On 14-15 October, Energy Ministers from the 28 IEA member countries will convene in Paris to share views on the key energy and environment challenges facing the world today:

• How can governments best ensure energy security and sustainable energy supplies, especially in the wake of the global economic crisis?
• What steps are necessary to improve energy efficiency, promote low-carbon technologies and achieve challenging climate change targets?
• How can these challenges be addressed on a global basis, involving both IEA member countries and other key energy producing and consuming nations?

High-level representatives from three partner countries, China, India and Russia, have also been invited to participate in these important discussions, which will be chaired by the Hon. Maria van der Hoeven, Economic Affairs Minister of the Netherlands.

This 2009 Ministerial meeting marks the 35th anniversary of the Agency.  Three distinguished guest speakers will contribute to the occasion with their reflections on the IEA's role, past, present and future:

• Dr. Henry Kissinger, from whose initial suggestion the IEA was born
• Viscount Etienne Davignon, who served as the first Chair of the IEA Governing Board
• Dr. Rajendra K Pachauri, the Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the international scientific agency, which was honored, together with former US Vice-President Al Gore, with the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007

Ministerial Events

• An opening session on the highlights of the upcoming World Energy Outlook 2009; Ministers will be joined by members of the IEA Energy Business Council and representatives from industry in China, India and Russia
• Ministerial discussions on “Comprehensive energy security”, “Enhancing global energy dialogue” and “Actions for a sustainable energy future”
• Release of a Communiqué and an Action Plan for new energy initiatives

• Launch of 2 new IEA books:
  • IEA Energy Scoreboard 2009: 35 Key Energy Trends over 35 Years
  • Implementing Energy Efficiency Policies: Are IEA Member Countries on Track?
     
• Announcement of five energy technology Roadmaps: Carbon Capture & Storage; Cement Sector; Electric Vehicles/Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles; Solar Photovoltaic and Wind Energy.  Roadmaps identify barriers — both technological and policy-related — to the deployment of clean technologies and recommend solutions on how these can be overcome.