For twelve years, the OECD Forum has gathered world leaders, government ministers, CEOs, NGOs, academia and trade unions to debate the most pressing policy issues of the day. This year the OECD Forum will take place on 28-29-May 2013.
We are now into the fifth year of the greatest economic crisis of our lifetimes, 200 million people around the world are unemployed, and we are faced with increasing inequalities in advanced and many emerging economies. Many countries are under immense pressure to put their public finances back on a sustainable footing, yet at the same time investment must be made to generate confidence and kick start growth. It is essential that growth becomes more inclusive and sustainable.
Building on outcomes of Forum 2012, Forum 2013 will be organised around three key themes at the heart of the debate on how to achieve a sustainable future: promoting inclusive growth and addressing inequalities, rebuilding trust in the system, and fostering sustainability.
Participation is by invitation. To register your interest, go to: http://www.oecd.org/forum/register/

The first database release from a joint OECD – WTO Trade in Value-Added Initiative offers new insights on how global value chains impact trade relationships and business activity.

This initiative aims to break with conventional measurements of trade, which record gross flows of goods and services each time they cross borders, analysing instead the value added by a country in the production of any good or service that is then exported and offering a fuller picture of commercial relations between nations.

Mental ill-health is an increasingly important challenge for our society and the strength of the global economy. It not only constitutes a heavy burden on individuals and their families, but is also responsible for lower productivity at work; significant loss of labour supply through joblessness or sickness absence; and social exclusion. Employers and social partners, together with education, health and employment authorities increasingly agree on the need to take an integrated approach to tackle this long-neglected issue. The OECD actively supports their quest for cost-effective investment in mental health as a mean to better face social and labour market challenges. In the series 'Mental Health and Work' the OECD is releasing country reports (already published: Belgium, Denmark, Norway and Sweden) which examine how policies and institutions are addressing the challenge of mental ill-health and employment. Each report is launched with a seminar in the reviewed country bringing together the key government and non-government stakeholders and organisations.

Wikiprogress and its partners have launched an online public consultation on "Reducing poverty is achievable. Finding those who are hidden by inequalities". Civil society is invited to share stories and/or solutions for people who are, have been or might be hidden from economic growth, social programmes and statistics, and what this means for the well-being of societies. The outcomes of this discussion will be presented at the OECD Global Forum on Development on 4-5 April 2013.