I want to thank all members for their contribution to a fantastic AGM 2023 held in the beautiful city of Perth. Likewise, I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to the city of Perth for hosting such a remarkable event.

WECP connects energy cities from around the world, all dedicated to leading the transition to a more sustainable future. It is a platform where knowledge knows no borders, and during this AGM our hosts have kindly shared how far Perth has come on the sustainability journey. It has been very inspirational to see what is going on here, bearing in mind what we see happening in our own cities.

In a world that faces complex energy challenges, the collective knowledge and experience that we share are invaluable. I cannot stress enough how important it is, that we come together to share experiences, insights, and best practices. This is precisely what the World Energy Cities Partnership is all about. As an organization, our unity is our strength.

During our AGM, we had the great pleasure to congratulate the city of Groningen for officially joining the WECP. With the addition of Groningen, we welcome a new country, The Netherlands, to our ever-growing network.

This expansion further demonstrates WECP’s commitment to facilitating the exchange of insights and experiences. It is a reminder that when we open our doors to new perspectives and ideas, we strengthen our collective efforts toward a sustainable future.

Together, we also had the opportunity to focus on our plans for the two initiatives regarding business-to-business and academic partnerships and how they can unfold even further. These initiatives will strengthen the WECP and bring a wider involvement from the member cities, as we encourage local companies and universities to take a more active role, facilitated among others via our upcoming new website.

Once again, thank you to all the member cities who came together in person or online to participate in this event.

Now, we are looking forward to next year’s annual general meeting hosted by Stavanger, Norway. This event will be held alongside the ONS 2024 event in Stavanger, celebrating the 50 years of the ONS Foundation – one of the world’s leading energy meeting places with unique network opportunities for all member cities.

Jesper Frost Rasmussen
President