[ Last Updated 25 May 2009 ]
Short Description
The International Energy Forum (IEF) is a gathering of world energy Ministers that takes place every two years. It has become the premier "producer-consumer dialogue" between not only IEA and OPEC member countries, but also Russia, China and India.
The International Energy Forum (IEF) began as the oil "Producer-Consumer Dialogue" in 1991. In 1999 it was formalised and renamed the International Energy Forum.
The IEF is an informal, high-level gathering of Ministers that brings energy producing and consuming countries together and which aims to build confidence, exchange information, and develop a better understanding of the underlying energy issues affecting the world. In addition to Ministers, many energy industry executives and leading energy organisations attend the forum, including the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
Taking place once every two years, the IEF has become the premier ‘producer-consumer dialogue' forum and provides an opportunity for IEA members and OPEC members to meet and debate issues. It is the largest recurring gathering of Energy Ministers in the world. The IEF is also unique in that participants include not only IEA and OPEC countries, but also Russia, and the emerging giants China and India. The IEF countries account for more than 90% of global oil and gas supply and demand.
The IEF helped develop and now coordinates the Joint Oil Data Initiative (JODI) in partnership with six other international organisations including the International Energy Agency (IEA), Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). The purpose of the JODI is to improve oil data transparency – the lack of which is often blamed for oil price volatility.
The IEF Secretariat is an international entity set up in December 2003 and headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to enhance and provide continuity to the Ministerial-level producer-consumer dialogue.
Meeting in conjunction with the IEF, the International Energy Business Forum (IEBF) was established to enable Ministers to interact with the Chief Executives of leading energy companies. The IEBF was set up in recognition of the importance of dialogue and partnership between governments and the energy industry.
The 11th IEF in April 2007 was attended by Ministerial delegations from 74 countries (as diverse as the United States, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Iraq, Brunei and Russia), and 13 International Organisations including the International Energy Agency (IEA), OPEC, and the United Nations. Approximately 27 energy companies attended including Saudi Aramco, Sinopec, Shell, and Total.
New Zealand involvement
New Zealand is a regular participant in the biannual IEF energy minister's dialogue, and a financial contributor to the IEF. We are also an active participant in the JODI.
New Zealand Representation
New Zealand is usually represented at Ministerial level at IEF meetings. New Zealand was represented at Ministerial level at the previous four International Energy Forums – the 8th IEF in Osaka, Japan 2002, the 9th IEF in the Netherlands 2004, the 10th IEF in Doha, Qatar 2006, and the 11th IEF in Rome 2008.
Further information
Additional information is available online from the International Energy Forum website.