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The International Energy Foundation (IEF) traces its historical beginning to 1979 when it was conceived to hold a conference to allow the international community the opportunity to present their views and needs with regards to energy production, consumption and conservation. This was the brainchild of Dr. Peter J. Catania who presently serves as Chairman, Board of Directors. The conference was called Energex and was held in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada in 1982. It was a technical conference and exposition wherein 50 countries participated. Impressed by the success, the delegates unanimously approved another international energy forum. Two years later, the second Energex Conference, Energex '84, was held once again in Regina. That year delegates from 60 countries attended. They recommended that the Energex Secretariat arrange for future forums to be held in various centres around the world. And so in 1988, Energex '88 was held in Tripoli, Libya. On the recommendation of the delegates to that conference a formal body known as the International Energy Foundation (IEF) was established. The Energex Secretariat established an interim Board of Directors and the IEF was officially inaugurated on March 26, 1989. The Board of Directors soon realized that as the Foundation grew and developed it was necessary to have Regional Headquarters to effectively coordinate, cooperate and communicate with a broad based membership from academia, industry, and government. This bottom-up or decentralized approach to management allows a direct regional input on the issues of energy as reflected in regional seminars, workshops, symposia or conferences. To insure that an international perspective on issues related to the growth and development of the Foundation is guaranteed, the Foundation relies not only on 15 Regional Headquarters but also on input from the International Advisory Committee (IAC) in excess of 175 countries. The long-term goal as per the 1993 Seoul Resolutions ratified by the Board and by the Beijing Resolutions in 1996 and again in Bahrain in 1998 is to establish a headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. The 1998 Bahrain resolution recommended the establishment of the Americas Headquarters in Las Vegas. The Las Vegas 2000 resolution recommended the establishment of a 300 acre Green Energy Park presently under the jurisdiction of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The official conference of the Foundation, the series of ENERGEX international energy forums, have also been held in Puerto Rico (1990); Seoul, Korea (1993); Beijing, China (1996); Bahrain (1998); Las Vegas, USA (2000); Krakow, Poland (2002); Lisbon, Portugal (2004); Stavanger, Norway (2006); and Singapore (2007). The next forum is scheduled for Vienna, 2008. Future events are for the year 2009 Bangkok, Thailand; 2010 Aberdeen, Scotland; 2011 Vancouver, Canada; 2012 Melbourne, Australia; 2013 Dubai, United Arab Emirates; 2014 Brussels, Belgium; and 2015, Sao Paulo, Brazil. |
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