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Foreign Bribery: Who Pays the Price
The OECD hosted a high-level roundtable debate entitled "Foreign Bribery: Who Pays the Price?" “Foreign Bribery: Who Pays the Price?” on 9 December 2009, International Anti-Corruption Day. OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke opened the event via video-link from Washington, D.C., after a video message by U.S. Secretary of State, Hilary Rodham Clinton. Other speakers included Transparency International founder Peter Eigen, Chairman of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative; Mark Pieth, Chair of the OECD Working Group on Bribery; and Akere Muna, Vice Chair, Transparency International Board of Directors.
Consultation on an update of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises
As part of the (http://www.oecd.org/investment/gfi-8) OECD Global Forum on International Investment, the countries adhering to the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises met with CSOs (representatives of business, labour, and non-governmental organisations) and non-adhering countries and international organizations for an open discussion on the priority areas for an update of the Guidelines. The Guidelines are recommendations by 42 OECD and non-OECD governments covering all major areas of business ethics, including corporate steps to obey the law, observe internationally-recognised standards and respond to other societal expectations. This Consultation was the first step in launching a possible update of the Guidelines, which were last updated in June 2000. For more information visit www.oecd.org/daf/investment/guidelines.
Working Party on Aid-Effectiveness
On 2-3 December the 15th meeting of the Working Party on Aid Effectiveness (WP-EFF) took place in Paris. The WP-EFF, hosted by the OECD, congregates representatives from donor and partner countries, multilateral organizations and CSOs, and works on the implementation of the Paris Declaration and the Accra Agenda for Action to report back to the 4th High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Seoul in 2011. The representation of CSOs in the WP-EFF is coordinated by Better Aid, a platform of organizations and networks around the world working on aid issues. Through the Better Aid Network, the WP-EFF receives input from a variety of CSOs ensuring that a broad range of views feed into the discussions. Parliamentarians from both partner and donors countries are also represented in the WP-EFF, by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Association of European Parliamentarians for Africa (AWEPA). This broad participation reflects the general consensus reached at the 3rd High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Accra in 2008 that development is not only government business. All these development actors are taking an active role in the discussion on aid effectiveness, working through a more inclusive dialogue on development processes, and pushing for a more enabling environment that maximizes their contributions. Find out more on aid effectiveness and the WP-EFF at www.oecd.org/dac/effectiveness.
Fifth Annual Conference OECD-CEPII - Developing Countries and the Global Crisis
At a time when global economy is showing its early signs of recovery, the OECD, the CEPII and its Business Club, under the auspices of the OECD Development Centre, organized their 5th joint conference entitled "Developing Countries and the Global Crisis" which took take place at the OECD Conference Centre, Paris, on 26-27 November 2009. Participants included representatives from governmental agencies, think tanks, CSOs, the OECD, World Bank and IMF. Access and download all the presentations.
Liaison Committee Meetings with BIAC and TUAC
The Business and Industry Advisory Committee (BIAC) held its Liaison Committee Meeting (LCM), an annual consultation with the OECD Council, in November. Member of BIAC’s Board and invited business speakers discussed business approaches to and strategies for achieving green growth. Also in November, the Trade Union Advisory Committee (TUAC) held its LCM to discuss lessons learned from the crisis. More specifically, discussions focused on macroeconomic imbalances, income inequality and green growth.
Consultation between the OECD Committee for Agriculture and CSOs
The Committee for Agriculture consults regularly with CSOs concerning food and agriculture policy issues with a view to exchanging information about on-going work and identifying upcoming issues of mutual interest. This off-the-record consultation on 23 November 2009 focused on the opportunities and challenges facing the food and agriculture sector during the next two decades. This is also the major theme of the meeting of the Committee for Agriculture at Ministerial Level to be held on 25-26 February 2010. The consultation provided an opportunity for CSOs, including the International Federation of Agricultural Producers, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, Oxfam, the European farmers’ organization (COPA-COGECA), BIAC and TUAC, to discuss their views with the bureau of the Committee and the Secretariat and to indicate their priority interests. The areas covered in the discussions included main drivers of supply and demand for food to 2030 (climate change, resource scarcities, population and income growth, non-food demands), global food security, innovation and technological change throughout the supply chain, and the implications for future food and agricultural policies.
