Energy Indicators for Sustainable Development: Guidelines and Methodologies International Atomic Energy Agency United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs International Energy Agency Eurostat European Environment Agency

Partnership and was officially registered as such with the CSD. 
The second phase has also included a parallel coordinated effort with other 
international organizations (the IEA, UNDESA, Eurostat and the EEA) involved in 
the development of energy indicators for further refining the original set of indicators. 
The final set of energy indicators in this report builds on their cumulative experience. 
By consensus, the original set of 41 indicators was reduced to the 30 EISD that 
constitute the final core set of energy indicators presented in this report. A number of 
2
IAEA/IEA, 
2001. 
Indicators for Sustainable Energy Development, presented at the 9
th
Session of 
the CSD, New York, April 2001. Vienna, Austria: International Atomic Energy Agency 
(IAEA)/International Energy Agency (IEA). 

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8 
indicators were redefined and merged; others were classified as auxiliary indicators. 
Although the original framework followed the DSR framework, the package was 
modified to emphasize main themes and sub-themes following the same approach 
currently used by the CSD on the ISD. 
The 30 EISD presented here are classified according to the three major dimensions of 
sustainable development: social (4 indicators), economic (16 indicators) and 
environmental (10 indicators). Each group is divided into themes and sub-themes. The 
indicators in the EISD core set are thus consistent with and supplementary to the CSD 
indicators as published by UNDESA in 2001.
3
Moreover, this interagency report 
reflects a consensus of leading experts on definitions, guidelines and methodologies 
for the development and worldwide use of energy indicators for sustainable 
development.
2.3.2 International Energy Agency (IEA) 
The IEA project on energy indicators was established in 1996. The analytical 
framework and data developed under this project have become important tools for 
IEA analysis of energy-use developments. The focus of the energy indicator project is 
to assist IEA Member countries in analysing factors behind changes in energy use and 
emissions of carbon dioxide (CO
2
). The indicators (and the associated databases) help 
to reveal key couplings between energy use, energy prices and economic activity. 
This insight is crucial when assessing and monitoring past and present energy 
efficiency policies and for designing effective future actions. Data developed for the 
IEA indicator project are also used for other IEA analytic activities, such as the World 
Energy Outlook publication and several energy efficiency and energy technology 
projects within the IEA Secretariat. 
An important aim of the IEA’s work on indicators is to increase the transparency and 
quality of energy-use data. This provides a better basis for meaningful comparisons of 
energy and emission developments across countries, as well as a tool to measure 
progress in emission reductions and efficiency improvements within individual 
countries over time. The IEA has worked with Member countries and with the 
European Community to ensure the official and consistent collection of data. A 
database with energy indicator data for most IEA countries has recently been 
completed. The IEA has published several reports on energy indicators, and in 2004 
the IEA released a publication highlighting findings of its work on indicators.
4
The 
IEA is also assisting non–Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development 
(OECD) countries to improve their energy statistics and to establish energy indicators. 
This includes work with international organizations such as the Energy Charter 
Secretariat, Eurostat, the Asia Pacific Energy Research Centre (APERC) and the 
IAEA. 
3
UNDESA, 2001. Indicators of Sustainable Development: Guidelines and Methodologies, 
2
nd
edition, September. New York, NY, USA: United Nations Department of Economic and Social 
Affairs. 
4
IEA, 
2004.