SOCIETY 354 /2010

WIRTSCHAFT
OPEC
“Supporting stability, fuelling prosperity”
A golden year for OPEC in 2010
This year the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries will celebrate its golden
anniversary. After fifty years of existence, OPEC has a lot to look back on and look forward to.
OPEC Headquarters
in Vienna
What started in 1960 with only five
member countries and very high expectations
in terms of stabilizing
the oil market, evolved into one of the
most influential and respected institutions
in the world. Looking at its history, this anniversary
is of course a good reason to celebrate
and reminisce about the fascinating
past of this so important organization.
***
Anniversary Events
In September this year, Vienna – being
the seat of the OPEC Secretariat – will be the
venue for a major anniversary symposium
with prominent OPEC officials from past
and present times. Exhibitions about the Organization’s
history and its development
over the last fifty years will also take place
in Austria’s capital and other OPEC member
countries in Africa, the Middle East and
South America. To create an everlasting
souvenir, commemorative stamps have been
designed to mark the anniversary and to
spread the spirit of the festivities from its
twelve member countries all across the
world.
***
Competitions
To involve the public in the celebrations
taking place, different open competitions
have been arranged. A drawing competition
for all pupils in Austrian schools
and a quiz open to high school students in
all member countries and Austria will take
place during this year.
Prior to the celebrations, a logo competition
was already held. Ms. Lourdes (Lula)
Pilay Garcia from Ecuador was announced
Secretary General Abdalla
Salem El-Badri
as the winner and her logo was presented
on the 1st of January this year. The winning
symbol will be used on all official documents
during the year-long celebration, as
well as on all the publications and stationeries
during this period. The commemorative
stamps, released for the anniversary,
will also show the winner’s logo.
***
Achievements
In his official message at the start of this
year, OPEC’s Secretary General - HE Abdalla
Salem El-Badri – mentioned all the organizations’
milestones, but also gives prospects
for the future and announced that
OPEC will continue to “create harmony
and stability in the international oil market
for the benefit of the producers, the consumers,
the investors and the global economy
at large.” As OPEC’s objectives have always
been to coordinate and unify
petroleum policies, it’s especially important
for the organization to work on a stable
energy market and a sustainable development
without neglecting the
environmental matters, also in the times of
global financial difficulties and an economic
recession, said H.E. El-Badri.
HISTORY
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries
(OPEC) has been founded at the Baghdad Conference in
September 1960 by the five oil-producing countries Iran,
Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. Today OPEC consists
of 12 members. Algeria, Angola, Ecuador, Libya, Nigeria,
Qatar and the United Arab Emirates joined the institution
in the course of time. The organization was
established to secure the oil market by guaranteeing fair
and reasonable prices, obtain a regular supply to consuming
nations and provide fair returns to investors, as well
as to support sustainable development and addressing
global environmental concerns.
FOTOS: OPEC
18 | SOCIETY 2_10