The International Energy Agency (IEA) was established in Paris in 1974 as an autonomous international body within the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The organisation includes 30 member and 8 assosiative countries. At present, negotiations are underway with Latvia and Chile on joining the organization. The main objective of the OECD is to support international cooperation in the field of improving the demand and supply structure of world energy resources and energy services. In fact, the organisation provides assistance to the countries importing energy resources.

The IEA acts as a data center and consultant in accordance with the interests of the member states. The agency also performs the functions of energy security, economic development and environmental protection.

The IEA Board of Directors is the main decision-making body of the organization. The Board of Directors consists of energy ministers of member states or their senior representatives.

The Executive Director of IEA is Fatih Birol  since 2015. (Turkey)

Azerbaijan is not a member of the IEA. Nevertheless, it is regularly involved in the activities of the organisation.

On April 16-18, 2015, in Tbilisi, Georgia, the European Commission and the IEA jointly organised the presentation of publications devoted to the energy policy review of the countries of Central Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia. A representative from the Ministry of Energy attended the event.

On October 16-20, 2017, a training seminar on energy efficiency was held in Tbilisi, Georgia, within the framework of the IEA's EU4Energy programme. The event focused on issues such as improving the legislative framework for the development of energy efficiency, raising awareness in this area, stimulating energy efficiency and attracting investments in energy efficiency projects. A delegation from the Ministry of Energy attended the event.

In Baku on October 24-25, 2017, within the EU4Energy programme, the second meeting of the Inter-ministerial Working Group of the ministries on drafting the law ‘On the Efficient Use of Energy Resources and Energy Efficiency  and ‘On the National Seminar on Specialisation in the Field of Energy Efficiency Policy Development and Implementation' was held.

On November 12-17, 2017, employees of the Ministry of Energy participated in the 'Forum on Policy of Network Integration, Presentation and Development of Various Renewable Energy Sources' held in Belarus within the EU4Energy programme of the IEA.

On March 12-16, 2018, an employee of the Ministry of Energy participated in a week of 'Monthly Statistical Training and Regional Training for Central Asia, Caucasus and Eastern Europe', organised by the IEA within the EU4Energy programme in Odessa, Ukraine.

On September 12, 2018, a delegation led by the Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), Fatih Birol, who was on a visit to Baku, met with Energy Minister, Parviz Shahbazov, at the Ministry of Energy. At the meeting, the future cooperation opportunities between Azerbaijan and the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the implementation of the goals of the IEA in the energy sector were discussed. 

Energy Minister, Parviz Shahbazov, visited Germany to attend the Munich Security Conference on February 14-16, 2020, meeting with the Executive Director of the IEA, Fatih Birol.

The IEA has drawn up a roadmap for long-term energy planning for the Republic of Azerbaijan within the EU4Energy programme funded by the European Union. The main focus on the road map is the approaches and models used in energy policy planning. Government agencies will be able to use the statistical data included in the document and their collection methodology, monitoring and evaluation procedures, as well as key performance indicators in the relevant field in the energy planning process.

On February 17-21, 2020, the IEA working group paid a visit to Azerbaijan in the framework of the EU4Energy programme funded by the European Union to prepare an updated overview of the prospects for the development of the energy sector in Azerbaijan. Members of the Working Group held meetings with representatives of relevant government agencies, educational institutions, international financial institutions and  private companies during the visit and evaluated the accuracy of materials collected through surveys.