- The Organisation
- Structure
- Goals
- OECD Ministerial Counicil Meeting
- Italy’s financial contribution and representation
For more information see the English section of the OECD website
The Convention establishing the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) was signed in Paris on 14 December 1960 and entered into force on 30 September 1961. The OECD succeeded the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation (OEEC), created in 1948 with the primary purpose of administering the so-called “Marshall Plan” for the post-war reconstruction of the European economy.
From the 20 founding countries, including Italy, the OECD has grown to 38 member states: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.
Currently, the OECD has initiated accession negotiations with eight candidate countries: Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Croatia, Peru, Romania, Indonesia, and Thailand. Additionally, in September 2022, the OECD Council granted Ukraine the status of “prospective member,” initiating an initial accession dialogue. By contrast, the accession process for the Russian Federation, which began in 2007 and was suspended in 2014, has been formally closed following its aggression against Ukraine.
In its external engagement, aimed at fostering policy convergence, promoting international standards, and building consensus around best practices, the Paris-based Organisation has strengthened relations with several third countries — so-called “key partners” — including Brazil and Indonesia (now candidates), China, India, and South Africa. The OECD also maintains close contacts with numerous non-member countries, as well as developing and transition economies, which may participate in committees or specific OECD programmes at national and regional levels. It also cooperates closely with other international organisations and forums, including the G7, G20, APEC, and ASEAN, providing fundamental analytical support, as was the case during Italy’s 2021 G20 Presidency and the 2024 G7 Presidency.
The OECD, based in Paris, has a Secretariat that oversees its activities. The Secretariat is organised into Directorates and Divisions, supporting around 300 Committees, sub-Committees, working groups, and expert groups, all attended by delegates from Member States’ administrations and agencies.
The Secretariat is headed by the Secretary-General, a position held since 1 June 2021 by Australian Mathias Cormann, who succeeded Mexican Angel Gurría, in office for 15 years. The Secretary-General is assisted by Deputy Secretaries-General.
Since April 2023, Italian Professor Fabrizia Lapecorella has served as Deputy Secretary-General.
The OECD Council is the Organisation’s decision-making political body, responsible for its strategic direction. It comprises the Permanent Representatives of the Member States and the European Commission and is chaired by the Secretary-General. The Council meets once a year at ministerial level for the Ministerial Council Meeting, on which occasion the chairmanship rotates among Member States. The Council can adopt binding decisions or recommendations and approves the work programme of sectoral Committees. Preparatory work for the Council’s activities is carried out by the Executive Committee, the Budget Committee, and the External Relations Committee.
The OECD’s mission is to promote policies that enhance the economic and social well-being of citizens worldwide. Within the broader landscape of international organisations, the Paris-based Organisation plays a key political and scientific role in supporting sustainable economic growth, employment, market integration, investment, competitiveness, and financial stability.
The OECD serves as a distinguished forum for the collection, dissemination, and exchange of data and analyses, as well as for discussion and harmonisation of best practices in public policy at national and international levels. It provides advisory services to governments of Member States on measures to support resilient, inclusive, green, and sustainable growth.
The Organisation addresses a wide range of issues across multiple sectors, including economic matters (entrepreneurship and SMEs, competition, agriculture, services, local development, trade, and productivity), financial matters (financial markets, insurance, pensions, investments, taxation, transparency, and international tax cooperation), social issues (education, labour, health, migration, youth policies, and gender equality), governance (central and local government, reforms, and anti-corruption), sustainable development (environment, energy, and fisheries), as well as technological cooperation and innovation (digitalisation, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, blockchain, and sustainable infrastructure).
The OECD recognises the contribution of civil society to policymaking and decision-making and attaches great importance to consultation and dialogue with representative organisations. The Trade Union Advisory Committee (TUAC) serves as the OECD’s official interface with trade unions, while Business at OECD (BIAC) represents the business community.
To pursue its objectives, the Organisation relies on a wide range of instruments: common standards and principles, decisions, recommendations, conventions, reports and publications such as the Economic Outlook, national and comparative studies, peer reviews (“judgement by peers”), and the definition of development cooperation guidelines through the Development Assistance Committee (DAC).
Training initiatives also play a key role in the OECD’s work. Italy is a prominent training hub, hosting three centres: Trento Centre for Local Development (established in 2003, in cooperation with the Italian Government and the Autonomous Province of Trento – PAT) — focuses on local development and SMEs. It is part of the OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions, and Cities, which constitutes a platform for regional, local, urban, and rural development, entrepreneurship, SMEs, and tourism.
OECD Centre for Public Governance (operational since 2012 at the Royal Palace of Caserta, hosted by the Italian National School of Administration – SNA) — provides capacity-building initiatives aimed at improving public sector effectiveness in countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Western Balkans.
International Academy for Tax Crime Investigation (Ostia, established in 2014 under the Italian Guardia di Finanza) — offers specialised training to combat economic and financial crimes for OECD members and several developing countries. Its activities are part of the OECD’s global approach to fighting tax evasion, money laundering, and corruption.
OECD Ministerial Council Meeting
The OECD Ministerial Council Meeting constitutes the most important event of the Organization’s annual activities and is usually attended by the Member States’ Ministers of Economy, Trade, and Foreign Affairs, with the aim of outlining the priorities on its future agenda. It generally consists of a two-day debate on a central theme, traditionally of an economic and social nature, and closes with the consensus-based adoption of a negotiated Declaration.
Italy chaired the 2022 Ministerial Council Meeting, dedicated to the theme “The future we want: better policies for the next generation and a sustainable transition”, held on 9–10 June 2022. Key topics included the Ukraine crisis, policies for future generations, the green and digital transitions, finance and health, international trade, external relations, the OECD-Africa partnership, and the accession process of Brazil, Bulgaria, Croatia, Peru, and Romania.
The 2024 Ministerial Council Meeting, chaired by Japan, was held in May 2024 under the theme “Co-creating the flow of change: leading global discussion with objective and reliable approach toward sustainable and inclusive growth”.
Italy’s financial contribution and representation
The OECD budget ensures the Organisation’s operations and forms the basis for mandatory member contributions. Italy is the sixth-largest contributor, after the USA, Japan, Germany, the UK, and France, providing approximately 4% of the statutory budget.
An additional financial component, which has grown increasingly important in the OECD budget over the years and to which Italy also contributes, is represented by voluntary contributions, provided by states and institutions to finance activities of particular interest.
Italy is also among the countries most represented in the OECD Secretariat, both in staff and senior management positions.
Further information is available on the websites of the Permanent Representation of Italy to International Organisations in Paris (https://italiarapparigi.esteri.it/it) and the OECD (http://www.oecd.org/).