 The International Energy Agency was established 50 years ago in response to the oil shock of the early 1970s, which pushed energy prices to unprecedented levels and shook economies around the world. Over the decades, the IEA and its role have evolved and expanded hugely, reflecting the seismic shifts taking place in the global energy landscape. Today, it is the global authority on energy, at the heart of the dialogue among countries worldwide on energy security, clean energy transitions, and efforts to address the climate crisis. The energy world has changed immeasurably in the last 50 years. Oil's share of the energy mix has declined, while other sources, from natural gas and nuclear to wind, solar and biofuels, has grown. The IEA has risen to this challenge, providing data, analysis and policy advice across the full range of fuels and technologies, while still responding to major disruptions to oil supplies through its collective action mechanism. It has also helped drive innovation in emerging technologies such as batteries, hydrogen and carbon capture, while remaining a strong advocate for energy efficiency and conservation. In recent decades, the IEA has also significantly expanded its work on key energy-related issues, such as efforts to bring access to electricity and clean cooking to the many millions of people who lack them, and on the role of the energy sector in combating climate change. In 2015, the agency began its first modernization strategy and started opening its doors to major emerging economies around the world. Ten years ago, the IEA represented less than 40% of the world's energy use. Today, it represents almost 80%. Building on decades of world-class energy and technology analysis, the agency developed the global benchmark for how the energy sector can enable the world to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, and has led calls for a massive increase in clean energy investment in emerging and developing economies, which will be critical for the world to reach its energy and climate goals. As the new global energy economy has emerged, the IEA has led the way in identifying and addressing new energy security vulnerabilities, such as the critical minerals essential for many clean energy technologies and their complex web of global supply chains, while also staying vigilant on the long-standing energy security risks that led to its establishment five decades ago. The work of the International Energy Agency has evolved immensely since it was founded 50 years ago. Our world is much better prepared than we were 50 years ago. We know what we need to do and where we need to go. At the same time, the challenges are much broader and much more complex. Energy security and climate are interwoven, and claiming that we need to focus on just one or the other is an outdated view. Governments must work together to address our major common challenges, because uncoordinated individual efforts from countries will fall short. And we must make sure that the transition to clean energy is for and about people.