CURRENT FOCUS 2011 MINISTERIAL MEETING
2011 MINISTERIAL MEETING CURRENT FOCUS Flags: © OECD/<strong>IEA</strong>, 2009; Ingrid Barnsley: © OECD/<strong>IEA</strong>, 2011 WHAT GOES ON DURING AN <strong>IEA</strong> MINISTERIAL MEETING With <strong>the</strong> 2011 Ministerial this autumn, a look at who attends, what <strong>the</strong>y do and what makes for a successful meeting. BY ROBERT YOUNGBLOOD Every two years on average, energy ministers from <strong>the</strong> 28 member countries <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>International</strong> <strong>Energy</strong> <strong>Agency</strong> ga<strong>the</strong>r in Paris for a meeting that sets <strong>the</strong> tone and framework for <strong>IEA</strong> work and activities for <strong>the</strong> coming months and provides ministers an opportunity to discuss and agree on important elements <strong>of</strong> global energy policy. <strong>The</strong> 2011 Ministerial meeting, which begins 18 October, also includes top energy <strong>of</strong>ficials from a record nine non-<strong>IEA</strong> countries. <strong>The</strong> three dozen leaders will be focusing on energy security, viewing sustainability as a component <strong>of</strong> that security but also taking into account <strong>the</strong> many events <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> past two years that have affected supply and market stability: <strong>the</strong> Arab Spring, <strong>the</strong> Fukushima nuclear incident, <strong>the</strong> Deepwater Horizon spill and <strong>of</strong> course high oil prices. Ministers will also look to <strong>the</strong> future and in particular 2012, <strong>the</strong> United Nations Year <strong>of</strong> Sustainable <strong>Energy</strong> for All and when <strong>the</strong> Rio+20 talks in June address sustainable development. “In light <strong>of</strong> all <strong>the</strong>se things, we felt that it made sense for us to frame <strong>the</strong> Ministerial discussions in terms <strong>of</strong> energy security and its close links with our goals for a low-carbon future,” says Ingrid Barnsley, Strategy and Policy Adviser in <strong>the</strong> Office <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Executive Director and Co-ordinator <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>IEA</strong> Ministerial process since 2008. <strong>The</strong> involvement <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> non-<strong>IEA</strong> delegations adds to <strong>the</strong> focus on security, including access to energy, with <strong>the</strong>ir presence and that <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> 28 member countries adding up to more than two-thirds <strong>of</strong> world energy production and more than threequarters <strong>of</strong> demand. “In that sense this becomes a very significant meeting politically,” Barnsley says. <strong>The</strong> presence <strong>of</strong> Brazil, Chile, China, Estonia, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia and South Africa is unprecedented. Non-member countries have participated in <strong>the</strong> past, but in smaller numbers and less fully. This year, <strong>the</strong> invitees will take part in all aspects <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Ministerial; <strong>the</strong>re are no closed sessions, unlike high-level meetings <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Group <strong>of</strong> Eight or <strong>the</strong> OECD. One reason such universality is possible is that <strong>the</strong> conference operates as a single entity, with meetings ordinarily held in plenary ra<strong>the</strong>r than in smaller groups. But those sessions are organised loosely: prepared statements are discouraged, and all delegations, member country or not, are encouraged to speak at any time. In recalling <strong>the</strong> 2009 Ministerial, Barnsley emphasises “<strong>the</strong> active engagement <strong>of</strong> China, India and Russia, including in terms <strong>of</strong> detailed interventions in plenary. <strong>The</strong>se meetings presented an excellent opportunity not only for ministers to get to know each o<strong>the</strong>r but also to share experiences. A key <strong>the</strong>me was that we can learn from each o<strong>the</strong>r.” <strong>The</strong> first session <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> 2011 meeting is particularly innovative, modelled on <strong>the</strong> World Economic Forum’s Davos events: about 30 CEOs <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> world’s largest energy-providing or -consuming companies – members <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>IEA</strong> <strong>Energy</strong> Business Council – meet with <strong>the</strong> ministers. <strong>The</strong>re will be no assigned seating, no flags to sit behind and no speaking schedule. Instead, participants will sit around a podium where a pr<strong>of</strong>essional moderator co-ordinates <strong>the</strong> session, which will begin with a sneak preview <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> World <strong>Energy</strong> Outlook 2011 that will be launched in early November. This initial session was redesigned and made an <strong>of</strong>ficial element <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Ministerial in 2009. “<strong>The</strong>re was nervousness both internally and among our delegations,” Barnsley says, “with people saying, ‘Our minister comes to Paris once every two years to see <strong>the</strong> <strong>IEA</strong>, and his or her first experience will be to walk into a meeting where <strong>the</strong>re is no set seating and so forth … this is not going to go well.’ We said, ‘Give us a chance, let’s see what happens.’ So we tried it and it was without doubt one <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> most successful parts <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Ministerial.” A second recent development was <strong>the</strong> introduction <strong>of</strong> informal polling at individual sessions, which had been suggested by <strong>the</strong> Ministerial Chair, <strong>the</strong> <strong>the</strong>n Dutch Economy Minister Maria van der Hoeven (who became <strong>IEA</strong> Executive Director in September). <strong>The</strong> ministers answer questions using voting buttons before <strong>the</strong> session begins, helping start <strong>the</strong> discussions. In some cases, a second poll is held after <strong>the</strong> session to see what has changed. But no records are kept <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> results, which are used simply to encourage debate. “We also limited all interventions to several minutes,” Barnsley says, “with a visible timer that cut <strong>of</strong>f <strong>the</strong> microphone. <strong>The</strong> ministers were warned. … It was carried out very actively by <strong>the</strong> Chair, Minister Van der Hoeven. <strong>The</strong> ministers ultimately appreciated very much <strong>the</strong> opportunity this created for more interactive discussion.” Ministers <strong>of</strong>ten hold bilateral meetings during <strong>the</strong> conference. “It is no secret that this kind <strong>of</strong> event is as much about what goes on outside <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> plenary as inside,” Barnsley explains. “Along with <strong>the</strong> receptions and meals, ministers have <strong>the</strong> opportunity to speak both formally and informally – that is one <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> true values <strong>of</strong> this kind <strong>of</strong> meeting.” <strong>The</strong> meeting concludes with a news conference, and <strong>the</strong>n <strong>the</strong> <strong>IEA</strong> gets down to work implementing <strong>the</strong> policy direction given by <strong>the</strong> ministers. “<strong>The</strong> Ministerial should not be seen in isolation,” Barnsley concludes. “It’s a part <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> intricate web <strong>of</strong> interaction that we have among countries from <strong>the</strong> expert level right up to <strong>the</strong> highest political level. As a relatively small organisation – a group <strong>of</strong> countries that have reasonably similar pr<strong>of</strong>iles as compared with all countries globally – <strong>the</strong> <strong>IEA</strong> family as we call it is quite close but growing, as we increasingly include o<strong>the</strong>r key partner countries with shared energy interests. <strong>The</strong> Ministerial is a friendly ga<strong>the</strong>ring that is really <strong>the</strong> end and starting point <strong>of</strong> each two years <strong>of</strong> activities.” Ingrid Barnsley, Strategy and Policy Adviser for <strong>the</strong> <strong>IEA</strong> Executive Director and Co-ordinator <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>IEA</strong> Ministerial process. www.iea.org 21