• CERAWEEK 2025 | March 10-14, 2025
  • CERAWEEK
  • March 10 - 14, 2025

Demetrios Papathanasiou

World Bank

Global Director, Energy and Extractives Global Practice

Dr. Papathanasiou leads more than 100 professionals at the Global Units of the Energy and Extractives Global Practice of the World Bank. He coordinates the overall strategic direction of the Practice, advances the knowledge and learning agenda for the Bank’s energy and extractives professionals, and oversees corporate reporting, trust funds, and partnerships for the Practice. Dr. Papathanasiou has worked for more than 25 years with the World Bank Group on Energy and Infrastructure in Africa, Latin America, East Europe and the Balkans, South Asia, East Asia and the Pacific Islands. He has contributed to developing energy policies in several countries and worked on power generation projects using many diverse technologies: thermal, hydropower, solar, wind, and geothermal. He has led large teams on complex utility and sector reforms, as well as sizeable public-private partnership transactions. As the Manager for the World Bank’s Energy Practice in South Asia (2016-2020), he was responsible for a portfolio of more than $10 billion and worked to increase renewable energy projects in the region, expand regional interconnections and exchanges, and modernize networks across the region. A professional Electrical Engineer, Dr. Papathanasiou holds an MSc in Environmental Technology and a PhD in Energy and the Environment from Imperial College in London, UK.

Sessions With Demetrios Papathanasiou

Monday, 18 March

  • 07:30pm - 09:00pm (CST) / 19/mar/2024 12:30 am - 19/mar/2024 02:00 am

    Bridging the North-South Divide
    Geopolitics

    Debt, high interest rates, commodity shocks and energy insecurity have propelled anger in the Global South. Emerging economies are seeking to overhaul the structures of the global political and economic system, hedge their strategic bets away from alliances and blocs and accelerate the emergence of a multipolar system more favorable to their interests. Is the future of BRICS+ and the G77 one of new opportunity or unreconciled competition? How deep is this polarization? What are the tools to bridge the divide? What does this divide mean for the future of trade, markets and international political institutions?  

Wednesday, 20 March

  • 05:00pm - 05:40pm (CST) / 20/mar/2024 10:00 pm - 20/mar/2024 10:40 pm

    COP28 Oil & Gas Decarbonization Commitments
    Climate & Sustainability

    COP28 elevated ambitions to tackle emissions from the oil and gas sector.  This included heightened national ambition to tackle methane, financing for low-income economies, and improving monitoring and measurement. COP28 also saw the introduction of the Oil and Gas Decarbonization Charter looking to accelerate action at the corporate level on methane, flaring, and scope 1 and 2 emissions. What is the significance of these commitments? What actions are being taken? What measures are being taken to improve monitoring and measurement?