OECD ~ Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development - OECDbrings together the governments of countries committed to democracy and the market economy from around the world to:
*Support sustainable economic growth
*Boost employment
*Raise living standards
*Maintain financial stability
*Assist other countries' economic development
*Contribute to growth in world trade
Link ~ OECD 2010 ~ BRIEFING ON EXCHANGE RATE DEVELOPMENTS
Link ~ OECD brings together the governments of countries committed to democracy and the market economy from around the world
May 17, 2011
Watch news briefing @ http://bcove.me/kf3s5y4g
The 50th anniversary Ministerial Council Meeting 2011 will bring together world leaders and ministers, sharing better policies to build a resilient and balanced world economy, supported by new sources of growth and jobs in developed and developing countries.
This year’s Ministerial Council Meeting, on 25 – 26 May, will be attended at the highest level to celebrate the OECD's 50th Anniversary.
***It will be chaired by the United States with Germany as the vice-chair. See the press briefing by US Department of State (below)
Preview of the OECD Paris Ministerial and OECD's 50th Anniversary Week Celebrations
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We’re here to discuss the importance of the OECD, and particularly its importance to the United States but also to the evolving role of the transatlantic relationship, and also to talk about the broader role that the OECD is playing in the changing global environment in which we are all living today.
To underscore the U.S. commitment to the OECD, next week, Secretary of State Clinton will chair the OECD Ministerial Meeting on the occasion of the OECD’s 50th anniversary, which is really quite a milestone.
As many of you may know, the OECD was really the outgrowth of the Marshall Plan and charged with carrying out the mission that was initially instituted by the plan to foster economic development in Europe and was established in 1961 in order to do that. It was the follow-up to a very productive Marshall Plan, which was, as we all know, quite successful.
The concept of a Europe that was whole, free, economically secure, and at peace was not a foregone conclusion at the time the OECD was established. It took visionary leadership by the United States and by our European partners to implement this vision, and this anniversary Ministerial will celebrate the success of that vision and the many, many people who contributed to it over the last 50 years.
The Ministerial will also mark the OECD’s development as a worldwide network of 34 member-countries. The success of the OECD has encouraged countries that were not the initial founders but who shared the principles of democracy and open markets to seek membership over the years. And these include, most recently, four countries that joined last year, which were Chile, Estonia, Israel, and Slovenia. Russia is also working toward future accession to the OECD.
The organization has a special relationship, due in large measure to the very, very effective work of Ambassador Boucher, with a number of emerging countries such as Brazil, Chile – I mean, China – India, Indonesia, and South Africa as well. And Ambassador Boucher and the Secretary General of the OECD Angel Gurria, who himself is from Mexico and was foreign minister and finance minister of Mexico, has really given this institution an enormous amount of leadership and credibility, not just in the industrialized world but among emerging economies as well.
The OECD works to advance prosperity and economic development among its members and throughout the global economy. As General Marshall knew well when he established the Marshall Plan, economic development is directly connected to promoting peace and stability in the world; and he saw the two as very much interrelated, and I think we see the world the same way today.
As the OECD looks forward toward its next 50 years, we hope that sharing the best practices and international standards of the highest order will reach beyond OECD members and extend to our emerging partners and many other countries as well. We’re working with these countries to adopt high standards and best practices from the OECD and developed within the OECD and help lay the foundation for global economic growth and development in many parts of the world.
In addition, the OECD plays an important role in supporting a number of other groups, including the Group of 8 and the Group of 20, which frequently ask the OECD to do some work to help in their deliberations because of the very high quality of the work that the OECD does, the high quality of its people, the high quality of its data, the high quality of the work it does, and therefore it’s a resource not just for a few countries, but really for the Group of 20 and many other countries as well.
The OECD has done great work to help remove fossil fuel subsidies, promote tax transparency, encourage trade and investment, combat corruption through the Anti-Bribery Convention, which many countries are now adhering to and Russia is about to subscribe to, and support the G-20 Labor and Employment Ministerial, which is another very big element of the OECD’s program.
Let me just emphasize for a moment the U.S. commitment to the OECD. America’s commitment is one that has endured and remains strong for the whole 50 years of the existence of the OECD. The United States is the largest financial supporter of the OECD. We contribute nearly $100 million per year. We’re very proud of the work that Americans in government, business, and labor have done in contributing to the OECD’s mission through our participation in its bodies, research, and projects. And that’s one of the points I want to emphasize: It’s not just government officials who play a role; it’s people from academia and – very importantly – people from the business community and the labor community who play very active roles in the process.
