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What is the IEF?

The International Energy Forum (IEF) is the world’s largest gathering of Energy Ministers. IEF Countries account for more than 90% of global oil and gas supply and demand. In addition to IEA and OPEC countries, transit states and key energy players, including Brazil, China, India, Mexico, Russia and South Africa, participate in the Forum. The magnitude and diversity of this engagement is a testament to the IEF’s position as a neutral facilitator. Through the Forum and its associated events, IEF Ministers, their officials, energy industry executives, and other experts engage in a dialogue of increasing importance to global energy security. The IEF and the global energy dialogue are promoted by a permanent Secretariat of international staff based in the Diplomatic Quarter of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Secretary General
Noé van Hulst

Ministers from around the world to discuss energy issues of concern to the global community. Open and informal dialogue, at both the political and technical levels, helps overcome historical differences, improves policy and investment decisions, and through increased knowledge and experience sharing, reduces uncertainty. The unprecedented spirit of cooperation demonstrated by IEF Countries illustrates the power of dialogue. The IEF fosters a greater mutual understanding and a heightened awareness of interests common to all participating countries. Participation in the dialogue builds trust among IEF Countries as they embrace interdependency for its potential as a cohesive force.
The IEF is unique, not only in its global perspective and scope, but also in its approach. Beyond its Ministerial sessions, the IEF provides an open venue for bilateral contacts between Energy Ministers, as well as with and among top level executives from industry, who participate in the International Energy Business Forum (IEBF) that precedes the IEF. As the dialogue process matures the role played by the regular symposia, workshops and training sessions organised by the IEF Secretariat and its partners play an important part in improving understanding and building trust also at operational and expert levels.
The IEF and the IEBF offer an extraordinary window into the key concerns of policymakers and industry leaders. The IEF Secretariat heeds the call of Ministers and prioritises its programme of work to reflect the issues most important to them. In the process of its completion, the IEF seeks practical means to bolster global energy security by enhancing transparency, investment and sustainability. Through its coordination of the ambitious Joint Oil Data Initiative (JODI), the IEF capitalizes on the combined efforts of six diverse international organizations (APEC,EUROSTAT, IEA, OLADE, OPEC, and UNSD) to improve transparency in oil markets. The primary aim of this pioneering activity is to moderate undue volatility in the oil market.

The International Energy Business Forum (IEBF) provides a platform for discussion between Ministers and Chief Executive Officers of leading energy companies. At the 8th IEF in Osaka, Japan, industry leaders and Ministers met informally prior to the Ministerial meeting itself. The Netherlands convened the first IEBF at the 9th IEF in Amsterdam on May 22, 2004. The 2nd IEBF was held two years later at the 10th IEF in Doha, Qatar, and was attended by CEOs of more than 30 leading oil and gas companies. The success of these initial meetings earned the IEBF a permanent role and it is now regularly convened the day before each IEF Ministerial.
The findings of the IEBF meeting are fed directly into the IEF Ministerial and subsequent IEF symposia to ensure that Ministers participating in the Forum are cognizant of the concerns foremost in the minds of industry leaders. This communication is essential to the health of the dialogue.
The IEBF has grown in stature and continues to attract the biggest names in oil and gas because the relationship between government and industry is an increasingly crucial element in the complex process that ensures product is delivered to the market in an affordable, timely and sustainable manner. No private company or sovereign nation can effectively address the myriad issues facing the energy sector unilaterally. But, if both embrace the concept of energy security as a shared responsibility, the world can move closer to more sustainable and stable energy systems and markets.
The IEBF provides a platform for industry leaders to register and debate their views and concerns with the audience most essential to their success—the world’s key energy policymakers. The IEBF is a unique opportunity to freely and openly address sensitive subjects which would otherwise be left unsaid or dealt with less effectively on an ad hoc or bilateral basis.

