{"id":48011,"date":"2021-10-29T16:30:47","date_gmt":"2021-10-29T14:30:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/?page_id=48011"},"modified":"2026-07-21T12:26:16","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T10:26:16","slug":"ocse","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/temi\/organizzazioni_internazionali\/fora-organizzazioni-economiche-internazionali\/ocse\/","title":{"rendered":"OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development)"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Organisation<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Convention establishing the\u00a0Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development<\/strong>\u00a0(OECD) was signed in Paris on\u00a014 December 1960<\/strong>\u00a0and 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 \u201cMarshall Plan\u201d for the post-war reconstruction of the European economy.<\/p>\n

From the 20 founding countries, including Italy<\/strong>, the OECD has grown to\u00a038<\/strong>\u00a0member 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, T\u00fcrkiye, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.<\/p>\n

Currently,\u00a0the OECD has initiated accession negotiations with eight candidate countries:<\/strong>\u00a0Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Croatia, Peru, Romania, Indonesia, and Thailand. Additionally, in September 2022, the OECD Council granted Ukraine the status of \u201cprospective member,\u201d initiating an \u201cinitial accession dialogue\u201d. 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.<\/p>\n

In its external engagement, aimed at fostering policy convergence, promoting international standards, and building consensus around best practices,\u00a0the Paris-based Organisation has strengthened relations with several third countries<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 so-called \u201ckey partners\u201d \u2014 including Brazil and Indonesia (now candidate countries), China, India, and South Africa. The OECD\u00a0also maintains close contacts with numerous non-member countries<\/strong>, 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 G7, G20, APEC, and ASEAN, providing fundamental analytical support, as was the case during Italy\u2019s 2021 G20 Presidency and the 2024 G7 Presidency.<\/p>\n


\nStructure<\/strong><\/p>\n

The OECD, based in Paris, has a\u00a0Secretariat<\/strong>\u00a0that oversees its activities. The Secretariat is organised into\u00a0Directorates and Divisions,<\/strong>\u00a0supporting around 300\u00a0Committees, sub-Committees, working groups, and expert groups<\/strong>, all attended by delegates from Member States\u2019 administrations and agencies.<\/p>\n

The Secretariat is headed by the\u00a0Secretary-General<\/strong>, a position held since 1 June 2021 by Australian\u00a0Mathias Cormann<\/strong>, who succeeded Mexican Angel Gurr\u00eda, in office for 15 years. The Secretary-General is assisted by Deputy Secretaries-General.<\/p>\n

Since April 2023, Italian Professor Fabrizia Lapecorella has served as Deputy Secretary-General.<\/p>\n

The OECD Council is the Organisation\u2019s decision-making political body, responsible for its strategic direction.<\/strong>\u00a0It comprises the Permanent Representatives of the Member States and the European Commission and is chaired by the Secretary-General.\u00a0The Council meets once a year at ministerial level for the Ministerial Council Meeting, on which occasion the chairmanship rotates among Member States.<\/strong>\u00a0The Council can adopt binding decisions or recommendations and approves the work programme of sectoral Committees. Preparatory work for the Council\u2019s activities is carried out by the Executive Committee, the Budget Committee, and the External Relations Committee.<\/p>\n


\nGoals<\/strong><\/p>\n

The OECD\u2019s mission is to promote policies that enhance the economic and social well-being of citizens worldwide. <\/strong>Within the broader landscape of international Organisations, the Paris-based Organisation plays a key political and scientific role in supporting sustainable economic growth <\/strong>and<\/strong> employment, market integration, investments, competitiveness and financial stability.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The OECD serves as a distinguished forum for the collection, dissemination, and exchange of data and analyses,<\/strong>\u00a0as 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\u00a0measures to support resilient, inclusive, green, and sustainable growth.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Organisation addresses a wide range of issues across multiple\u00a0sectors<\/strong>, including\u00a0economic<\/strong>\u00a0matters (entrepreneurship and SMEs, competition, agriculture, services, local development, trade, productivity),\u00a0financial<\/strong>\u00a0matters (financial markets, insurance, pensions, investments, taxation, transparency, and international tax cooperation),\u00a0social<\/strong>\u00a0issues (education, labour, health, migration, youth policies and gender equality),\u00a0governance<\/strong>\u00a0(central and local government, reforms and anti-corruption),\u00a0sustainable development<\/strong>\u00a0(environment, energy, and fisheries), as well as\u00a0technological cooperation and innovation<\/strong>\u00a0(digitalisation, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, blockchain, sustainable infrastructure).<\/p>\n

