Today's volatile global environment, marked by energy supply disruptions, persistent energy poverty, climate impacts on infrastructure, and rising competition over fossil fuels, critical minerals, and strategic technologies, is fuelling geopolitical instability and economic fragility, particularly in Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs), and Small Island Developing States (SIDS). The first Plenary will explain how current energy, industrial, and climate change pathways contribute to insecurity, tensions, conflicts, economic disparities, and opportunity costs at both global and local levels. It sets the strategic framing for IVECF 2026, positioning a just transition toward green industrialization, sustainable energy, and climate-resilient infrastructure as mutually reinforcing foundations of prosperity, security, and stability, rather than treating them as separate or parallel objectives. The plenary also emphasizes the importance of equity and support for countries most in need, including LDCs, LLDCs, and SIDS, ensuring they can participate fully in the transition. Its central argument is that the principal risk lies not in the transition itself, but in an unmanaged, unequal transition: one that reproduces concentrated dependencies, fragmented markets, and unequal industrial opportunity, thereby deepening geopolitical rivalry, domestic polarization, and regional inequality. Security is understood in a broad and multidimensional way, encompassing energy security, industrial and supply chain resilience, economic and job security, and human and environmental security.  

The panel discussion will focus on solutions that address critical minerals and new dependencies, unequal access to green industrial value chains, job displacement versus job creation, risks of green protectionism and market fragmentation, and the effects of climate impacts on energy and industrial infrastructure. To move from analysis to action, panellists will conclude with twelvemonth action commitments.  The discussions in the Plenary will be continued in the following Roundtables focusing on the perspectives and needs of LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS.  

‍

‍