Gurría welcomes the President of Chile

Special Session of the Council

Paris, Thursday 28 May 2009
 
President Bachelet, Ministers, Ambassadors, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is an honour and a great pleasure to receive you at OECD, in the Chateau de la Muette, where history has proved many times the supreme benefits of multilateral co-operation. Your visit to the OECD Council is a living testimony both of Chile’s growing international importance and of the metamorphosis of this Organisation into a more open, more plural and inclusive forum.

We are facing the worst recession for decades and the OECD is working to help governments soften the impact of this crisis and to lay the foundations of a stronger global economy for the generations to come.

We have put together the “OECD’s Strategic Response to the Financial and Economic Crisis”. Through this strategy, we are reviewing our instruments and in particular the framework for financial regulation, competition and corporate governance, to help countries take decisions and implement policies to build a stronger, fairer and cleaner global economy.

Chile has not escaped the global downturn but has taken the right decisions to face it. The government has reacted quickly to cushion the fall in activity and to ensure that the economic is on a path to sustainable growth and employment, in line with international efforts.

Life after the global downturn is perhaps hard to focus on right now, but should not be left unattended and we should not forget our pending agendas on climate change, poverty, Doha. For that, and for the OECD to continue addressing global challenges with important partners like Chile, we are very pleased to see that the accession process of your country is advancing. We are honoured to see the importance you place in the OECD, testified by this visit.

Chile is now in the process of being reviewed by some 20 OECD Committees and Chile is working hard with the OECD towards a successful and quick conclusion of the accession process.

OECD membership will bring many benefits: international recognition of national achievements, access to best practices through exchange of experience among peers, participation in standard setting work, ability to work with other OECD Members on cutting edge issues and to influence the future global governance.

Such integration into the OECD system will inform and inspire policymakers towards getting reform right for the Chilean people.

Accession will also be in the interest of the current OECD Member States.

Chile is a rapidly growing economy with a strong connection to the global world. As the first South American country to join the OECD, it will add diversity and universality to the Organisation Chile will bring in interesting expertise and experiences contributing to an organic process based on shared values.

Accession to the OECD is in this context not a ticket, but a milestone on the road to further development.