Data protection notice

The IEA is committed to protecting the personal data of individuals whenever it processes their personal data in the course of carrying out the IEA’s Programme of Work.

This page describes the types of personal data we collect in supporting the TCP network, how we use it, who has access and for how long. It also provides information on the data protection rights of individuals whose data is processed by the IEA under the OECD’s data protection rules (the IEA being an autonomous body within the framework of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, OECD).

The IEA maintains a database containing information on all participants in TCPs at the Executive Committee level. This includes official Executive Committee delegates, TCP Secretaries and TCP Operating Agents. We do not maintain this information for Task- or Annex-level participants that do not participate at the Executive Committee level. Specifically, we maintain the following information:

• Name
• Organisational affiliation
• Country
• Email address
• Role within TCP (e.g. Chair, Vice-Chair, delegate)

We receive this information in one of three ways: directly from a delegate, from a delegate’s organisation or national government, or from the TCP leadership.

We primarily use this database for internal use when the IEA needs to contact TCP participants about matters relating to the administration of the TCPs. The frequency of contact depends on the individual’s role in the TCP. 

TCP Chairs, Secretaries and Operating Agents serve as the primary points of contact between the IEA and the TCPs. Thus, the IEA contacts these individuals more regularly, usually once every one or two months.

Other Executive Committee representatives are contacted more rarely – typically only when there is an ad hoc need to contact either all representatives to a single TCP or the representatives to all TCPs from a single country.

The IEA does not publicise this list or make it available outside of the IEA, with one exception. The IEA may share personal data from the database with the Chair or Secretary of a specific TCP or with national government representatives of an IEA member government. This is done on an ad hoc basis and only for the purposes of verifying that our information is up to date and matches the databases maintained by TCPs and national governments. 

The database is stored in Excel in a limited access folder within the IEA’s internal network. Only the members of the IEA’s internal TCP co-ordination team have access. No others within or outside the IEA have automatic or regular access to this information.

The IEA has developed and follows internal guidelines for how this database is to be used and managed that are designed to limit the risk of inadvertent disclosure. For example, these guidelines specify that whenever there is a need to share information from the database for one the purposes described above, we should always share only what is specifically needed and never share the entire database. In addition, whenever an email is sent to a large group of people, the email addresses should always be in bcc.

In addition, the IEA regularly verifies that our database is up to date. This is done by comparing the database with those that are maintained at TCP or country-level – i.e., with TCP Secretaries or national government representatives. This ensures that information is not maintained on individuals that are no longer participating in the TCPs.

Under the OECD’s data protection rules, you have rights to access and rectify your personal data, as well as to object to its processing, request erasure, and obtain data portability in certain circumstances. To exercise these rights in connection with your participation in a TCP please contact TCP@iea.org.

If you have further queries or complaints related to the processing of your personal data, please contact the Data Protection Officer. If you need further assistance in resolving claims related to personal data protection you can contact the Data Protection Commissioner.