Consultation between the OECD Export Credit Committees and CSOs
CSO representatives, including from BIAC, the Coalition for Employment through Exports Inc. of the United States, the European Banking Federation, Transparency International, TUAC and a number of non-governmental organisations under the umbrella of ECA Watch, met on 16 November 2009 with the OECD’s Working Party on Export Credits and Credit Guarantees (ECG) and the Participants to the Arrangement on Officially Supported Export Credits to exchange views on export credit issues. The consultation was an opportunity for CSOs and Members to exchange views on recent developments and future work of the OECD relating to export credits, including Members’ responses to the financial crisis, the forthcoming review of the 2007 Recommendation on export credits and the environment, and the negotiations for a revised Sector Understanding for Renewable Energies and Water Projects. Additional information on the consultation is available on the OECD web site: www.oecd.org/tad/xcred.
OECD Global Forum on Environment and ECO-Innovation
The OECD Environment Directorate organised a Global Forum on Environment, focused on eco-innovation, November 4-5, 2009, at the OECD Conference Centre in Paris. The objective of the Global Forum was to share experience on selected policy issues related to the development and diffusion of eco-innovation. A special focus was on emerging and developing countries. The Global Forum on Environment will contribute to the development of the OECD Innovation Strategy and OECD work on green growth. More than 160 people attended the Forum, from over 40 countries. Eight CSOs also attended the Forum and actively participated in the discussion. Some of the messages heard include:
• Eco-innovation is not restricted to invention. It also includes retrofitting, adaptive innovation and initiatives from civil society (e.g. car sharing). Policies to support eco-innovation need to cover this range of activities.
• Eco-innovation is enshrined in larger societal issues and social changes which at times create a sense of urgency: time matters. Therefore, eco-innovation policies need to make sure that tangible impacts on environmental challenges are delivered on time.
• The development of indigenous innovative capabilities can accelerate effective technology transfers to developing countries. Women play a very active role. This could be more systematically reflected in the instruments for environmental cooperation.
More information, including presentations, are available at www.oecd.org/environment/innovation/globalforum
Dialogue with civil society on building a cleaner public sector: MENA regional conference
Civil society took an active role in the MENA Regional Conference on Integrity: Building a Cleaner Public Sector. This event reached consensus on the need to mobilize non-governmental stakeholders, in particular CSOs, the private sector, trade unions and academics in the design and implementation of pro-integrity measures and reforms. Their role was recognized as essential in exercising public scrutiny and accountability. Jointly organised by the Prime Ministry of Turkey and the OECD-MENA Initiative on Governance and Investment on 26-27 October 2009, this regional event brought together the representatives of the public and private sectors, the donor community, NGOs and academics. Amongst other issues, participants discussed how governments could work closely with the private sector and the civil society to promote integrity in the public sector.
Consultation on draft Principles for Transparency and Integrity in Lobbying
In October 2009, the OECD launched a consultation on the draft Principles for Transparency and Integrity in Lobbying. These principles support decision makers with directions and guidance to shed light on lobbying, in particular when the policy debate calls for a timely response. The Principles were developed on the basis of reviewed experiences and lessons learned at both central and sub-national levels of government and reflect diverse socio-political and administrative contexts in both OECD and non-member countries. Once the consultations are completed in December 2009, the Public Governance Committee will submit the consolidated version of the Principles for Transparency and Integrity in Lobbying to the OECD Council for approval. The Council is the highest body of the OECD and its Recommendations reflect a consensus by OECD member countries as good practice. You may find further details of the consultation process and the OECD work on lobbying at www.oecd.org/gov/ethics/lobbying or contact the OECD Integrity Unit at gov.integrity@oecd.org.
Consultation process on the Public Procurement Toolbox
In October 2009, the Public Governance Committee decided to launch a consultation process on the Public Procurement Toolbox. The toolbox includes generic tools to support public officials in designing and developing guidance and procedures for enhancing integrity, transparency and accountability in their public procurement systems. These tools have been adapted from existing public procurement tools used in OECD member and non-member countries. The consultation process will be launched on the Internet in January 2010. The toolbox supports the implementation of the OECD Principles for Enhancing Integrity in Public Procurement. These Principles were approved as an OECD Recommendation by the highest body of the OECD, the Council, in October 2008. Council Recommendations reflect a consensus by OECD member countries as good practice. You may find further details of the consultation process and the OECD work on public procurement at www.oecd.org/gov/ethics/procurement or contact the OECD Integrity Unit at gov.integrity@oecd.org.
CSO meeting on tax issues
On September 11, a group of NGOs including ActionAid UK, Tax Justice Network, Transparency International, Oxfam France, and CCFD-Terre Solidaire met with staff from the OECD’s Centre for Tax Policy and Administration to discuss OECD work on tax issues including the Tax Information Exchange Agreements (TIEAs), the new Africa Tax Administration Forum, and the International Tax Dialogue.
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