Press release
Minister Ryan elected to co-chair International Energy Agency Ministerial in 2024
From Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications
Published on
Last updated on
Minister Ryan and French Minister for Energy Transition Agnès Pannier-Runacher have been elected by the International Energy Agency’s (IEA’s) Governing Board to co-chair the 2024 IEA Ministerial.
Australian, Canadian, Dutch and Polish Ministers will serve as vice chairs for the event that marks the Agency’s 50th anniversary year.
The IEA is a leading inter-governmental organisation, providing policy recommendations, analysis and data on the global energy sector to its 31 member countries and 11 association countries, including the USA, China and India.
Minister Ryan’s election is based on his extensive experience during two terms as Ireland’s Minister with responsibility for Energy and his internationally acknowledged expertise in renewable energy and climate change. The IEA recognises that climate action is intrinsically linked with the shift away from polluting fossil fuels to clean and sustainable renewables, while also ensuring security of supply of energy, particularly taking account of the current geopolitical situation.
Minister Ryan is a frequent and leading voice at European Council meetings on Energy, Environment and Transport. Last year, he was appointed as the lead EU negotiator on key talks at COP27 in Sharm-El-Sheikh which delivered an historic breakthrough on Loss and Damage financing. He also served as co-chair of the EU’s North Seas Energy Co-operation (NSEC) group throughout 2022 and was instrumental in re-engaging the UK with the EU group, which supports and facilitates the development of Europe’s huge offshore renewable energy potential.
Representing Ireland, Minister Ryan’s election means he will co-chair the next IEA Ministerial Meeting in 2024, which will be a particularly critical meeting as it will follow COP28 and will mark the conclusion of the first ‘Global Stocktake’ of the world’s collective progress against its climate goals since the Paris Agreement.
The role of co-chair effectively spans two years, with critical work and meetings in advance of the Ministerial and afterwards. The previous chair of the IEA Ministerial was US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm.
The four vice chairs are: Chris Bowen, Australia’s Minister for Climate Change and Energy; Jonathan Wilkinson, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources; Rob Jetten, the Netherlands’ Minister for Climate and Energy Policy; and Anna Moskwa, Poland’s Minister of Climate and Environment.
ENDS
The International Energy Agency’s (IEA’s) 2024 Ministerial meeting will be held in Paris in February 2024, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the Agency’s founding.
The IEA Ministerial takes place every two years – to set the Agency’s mandate and review its achievements. The 2024 Ministerial will provide a key opportunity for countries to assess the latest developments in global energy markets and how they can advance international cooperation on energy security and tackling climate change.