Let me just briefly touch on the Ministerial meetings. As I say, Secretary Clinton is going to be going there and playing a very active role. Our commitment to the organization is evident by the very fact that she is going and that she is going to play a key role in this anniversary Ministerial meeting. She’ll be leading the U.S. delegation there. The delegation will also include a number of other senior American officials, including Ron Kirk, the USTR; Austan Goolsbee, who is the chair of the President’s Council of Economic Advisors; Raj Shah, who is the administrator of USAID; and there’ll be a number of others included in her entourage.
We also understand from the OECD that about 60 to 70 ministers will be present along with 15 heads of state. French President Sarkozy, German Chancellor Merkel, Japanese Prime Minister Kan are among those who are participating.
The main themes for the Ministerial are growth in jobs, a new paradigm for development, and the OECD at 50. The centerpiece of the Secretary of State’s participation in the Ministerial will be her discussion of new paradigms for development, which she will lay out in some detail. The United States has elevated the pillar of development in our foreign policy as a very key element of that foreign policy. We see this issue as an important component of any international dialogue.’
We will also expand the discussion from aid effectiveness to development effectiveness, and we’ll announce a new vision that calls for greater multilateral, including OECD, partnership with developing countries to put into place the best practices for achieving sustained development.
The OECD is also doing this in a number of areas such as investment, tax administration, and governance. As I mentioned, the chair of the President’s Council of Economic Advisors Austan Goolsbee will be there and he’ll lead a session on growth, jobs, innovation, and skills, to explore new sources of economic development. And Ron Kirk, our USTR, will lead a session on trade and jobs.
We’re also going to use this Ministerial to help chart a course for the future of the OECD. The OECD will need to adapt to meet the challenges of the 21st century, which means partnering with the rising economies of the world, which include Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, South Africa, and a number of others. And Ambassador Boucher has been playing a very active role in that process and really taken a very dynamic leadership role.
This also means working more closely with the developing world to share the best practices and the highest international standards that are crucial for development and for prosperity. As it does this, the U.S. also – the OECD also must maintain and strengthen the standards and methods that are its core values.
The benefits of the OECD to the United States, I think, are useful to touch on at this moment, and I will begin to close on this point. As we encourage other countries to work more closely with the OECD, one of our strongest arguments is to explain to Americans why the OECD is important to the United States. The OECD’s role has always been to share best practices and to establish and raise international standards.
Our ambassador to the OECD, Ambassador Kornbluh, calls this creating a race to the top. For U.S. businesses and for U.S. workers, the OECD has been instrumental in leveling the playing field in international markets, which supports U.S. exports and economic growth at home. The U.S. Treasury estimates that the OECD’s work on exports credit – export credits has saved U.S. taxpayers something on the order of $800 million per year. The OECD’s research on chemical safety and coordination of standards saves member-countries nearly $200 million per year.
Crucial to our businesses, the U.S. has also led the efforts within the OECD Working Group on Bribery to develop international standards against corrupt foreign public officials through the Anti-Bribery Convention that I mentioned a moment ago. The convention and the working group are essential mechanisms for fighting the insidious effects of corruption and to establishing a level playing field for our businesses in competing for investment around the world. As I mentioned, Russia has just passed anti-bribery legislation that will allow it to succeed to the Anti-Bribery Convention, which is a dramatic step forward and one for which Russia deserves a great deal of credit for the efforts it’s making and has made.
On tax policy, the OECD’s General Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information ensures that nations work together to stop major tax evasion and abuses that hurt U.S. competitiveness. To date, more than 600 bilateral agreements on the exchange of tax information have been signed.
In conclusion, the United States is proud to be a partner with the OECD as we celebrate this milestone anniversary. The OECD has been a critical partner in advancing prosperity through high standards and through best practices. We feel that in a changing global landscape, the OECD can continue to evolve to promote these same high standards in a way that will benefit global growth.
I want to congratulate again the OECD on 50 very impressive years. We look forward to working with the OECD, and I know Secretary Clinton and I certainly do look forward to the OECD Ministerial that is coming up next week. So thank you very much.
read full article @ http://fpc.state.gov/163487.htm
