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OPEC-ECS-OFID Annual Legal Workshop

By October 31, 2019February 11th, 2023Conference

 

Vienna, 2019

hrowing back 8 years ago, when I was working at the oil and gas industry, I had a dream of stepping my feet at the OPEC Secretariat, in Vienna, Austria. I went there in October 2016 just for a quick visit. It was great, but I did not do anything apart from visiting their library.  I always had a dream that one day, I would be going there to do something.

Back in June 2019, when I first met the OPEC’s SG Dr. Mohammad Barkindo and his team (Mr. Nadir Guerer & Mr. James Griffin) at the Dundee Energy Forum 2019.  That was when things becoming clearer. He said, he would want to see me at the OPEC Secretariat and present my work (PhD) at the Secretariat.

On the 14th (Sunday) October 2019, I received an email from Professor Peter Cameron, mentioning about the invitation to the Legal Workshop by the OPEC – OFID – ECS at the end of October 2019.  It was very short notice in regards to my Visa application, but things went very smooth and I got my passport and the visa just in time.

I flew on the 29th, in the evening, and gave a talk at the end of the first day. Yes, it was tough for me, thinking that people were tired already. My task was even more challenging when I also needed to keep awake people who have had a long day that day.

Despite of my accounting, economics, and management background, I was honoured to be given an opportunity to once again join the legal community and presented my work. I was giving an hour talk on  on “Attracting Energy Investment through Taxation Policy, Case Study on Coal Bed Methane Fiscal Regimes in Indonesia, the U.S. and Australia”. This workshop was attended mostly by the representatives of the OPEC Member Countries, the Consultancies, as well as the international energy institutions.

I started my talk by giving them a little bit of introduction about myself, and the fact that I was very lucky and blessed to be part of the CEPMLP big family.  Then I talked on the overview of the issues that can happen in any energy project, and what changes in the fiscal policy could possibly address these issues and re-gain the attractiveness of energy investment in a country.
Mr. Nadir Guerer, the Senior Research Analyst at the OPEC who is also the personal assistant of Mr. Mohammad Barkindo (the OPEC’s Secretary General) said “Theresia’s presentation was excellent and very down to earth. She touched the fundamental issues of the member countries in her talk. Her talk was very topical and specific, yet very accurate!”
Finally, at the end of the event, I received a certificate of recognition as a Speaker at the OPEC Secretariat, handed directly by the OPEC’s SG.
Apart from giving a talk, I was also involved in the collaborative meeting between the CEPMLP and the OPEC at the SG’s office. She has been a great representative of the University, particularly for the CEPMLP.
It was such a fruitful meeting for me and hopefully for both the OPEC Secretariat and the CEPMLP.
Finally, I would like to personally thank those behind all these and who made things happened. The OPEC’s SG Dr. Mohammad Barkindo, Professor Peter Cameron, Mr. Nadir Guerer, Mr. James Griffin, Ms. Gabriele Oesterreicher, Mr. Leonardo Sempertegui, and all the OPEC Secretariat members who have supported me a lot.