Member Corner
Doha, Qatar | 24 August 2026 - Speaking at the Distinguished Speaker Lecture hosted by the UNESCO Chair on Environmental Law and Sustainable Development at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), H.E. Dr Philip Mshelbila, Secretary General of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF), called for a more comprehensive understanding of energy security capable of responding to a world shaped simultaneously by energy transitions, geopolitical tensions and rapid technological transformation.
H.E. highlighted that successive global energy shocks, rising electricity demand and the accelerating impact of artificial intelligence are fundamentally reshaping the global energy landscape. He stressed that energy security today must go beyond availability and affordability to encompass reliability, resilience and sustainability. Placing energy access at the heart of sustainable development, Dr Mshelbila noted that 730 million people still lack access to electricity, while two billion people remain without access to clean cooking.
He emphasized that, for many economies, the challenge is not simply managing existing consumption, but enabling the additional energy supply required to support population growth, industrialization, urbanization and sustained improvements in living standards. He further highlighted that 86% of the gas produced in 2055 will need to come from fields that are not producing today, underscoring the urgency of timely investment and cooperation, stable regulatory frameworks and long-term contractual arrangements.
Highlighting #Qatar’s leadership in global natural gas and LNG, the Secretary General turned to the broader role of natural gas in the global energy system. He underscored its multiple functions and concluded that energy security is not a competing objective of the energy transition, but rather a prerequisite for making it realistic, while ensuring that growing energy needs are met in an increasingly sustainable manner. Dr Mshelbila stressed that while countries face diverse circumstances and begin from different starting points, they share a common goal of achieving a secure and sustainable energy future, noting “Common destination, different starting points, multiple nationally appropriate pathways.”
The Secretary General thanked the UNESCO Chair and Hamad Bin Khalifa University for hosting the lecture and providing a platform for dialogue at the intersection of energy, sustainability and policy. He also commended Qatar Foundation’s broader contribution to advancing education, research and knowledge exchange and for preparing the next generation of energy leaders.