Israel officially joins the International Energy Agency
The IEA is at the forefront of tackling climate change, promoting renewable energies, energy efficiency and other energy issues.
By ABIGAIL ADLERUpdated: DECEMBER 11, 2020 03:46RUNNING LOW: Israelis stand on the beach in front of a coal (photo credit: Amir Cohen)The International Energy Agency (IEA) accepted Israel's request to join the agency as a full member on Thursday, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.As part of a vote in Paris, the member states supported the initiation of Israel's absorption into the Agency, which is at the forefront of tackling climate change, promoting renewable energies, energy efficiency and other energy issues.The move began with Energy Minister Dr. Yuval Steinitz's meeting with World Energy Agency Director General Dr. Fatih Birol at the UN's annual climate conference, held in Madrid in December last year. Afterwards, the Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Israeli delegation to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) joined in promoting the move, which today received widespread support from all the agency's companies."In 2010, as the Finance Minister, I introduced the State of Israel to the most prestigious organization of developed countries - the OECD - and today, in 2020, I am proud to announce that Israel is taking a significant first step on joining the International Energy Agency (IEA)," said Steinitz."This reflects Israel's new status as a regional energy power, a world leader in the reduction and detoxification of coal and polluting fuels in favor of natural gas and solar energy, and bringing it to second place in the world in solar power generation. It illustrates the trust and recognition of the power and innovation of the Israeli energy economy in the world. "The agency, considered the most influential and important in the world in the field of energy, was founded in 1974 and initiated by the United States in response to the oil embargo in 1973 and to ensure the supply of oil to its member countries. A basic condition for membership in the International Energy Agency is membership in the OECD. Today, 30 of the 37 OECD member countries take part in the Energy Agency, which is considered a fully autonomous organization in its decisions and conduct.The official membership of the State of Israel in the International Energy Agency signifies the possibility of being part of the group of countries leading the international discourse in the energy field. The prestigious agency promotes a mutual learning process between experts, which aims to set uniform criteria on the relevant issues. There is also a political benefit with the positioning of the country as a major player in energy field, not only in the Middle East but also among developed countries. All of these will enable Israel's decision-makers to provide better data and tools for determining the required policy measures in the energy field.
