Doha, 22 Feb. 2022 (QNA)

6th Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) Summit underlined the importance of promoting natural gas as an abundant, affordable, clean, and reliable source of energy, and as the fuel of choice to satisfy the growing world energy needs, and to address climate change and improve air quality.

The Doha Declaration also called for encouraging the expanded use of natural gas domestically and internationally to address the gap in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 7, which affects the most vulnerable; strengthen natural gas environmental credentials, in particular through efforts to reduce gas flaring and methane emissions, and the development of eco-friendly technologies, including carbon capture, utilization, and storage.

The Declaration stressed the need to pursue the necessary steps for natural gas to be treated as an environmentally friendly good in climate and investment regulations, international banking and global trade. Furthermore, to work with relevant stakeholders to co-develop joint initiatives for climate action, especially in view of COP27 Climate Change Conference, which will be hosted by Egypt this year; and to improve conditions for the international trade of gas, based on the most effective and efficient practices.

The Doha Declaration urged work towards increasing the share of natural gas in maritime and land transport, and to develop necessary infrastructure to provide natural gas to consumers; support the fundamental role of long-term gas contracts as well as the gas pricing based on oil/oil products indexation to ensure stable investments in development of natural gas resources; in addition to augment the positioning of the GECF by increasing its global visibility, attracting new members, promoting partnerships, facilitating dialogue between producers and consumers, and broadening cooperation with relevant international organizations and entities.

The Declaration called for harness the position of the GECF as the leading platform for its Member Countries to cooperate and coordinate on natural gas matters by further developing the Forums expertise, and mechanisms for joint undertakings; and expanding cooperation in natural gas technologies, scientifically-guided research, and innovation-led capacity-building, inter alia, through the GECF Gas Research Institute.

The Doha Declaration noted the need to explore new areas of cooperation within the GECF with a goal to leverage the advantages of natural gas for hydrogen production as well as production and utilization of new gases.

It stressed the need to collaborate within the GECF as well as with consumers and transit countries to protect critical gas infrastructure and to enhance resilience to natural disasters, technological incidents, and man-made threats, such as malicious use of information and communication technologies.

On the other hand, the Heads of State and Government welcomed the proposal of the Peoples Democratic Republic of Algeria to host the 7th GECF Summit in 2023.