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From the OECD Council at Ministerial Level, Final Communiqué, 16 May 2002
OECD's Role and Strengths
1.Contributing to global development is a key objective of the OECD. Its founding Convention calls upon the OECD to promote policies
"designed to contribute to sound economic expansion in Member as well as non-member countries in the process of economic development." (Article 1(b)).
Given increased interdependence, this objective is even more vital today in order to achieve poverty reduction and sustainable development globally. The principles and values that the OECD promotes -- commitments to democracy, market-based economies and open, rule-based, and non-discriminatory trading and financial systems, supported by good governance -- are essential to achieving our ultimate goal of the economic and social well being of all people, in a way that respects diversity and cultural identity.
2.OECD's strengths include a multidisciplinary capacity for analysis and policy dialogue, its sharing of best practices and monitoring of its Members through peer review, and extensive policy dialogue and capacity building activities with more than 70 non-member economies, international organisations and other stakeholders. The Development Assistance Committee (DAC) provides a capacity to foster amongst donors concerted, well co-ordinated, effective and adequately financed international efforts in support of development and poverty reduction in developing countries.
3.The building blocks for achieving the internationally agreed goals of the Millennium Declaration are now in place, supported by a broadly shared view that effective development calls for a comprehensive, partnership-based and results-focused approach. Developing countries have primary responsibility for their economic and social development, establishing good governance and sound policies to mobilise domestic resources and attract private investment, while developed countries give increased attention to the impacts of their policies on developing countries, and assist developing countries, in particular least developed countries (LDCs), in their efforts to build the capacity necessary to make effective use of trade, investment and aid in support of poverty reduction and sustainable development.
How OECD Contributes
4.The OECD, for its part, will build upon its strengths to advance this shared development agenda in the following ways:
Encouraging policy coherence for development
5.Successful poverty reduction requires mutually supportive policies across a wide range of economic, social and environmental issues. Through its programme on policy coherence for development, the OECD will enhance understanding of the development dimensions of Member country policies and their impacts on developing countries. Analysis should consider trade-offs and potential synergies across such areas as trade, investment, agriculture, health, education, the environment and development co-operation, to encourage greater policy coherence in support of the internationally agreed development goals.
6.By increasing understanding of the development benefits of rules-based trade and investment, such work will help to reinforce our efforts, including promoting the better integration of developing countries into the multilateral trading system, to achieve more open markets both between developed and developing countries and among developing countries themselves to allow for export-led growth, and further our aim to improve market access to the goods of developing countries, and particularly LDCs.
Supporting developing countries' governance and policy capacities
7.The OECD will continue to work with developing countries and countries in transition to help them identify and meet key human and governance capacity needs, including through use of information and communication technologies. OECD Global Forums and regional dialogue can support developing countries' efforts to build good governance and market-supportive institutions conducive to mobilising domestic resources and attracting investment capital. Such resources are critically important to developing countries' efforts to achieve sustained economic growth and support their capacities to address vital environmental, educational, health and other needs. We welcome initiatives at the regional level, such as the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), and stand ready to share the OECD's experience and expertise, notably on peer reviews, in support of a sustained commitment to strengthen political and economic governance.
Improving aid effectiveness and ensuring adequate aid volume
8.Aid remains an important policy instrument and complement to domestic and international private capital for reducing poverty, preventing conflict, promoting good governance and creating an enabling environment conducive to achieving private sector-led growth. The OECD, where the world's major donors meet, has a key role in improving aid effectiveness, thereby sustaining the case for aid volume. Peer review in the DAC is an important tool in support of this role. The OECD is working to reduce the complexity of aid management procedures in collaboration with multilateral aid agencies and developing countries, and to ensure effective implementation of all aspects of the OECD/DAC Recommendation on untying aid to the least developed countries.
Strengthening partnerships and accountability
9.The OECD will strengthen its partnerships with non-members, in particular developing countries, as well as with international organisations and other stakeholders through analytical work, policy dialogue, and advice. A broader and more effective dialogue will improve the quality of our efforts to support development. The OECD will account for its actions to advance this shared development agenda through regular review and reports on progress.
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