MOROCCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Masdar, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Mubadala development company and the Abu Dhabi based company focused on developing commercially scalable and sustainable energy solutions, has successfully participated and hosted an international renewable energy conference as part of the 32^nd Assilah International Cultural Festival in the Kingdom of Morocco.

The conference, entitled “Renewable Energy - A Leap Towards Human Development”, was a major draw for this year’s festival and attracted esteemed speakers and delegations from around the world.

The success of the conference is being hailed by observers as an important milestone for Middle East and North Africa (MENA), as the region further strengthens its growing reputation as a leader in the promotion and implementation of renewable energy.

Talking on the success of the Moroccan conference Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, Chief Executive of Masdar said: “Renewable energy, such as solar and wind, has the potential to ensure the sustainability of our economy and of our society. But most importantly, it is one of the critical solutions to mitigating the global threats of climate change.

“The United Arab Emirates has made a significant commitment to address the threats of climate change, but, it is important that other countries in the MENA region also realize their potential. It makes me optimistic for our future that the Moroccan government, which has recently announced a number of major energy projects, has invited Masdar to host this conference. I hope this is a catalyst for more collaboration between our countries and with the other countries of the MENA region. “The Assilah International Cultural Festival is about bridging gaps between cultures, the exchange of ideas and the sharing of knowledge. This year the Festival has offered us a platform to bridge the gaps of innovation and knowledge of the renewable energy and clean technology industry,” he concluded.

In bringing together delegations from around the world that share Masdar’s vision for the future of renewable and sustainable energy, Masdar believes that conferences such as these will lead to collaboration and knowledge exchange and are essential to overcoming the barriers that currently exist in the adoption of clean energy solutions.

The UAE was invited to be this year’s guest of honor in recognition of the country’s cultural achievements. The Assilah International Cultural Festival has focused predominantly on the arts, music and literature that represent elements of culture. This year energy has been added as a theme to the festival as a result of its growing importance on the global agenda and the role it plays to the UAE and its culture.

In addition to Masdar a number of other UAE organizations including the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage and Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community development also had an important role to play and effectively participated.

The Asilah Arts Festival in Morocco was founded in 1978 by the former foreign minister, Mohammed Ben Eissa and the artist Mohammed Malihi, is one of the most important art festivals in Morocco. Over the past three decades, this event has helped to promote dialogue, cultural exchange and solidarity. As well as this the Festival is widely known as a celebration of the values of peace and tolerance.

*Source: ME NewsWire

Download Dr. Sultan Speech with other photos by following this link: http://www.me-newswire.com/news/2098

For more information about Masdar, please visit: www.masdar.ae and the Masdar Initiative, please visit: www.masdaruae.com

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6355341&lang=en