Industry Advisory Committee

The IEBF is supported by the Industry Advisory Committee (IAC) which is currently drawn from the ranks of NOCs and IOCs headquartered in those countries that are members of the International Support Group. The Committee was first convened in June 2005 at the invitation of the IEF Host Country, Qatar.
The primary purpose of the IAC is to allow for industry input on the IEBF agenda. The IAC also reinforces the importance of industry to the dialogue and, through constant counsel with the IEF, deepens the IEF’s understanding of industry’s perspective on issues relevant to the IEF’s programme of work.
Membership in this group is at the invitation of the Secretary General and Chairperson of the Executive Board.

The Secretariat of the International Energy Forum is governed by an Executive Board comprising nineteen IEF countries plus the IEA and OPEC Secretariats as non-voting members. The Executive Board is the only decision-making body of the Secretariat. Decisions by the board are typically achieved through consensus, but if necessary, a voting majority is sufficient.
Following each IEF Ministerial, a new Executive Board is selected by a core group of Board members under the chairmanship of the host country of the next IEF Ministerial. The host country is joined in this selection panel by their co-hosts, as well as the host and co-host of the previous IEF. Saudi Arabia, as the host country of the headquarters of the Forum’s permanent Secretariat, completes the core group alongside the Secretariats of the IEA and OPEC. Selection of the remaining members aims to reflect an overall balance among consuming and producing countries, developed and developing countries, and geographical parity. The selection process also affords due consideration to the respective contributions of countries to the IEF and its Secretariat, as well as to rotational needs.
The Executive Board meets at least twice a year to execute its duties, which include approval of the theme and programme of the biennial IEF Ministerial and IEBF, as well as the Programme of Work, budget and statements of account of the Secretariat.

The Executive Board currently comprises:

Kuwait, Netherlands, Algeria, Mexico, Germany, India, Egypt, Iran, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Russia, United Kingdom, Venezuela, Qatar, Norway, China, Turkey, Italy, France, In addition to OPEC and IEA Secretariats.

In addition to the guidance provided by members of the Executive Board, the Secretariat and the IEF Ministerial’s Host Country are advised on the IEF’s programme of work and onthe theme and content of the IEF Ministerial bya group of committed IEF countries. Previously known as the Informal Support Group, the International Support Group (ISG) predates the IEF Secretariat and has long been the cornerstone of the agenda-crafting process for the IEF Ministerial. With a strong foundation of institutional memory, the ISG offers advice and experience to both the IEF Host Country and the Secretariat of the IEF. The global nature of the ISG’s membership provides a wealth of policy advisors and senior experts to IEF and the IEF Ministerial’s Host Country. Their collective wisdom ande xperience informs the agenda of the IEF, improves the content of the global energy dialogue, and ensures that the IEF remains at the forefront of that dialogue. The ISG’s suggestions for the IEF and IEBF are considered by the Secretariat, IEF Ministerial Host Country and the Executive Board in the formulation of each Ministerial’s agenda. The IEF increasingly relies on this group of committed countries for guidance and counsel on the implementation of its programme of work, as approved by its Executive Board. Membership of this group is granted at the invitation of the Secretary General and Chairperson of the Executive Board, though there is an automatic right of access for those countries which pay their contributions to the IEF Secretariat regularly.

Algeria, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Brazil, China, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Poland, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, South Africa, Spain, Sudan, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America, Venezuela, plus the EU, IEA and OPEC Secretariats.

The IEF Secretariat was established following the Osaka announcement at the 8th IEF in Japan on 23 September 2002.

The Secretariat of the IEF is a permanent body which provides the framework for informal yet substantive dialogue between oil and gas producers and consumers. The Secretariat of the IEF was established following a declaration by Ministers at the 8th IEF in Osaka, Japan on 23 September 2002. The role of the Secretariat is evolving, but its core mandate is to structure and manage the IEF’s programme of work and ensure the continuity and development of the producer-consumer dialogue. The Secretariat is based in the Diplomatic Quarter of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia where it has been headquartered since its inception in December 2003. It is currently governed by a Secretary General responsible to an Executive Board of 15 IEF participating countries and two international organizations (IEA and OPEC).

