70 % of the Indian population is below the age of 35 years. This statistic would surely qualify India as a country of the ‘Youth’. This young demographic profile presents both a challenge and an opportunity. The challenge is to equip this potential work – force with requisite education and technological skill-sets for fueling national growth, while the opportunity is to train them as a global workforce reservoir as most of the developed countries face the prospect of an ageing population and a dwindling workforce.

Just as we, in India, realized the remarkable potential of our youth, the World Petroleum Council (WPC) too recognized the preeminence of youth in chartering a sustainable future for the global hydrocarbon industry and constituted a dedicated Sub – Committee on Youth and Gender to engage with tomorrow’s petro-scientists, managers and engineers. As a consequence, the first WPC Youth Forum was held in Beijing in 2004 and the second is scheduled in Paris in Nov 2009.

We bring to you the Third WPC Youth Forum in New Delhi in November 2010.

The 3rd WPC Youth Forum will be organized in association with PETROTECH – 2010, India’s largest Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition from Oct 31st to Nov 3rd 2010. The intent is to provide the Youth with an eclectic mix of two opportunities; first, to participate in PETROTECH as delegates and engage with the crème de la crème of the global hydrocarbon sector as they dwell upon and unravel the conference theme ‘Global Energy Equilibrium’; second, to engage with their peers and actively participate in their own exclusive Youth Forum that has been designed to harness the energy of the Youth through participative and interactive engagements.

In addition to the Youth Forum, I shoulder an added responsibility of approaching potential sponsors to associate with PETROTECH – 2010 and help us deliver quality programming that we have on the agenda. It is by far the most ambitious event in the India and I invite you to become a part of it as sponsor.

We look forward to welcoming you to PETROTECH – 2010 and to the 3rd WPC Youth Forum in New Delhi.