IEF Trilateral Work Program with the IEA and OPEC
Global Energy's Core Collaboration
Ensuring secure, affordable, and sustainable energy supplies requires continuous dialogue and cooperation among all stakeholders. This is exemplified by the IEF trilateral work program established by the three organizations and endorsed by energy ministers at the 12th International Energy Forum in Cancún, Mexico, in March 2010. Conceived in the wake of the global financial crisis at the Jeddah Energy Meeting in 2008 the IEF Trilateral Work Program also responds to calls from G20 leaders gathered at the Cannes Summit in November 2011 and the Rome Summit in October 2021.
Going Beyond the Soundbites
Since its inception, the IEA-IEF-OPEC trilateral dialogue has gone from strength to strength evolving into a unique platform for sustained, high-level engagement among diverse energy market stakeholders. It brings together policymakers, analysts, industry, and academia and uncovers insights that seldom surface in other settings. From annual Symposia on Energy Outlooks to focused workshops, it lays the groundwork for more informed and effective responses to shared energy challenges.
Three Pillars. One Platform. Shared Progress.
The trilateral work program centres on three core pillars. Comparing outlooks, clarifying underlying scenario assumptions, and exploring market dynamics through inclusive dialogue. It surfaces issues, deepens understanding and enhances decision-making processes worldwide.
Workshop on the Interactions between Physical and Financial Energy Markets
Hosted annually by OPEC in Vienna, this high-level technical workshop convenes a broad spectrum of market participants to examine the evolving interconnections between physical and financial energy markets. Over time, it has become a distinctive platform for addressing critical issues that are often overlooked in other high-level forums.
Symposium on Energy Outlooks
The annual energy outlooks published by the IEA and OPEC are central to shaping global energy perspectives and guiding producer–consumer policy and investment decisions. This symposium, hosted by the IEF in Riyadh, provides a unique platform to review these outlooks, including those of the GECF and IRENA as guest organizations and industry stakeholders. Comparing methods and findings with real- world market dynamics and policy trends enhances mutual understanding and fosters better and more cohesive decision making across the IEF community of global energy market stakeholders.
Symposium on Gas and Coal Market Outlooks
This symposium hosted biannually by the IEA in Paris, examines short-, and long-term dynamics in natural gas and coal markets alongside evolving energy policy and clean technology trends in gas and coal markets. It considers the evolving role of these fuels in the context of energy security and transition, with a focus on achieving sustainable, reliable, and inclusive energy outcomes.
Energy Diplomacy in Turbulent Times
The role of the IEF to provide a neutral platform for sustained engagement has become more important overtime. The trilateral work programme offers a durable channel for forward-looking, structured dialogue that enriches and complements wider policy and public discourse. Bringing together experts and stakeholders with diverse insights on an ongoing basis enhances market transparency, builds mutual understanding, and creates the goodwill and market confidence that IEF member countries rely on to overcome emerging challenges. This enables policymakers and market participants alike to better manage risks, reduce uncertainty, and make well-informed decisions across a rapidly evolving global energy landscape.
From Dialogue to Delivery
Producers, consumers, and transit states engage with global energy markets from different positions, shaped by their respective legacies, needs, responsibilities, and levels of economic development. Different realities and opposing perspectives naturally create tension but must coexist and cooperate for global energy markets to function and deliver for all stakeholders. Dialogue among different stakeholders enhances policy and market outcomes for all and remains the vital element of transparent, effective and fair energy markets. The IEF trilateral programme is not about erasing differences. It is about putting them to work.
Connected Voices. Smarter Choices.
The continued cooperation between the IEA, IEF, and OPEC reflects a shared recognition that staying engaged matters. The value of the trilateral dialogue is not in forcing consensus, but in creating the space to address differences directly, deepen mutual understanding, and inform better decisions in a world where interdependence will continue to grow, and certainty is hard to come by.
