Saudi Announcement

[M117-02] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:35:00 · Saudi Announcement · 2023-07-21 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

What I hope I can be continuous source of excitement to this gathering, although there is no one can compete with our friends from India, when it comes to putting together the right events in the right place. I would argue with the right weather, coming from Saudi Arabia. It's been a while we haven't had a good rainy day like this, but be it as it may. I think whatever I'm gonna announce is self-explanatory. We, as Saudi Arabia, in fact, if I may make it a bit personal, when this idea of the CEM and MI was thrown at us, at some time, when I was not yet the energy minister, there was a lot of recalls of worry and concern on what we are plugging ourselves to. And with these two platforms will help us, or actually ruin us.. in a way. And does this mean a kind of an admission of something that we're not aware of?

[M117-03] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:02:12 · Saudi Announcement · 2023-07-21 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

But I would have to say that it was quite a push and shove to get people to acquiesce with the idea that we should not gamble in missing the boat, and we should be part of the journey and take that boat, and be part of the journey. And what you see today is an embodiment of what the journey can lead us to. We're collaborating in addressing serious issues. It is putting our efforts, collective efforts to reach out to the issues that are of pertinence to all of us.

[M117-04] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:03:00 · Saudi Announcement · 2023-07-21 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

And as a testament to that, I want to make these few announcements, and just please take it as an announcement of today, but there will be more announcements in the future. I think we owe it to the adventurers who believed in CEM and MI. We. I think we owe it first a good word of congratulation and a round of good applause for their good work.

[M117-05] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:03:48 · Saudi Announcement · 2023-07-21 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

But that's not enough, because in every international collaboration scheme, there is always funding, funding, funding is the precursor issue amongst those. And it's so sad and so funny, in a way. It's actually tragic, because if people do see the benefit of this work, then ultimately it should be the good justifier for spending more money on these uh activities, because they deliver. What is wasteful is that when you spend money on something that doesn't deliver. But if you really want to put your money where your mouth is, then you have to be selective in choosing what you spend on, and what you should not spend on. And let the achievement, accomplishment and the things that these setups are mandated to deliver be the judge for whether you should finance them or not, whether you should continue them or not.

[M117-06] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:05:10 · Saudi Announcement · 2023-07-21 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

And because of that I want to declare here or announce that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will deliver a Four Hundred and Fifty Thousand Dollars for the work of the CEM. And, as you may know, we are hosting the MENA Climate Week which will precede the COP 28 in Riyadh from the 8th to the 12th of October. The CEM and MI are invited to this venue which will provide a valuable opportunity for both to expand their outreach during this important event. We would not call them but partners, so we would look after the people attending. we will deliver them the services required and the enablements for their outreach. So, we are welcome to be part of our organizing committee and organizing group. Moreover, the kingdom is planning to have a unique Pavilion in COP 28, where I would like to offer again both the CEM and MI community, not only the Secretariat, but the entire community an opportunity to organize side events in topics related to Clean Energy Technologies in our own pavilion.

[M117-07] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:07:00 · Saudi Announcement · 2023-07-21 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

In fact, that is in the Blue Zone, but I think also in the Green Zone, although we will have our Saudi Green Initiative, we will be more than happy also to make that space avail for you to demonstrate or use as a facility for enabling you to transmit your message in every meaningful and possible way. Furthermore, I'm also delighted to announce that we are currently in the process of putting together a potential memorandum of understanding between both the CEM and MI, with KAPSARC is our King Abdullah Research Institute which has been transformed by the Chair, which is me, myself, and the board to become more of a think advisory and a think tank for energy in broader sense. And this advisory work will help us in attending to issues that are relating to global energy and economics and sustainability. And because of that, we thought that getting the center to work with both of you is crucial and important.

[M117-08] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:08:39 · Saudi Announcement · 2023-07-21 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

And the Institute is probably the most enabled institution that I know of. And there would be a spillover of that enablement to both initiatives. And again, I've asked the CEO of KAPSARC and the few employees that are attending this event to think of the CEM and MI has nothing more than their own twins, last of which if you are interested in more excitement. I could continue delivering them, because this is the new Saudi Arabia full of young, ambitious dreamers. And I'm here to try to bring their dreams and ambitions to the globe.

[M117-09] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:09:42 · Saudi Announcement · 2023-07-21 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

And shattered and worried, blunt, transparent, and as Jack Nicholson's would say as good as it gets. But the last announcement I'm making is that we will be more than happy to join the International Hydrogen Trade Forum which is a subsidiary activity from December. I think it was .. it was late not to announce that earlier, but as the good old British proverb "come late is better not to come at all". uh .. What we need to do is in every year we meet, we will have more announcements to make that I assure you, thank you.