The OECD recognises the contribution of civil society to policymaking and decision-making<\/strong>\u00a0and attaches great importance to consultation and dialogue with representative organisations. The Trade Union Advisory Committee (TUAC) serves as the OECD\u2019s official interface with trade unions, while Business at OECD (BIAC) represents the business community.<\/p>\n

To pursue its goals, the Organisation relies on a wide range of instruments:<\/strong>\u00a0common standards and principles, decisions, recommendations, conventions, reports and publications such as the Economic Outlook, national and comparative studies, peer reviews (\u201cjudgement by peers\u201d), and the definition of development cooperation guidelines through the Development Assistance Committee (DAC).<\/p>\n

Training initiatives also play a key role in the OECD\u2019s work.\u00a0Italy<\/strong>\u00a0is a prominent training hub, hosting three centres:<\/strong>\u00a0Trento Centre for Local Development<\/strong>\u00a0(established in 2003, in cooperation with the Italian Government and the Autonomous Province of Trento \u2013 PAT) \u2014 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.<\/p>\n

OECD Centre for Public Governance,<\/strong>\u00a0operational 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.<\/p>\n

International Academy for Tax Crime Investigation<\/strong>\u00a0established in 2014 and hosted by the Economic and Financial Police School of the Guardia di Finanza based in Ostia. It offers specialized courses on combating economic and financial crimes, conducted by the Tax Police for OECD member countries and a number of developing countries. Its activities are part of the OECD\u2019s global approach to fighting tax evasion, money laundering, and corruption.<\/p>\n


\nOECD Ministerial Council Meeting<\/strong><\/p>\n

The OECD Ministerial Council Meeting<\/strong>\u00a0constitutes the most important event of the Organization\u2019s annual activities and is usually attended by the Member States\u2019 Ministers of Economy, Trade, and Foreign Affairs<\/strong>, 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 it usually closes with the consensus-based adoption of a negotiated Declaration.<\/p>\n

Italy chaired the 2022 Ministerial Council Meeting<\/strong>, dedicated to the theme \u201cThe future we want: better policies for the next generation and a sustainable transition\u201d, held on 9\u201310 June 2022. Key topics included the\u00a0Ukraine crisis<\/strong>, better policies for future generations,\u00a0the green and digital transitions, finance and health, international trade, external relations,<\/strong>\u00a0the\u00a0OECD-Africa partnership, and the launch of the accession process of Brazil, Bulgaria, Croatia, Peru, and Romania<\/strong> through the adoption of roadmaps for aligning these countries with the acquis of the Paris Organization.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 2026 Ministerial Council Meeting, chaired by Finland, was held in June under the theme \u201cGetting Industrial Policies Right for Open Markets, Growth and Prosperity\u201d.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Italy\u2019s financial contribution and representation<\/strong><\/p>\n

The OECD budget ensures the Organisation\u2019s operations and forms the basis for mandatory member contributions.\u00a0Italy is the sixth-largest contributor<\/strong> providing approximately 4% of the statutory budget.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0voluntary contributions, provided by states and institutions to finance activities of particular interest.<\/p>\n

Italy is also among the countries most represented in the OECD Secretariat, both in staff and senior management positions, included the Chief economist Stefano Scarpetta.<\/p>\n

Further information is available on the websites of the Permanent Representation of Italy to International Organisations in Paris (https:\/\/italiarapparigi.esteri.it\/en\/<\/a>) and the OECD (www.oecd.org<\/a>).<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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