20 May 2004 - The Philippines is hosting the Second Meeting of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) Working Group on Energy Security from 19-20 May 2004 in Dusit Hotel Nikko, Makati City.  The Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Energy are jointly organizing the event.

The holding of this Meeting was first announced by the late Secretary of Foreign Affairs Blas F. Ople at the 2nd ACD Ministerial Meeting in Chiang Mai, Thailand in June 2003. The Philippine hosting is in keeping with the commitment of the Philippines as a co-prime mover on energy cooperation in the ACD process.

“The timeliness of this meeting could not be overemphasized as we experience rising fuel prices worldwide.  Through the ACD, the Philippines aims to shepherd the building of strategic alliances among Asian countries by effectively balancing the interests of energy producers-exporters and energy consumers-importers,” Secretary Albert said.

“Energy security is of paramount importance to the Philippines and countries in the region, especially as we endeavor to realize our economic goals and counter threats of disruptions and global disorders,” the Secretary added.
 
The working group meeting will build on the results of the ACD Conference on Energy Security held in Bahrain in January 2004, which was co-chaired by the Philippines, Indonesia, Qatar, and Bahrain.
 
The major output of the meeting is the crafting of the ACD Energy Working Group Joint Declaration on Energy Supply Security Towards Sustainable Development which will be an input to the proposed Qingdao Energy Initiative of the People’s Republic of China.

The ACD was launched in 2002 at the initiative of Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra as a substantive and meaningful platform for Asia-wide strategic partnership and cooperation.  The ACD groups together the ten ASEAN countries, China, Japan, Republic of Korea, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Qatar, Bahrain, Kazakhstan, Sri Lanka, Oman, and Kuwait.  The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was invited to the meeting to be an observer and guest of the host.

The Meeting focused on the theme “Policies and Strategies on Energy Supply Security Towards Sustainable Development.”  It tackled three major topics, namely:  (1) Policies and Strategies on Energy Supply  (2) Security Development of Potential Energy Resources and Financing Options for Sustainability; and (3) Energy Supply Security Options.– END