, chief executives of national and international oil companies, other industry leaders, renowned academics, analysts and media.

The 5th OPEC International Seminar, held in Vienna’s historic Hofburg Palace on 13–14 June 2012, focussing on the theme ‘Petroleum: Fuelling Prosperity, Supporting Sustainability’. The latest in the series of Seminars, which began in 2001, provided fresh impetus to key industry issues and developed existing and new avenues of dialogue and cooperation.

The event’s insightful presentations and panel discussions sought to move the energy debate forward, with the high-calibre speaking line-up discussing a wide range of topical issues affecting the industry, both in the short- and long-term, against a backdrop of significant uncertainty, such as the ongoing global financial turmoil, the economic malaise that continues to grip many parts of the world and geopolitics.

The event had four main sessions, titled ‘The Global Energy Scene’, ‘Oil and the World Economy’, ‘Capacity Expansion and Investment’ and ‘Technology, Environment and Policies’. It concluded with a panel discussion focused on ‘Petroleum for Progress and Cooperation’.

In addition, two awards were made at this year’s Seminar to honour distinguished scholars who have made outstanding contributions to the petroleum industry and related areas during their lifetimes. The awards are the OPEC Award for Research and the OPEC Award for Journalism.

The event built on the success of the previous ones from the past decade:

• The Fourth OPEC International Seminar, ‘Petroleum: Future Stability and Sustainability’, March 2009.
• The Third OPEC International Seminar, ‘OPEC in a New Energy Era: Challenges and Opportunities’, September 2006.
• The Second OPEC International Seminar, ‘Petroleum in an Interdependent World’, September 2004.
• The First OPEC Seminar, ‘OPEC and the Global Energy Balance: Towards a Sustainable Energy Future’, September 2001.

The present series of Seminars is not the first to be held by OPEC. An earlier series took place in Vienna in the 1970s and 1980s, with each Seminar covering a topical theme of interest and value at the time. Held in 1977, 1979 and 1981, the Seminars focused on national oil companies, future energy markets and energy and development. In addition, in 1992, OPEC put together a three-day Seminar on the Environment, in order to get an in-depth look at this issue and its association with the energy sector, and to help prepare for the landmark United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (the Earth Summit) in Rio de Janeiro later that year.

See the latest 5th OPEC International Seminar 2012 agenda here.