The Mission of the Secretariat is to:

Enhance and deepen the global producer-consumer • dialogue on energy;

• Promote the role of stable and transparent energy markets for the health of the world economy, security of supply and demand, and the expansion of global trade and investment in energy resources and technology;

• Promote the study and exchange of views of the inter-relationship between energy, technology, environmental issues, economic growth and development through the provision of open platforms;

• Explore practical ways to enhance transparency and investment in, and the sustainability of, energy markets.

The Secretariat also seeks to improve the relationship and depth of understanding between the energy industry and the governments of oil and gas producing and consuming countries through industry’s participation in IEF events and symposia. This effort includes the International Energy Business Forum (IEBF), which gathers energy CEOs biennially, a permanent Industry Advisory Committee (IAC) that counsels the Secretariat, and frequent topical symposia that incorporate members of industry and government, as well as participants from international organisations, other experts and academia.

The Secretariat is based in the Diplomatic Quarter of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia where it has been headquartered since its inception in December 2003.

The Joint Oil Data Initiative (JODI) provides a reliable, freely accessible and comprehensive database of monthly oil statistics unlike any other in the world. Through the use of nationally sanctioned data, which can be difficult if not impossible to access through alternative avenues, JODI offers global coverage of oil consumption and production on a monthly basis. As a database and broader collaborative, JODI is instrumental to the pursuit of enhanced data transparency. By mitigating some of the uncertainties that can be detrimental to market functionality, JODI aims to moderate undue price volatility, thereby increasing investor confidence and contributing to greater stability in energy markets worldwide.

JODI is more than a database. JODI is the product of extraordinary effort by seven international partner organisations, APEC, Eurostat, IEA, OLADE, OPEC, UNSD, and the IEF as its coordinator, who share the collective goal of increasing transparency in energy markets. The success of the Initiative has fostered greater global awareness of the importance of market transparency, and encouraged participation from countries whose data were previously unavailable.

The success and utility of JODI are defined by the quality of data received and processed. To further improve the data submitted to JODI, and to build capacity among its participants, the IEF works with the JODI partner organisations to conduct regional training workshops which offer statisticians and experts from participating countries an opportunity to improve their knowledge of definitions, data quality assessment and oil data issues. The workshops also offer a platform for JODI users to share their experiences and communicate best practices for oil data management. JODI’s educational efforts continue in Riyadh. The IEF hosts a JODI Internship programme at its Headquarters in Riyadh for officials from developing countries with direct responsibility for oil statistics. This classroom-based immersion course facilitates rapid assimilation of the historical knowledge base accumulated by the IEF and JODI partner organisations.

As a truly global initiative, JODI thrives on being open and accessible to the widest possible audience. The JODI manual, prepared by the partner organisations on the definitions and methodology employed in JODI, has been translated and is available in Chinese, English, Russian and Spanish.

The JODI partner organisations and the IEF regularly conduct International JODI Conferences, which provide a platform for participating countries and data users to assess and debate the progress of the Initiative.

As a result of the 6th International JODI Conference in Riyadh, JODI partner organizations conducted an extended format data collection trial over two years and concluded that the extension was feasible. Following its endorsement at the 7th International JODI Conference in Quito, the seven JODI organisations implemented the extended JODI questionnaire as a permanent activity.

This extended format gives a more detailed and accurate view of the supply - demand picture. IEF Ministers have called for an extension of the Initiative to cover natural gas as well as annual data on capacity and expansion plans. The extension was initially advocated during the Ad-Hoc Energy Meeting in Jeddah in June 2008 and then later endorsed by Heads of State at the G8 Summit in L’Aquila (July 2009) and the G20 Summit in Pittsburgh (September 2009).

Despite challenges identified by a feasibility study conducted by the IEF, JODI partner organizations expressed their support for an extension of JODI to natural gas data. A gas questionnaire format has been adopted and trial data collection on natural gas commenced in December 2009.

The seven JODI organisations are also working on a possible roadmap for annual data collection on upstream and downstream capacities and expansion plans in oil and gas. The organizations recognized that annual data collection would be a challenging and resource intensive process, but agreed to examine feasible means to achieve this Minister-recommended goal.