Welcome from the President of Iceland

Dear Delegates of the IHA 2009 World Congress,
Iceland has in recent years hosted several international meetings and conferences, gathering together scientists, experts, policymakers and public leaders in many different fields. The position of the country, linking the American and the Euro-Asian continents and surrounded by the great Atlantic Ocean, and its physical structure, with volcanoes, majestic glaciers and fast-flowing rivers, makes it an ideal location.

In creating a new and more responsible global economic system, the transformation of the energy sector is a crucial priority. Therefore, the discussions and the deliberations at the forthcoming IHA World Congress in Reykjavik are more important than ever.

Iceland is both a theatre of climate change, affected directly by the melting of the ice and the circulation of the ocean currents and a demonstration site of successful solutions. All these factors make my country an excellent location for the IHA World Congress, and it is a great honour for Iceland to host it in 2009.

Iceland's success in the development of hydropower and geothermal resources demonstrates how renewable energy can become a permanent basis of our economies.

The Icelandic power industry is still thriving despite the economic difficulties which the world has experienced in recent months.

It is my sincere hope that your discussions in Iceland will play a major role in the forthcoming decision-making process and it is thus a great honour to me to grant my patronage to the World Congress and I welcome you all to Iceland.