News & Events

News

OECD’s review of Switzerland’s development co-operation

09-Nov-2009

Switzerland’s aid volume was USD 2.02 billion in 2008 (2.19 billion CHF), an increase of more than 6% over the previous year, and a total of 0.421% of its gross national income (GNI).

The 0.85 Percent Solution for Low-Income Countries

09-Nov-2009

As long as interest rates are so low and crisis needs are so great, it’s time to make IBRD resources more widely available to promote development. Homi Kharas, OECD Development Centre Non-Residential Fellow and Senior Fellow, Wolfensohn Center for Development at Brookings, puts forward his solution for helping poor countries through the crisis.

OECD/Annex I Expert Group side event at the UN Climate Change Talks in Barcelona

30-Oct-2009

The side event at the UN Climate Change Talks in Barcelona - "Financing for Enhanced Climate Change Action: Mitigation and Adaptation" at 15:30 on 3 November - will discuss the following critical issues with expert speakers and discussants from both Annex I and Non-Annex I countries: Overall financial architecture and MRV of financial support; Delivery of development finance to support climate change action; Matching support with actions and the role of registries.

Social Equality workshop, 1-2 December 2009

29-Oct-2009

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and OECD Development Centre are holding a Workshop on 'Equality, Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development' in Helsinki, Finland on 1-2 December 2009. The workshop will provide a forum to discuss equality issues and to promote social and gender equality in development work.

Towards a new reserve currency system?

23-Oct-2009

The US dollar has been the dominant reserve currency for several decades, accounting for about two-thirds of global reserves, but change on international markets is under way. Are the Chinese reminbi or the Euro going to overtake the US Dollar as the world's currency of reference?

Old habits, new donors

22-Oct-2009

Over time, traditional donors of aid to developing countries have set standards and best practices for development cooperation through the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC). How should these established donors respond to the arrival of new non-DAC donors such as India and China, who may not play by the same rules? The OECD Development Centre’s Sebastian Paulo and Helmut Reisen argue we need to prepare a new set of shared rules that work for emerging economies and traditional donors alike.

African economies have not benefited as much as would be expected from the commodity price boom

22-Oct-2009

The Centre’s Andrew Mold and Annalisa Prizzon contributed a background paper to the European Report on Development (ERD) ‘Overcoming Fragility in Africa’. The paper looks at commodity booms and export performance in the context of sub-Saharan Africa, looking at the record from the perspective of export volumes rather than values.The authors argue that the average export performance during the period of high commodity prices was not as impressive as the previous period when African countries were confronted with very low prices.

Reaching Our Development Goals: Why Does Aid Effectiveness Matter?

16-Oct-2009

Why is the Paris Declaration important, what objectives have been set and what still needs to be accomplished? This is the guide to Aid Effectiveness in its most accessible form ever.

OECD Benchmark Definition of Foreign Direct Investment - Fourth Edition 2008

16-Oct-2009

This publication sets the world standard for FDI statistics. It provides a single point of reference for statisticians and users on all aspect of FDI statistics, while remaining compatible with other internationally accepted statistical standards.


Events

MENA-OECD Ministerial Conference in Marrakech will tackle reforms for development, growth, and employment

from 22-Nov-2009 to 23-Nov-2009

Amid a world economic crisis that has cut growth and sent inward investment reeling, government ministers and business leaders from Arab countries will meet their OECD counterparts in Marrakech on 22-23 November 2009 to discuss ways to boost employment, spur investment, strengthen governance, and tackle poverty in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

Seminar: Policy Coherence for Development and Health

on 26-Oct-2009

 Watch the webcast of the seminar here .

Stephen Lewis, Co-director of AIDS-free World, called upon the OECD to be tough and uncompromising when it comes to policy coherence for development. He asked that increased attention be paid to the implications on human health of climate change; the transfer of technology; and gender equality. Deputy Secretary-General Aart de Geus responded to this by stating that there was new and increasing attention paid to gender equality at the OECD, and that it was important in improving health conditions.

See the Summary of the meeting.

 

Technical Barriers to Trade Workshop

from 05-Oct-2009 to 06-Oct-2009

Trade is a major driver of growth for both developed and developing countries. Technical standards and regulations serve legitimate public policy goals, but can also have an important, and sometimes detrimental influence on market access and export opportunities for businesses.The Workshop will provide a platform for policymakers, experts and practicioners from developing and developed countries to share their experiences and exchange views on effective Technical Barriers to Trade policy orientations from an open market perspective.

Benchmarking innovation in Latin America: Buenos Aires Meeting

from 30-Sep-2009 to 01-Oct-2009

Leading experts from Latin American and OECD countries met in Buenos Aires on 30 September and 1 October to discuss new ways of benchmarking innovation in the region, with a focus on how innovation policies can help boost development.

Changement climatique en Afrique

on 03-Sep-2009

Le forum pour le partenariat avec l’Afrique a tenu une réunion sur le Changement Climatique au siège de la CEA-ONU à Addis Abeba en Éthiopie le 3 Septembre 2009. Cet évènement s'est concentré sur les principales préoccupations et attentes de l'Afrique en vue de la Conférence des Partis de la Convention-cadre des Nations Unies sur les changements climatiques (COP15) en décembre 2009.

Conference on corporate responsibility in Asia: Why responsible business conduct matters

from 02-Nov-2009 to 03-Nov-2009

Co-organised by OECD and ESCAP in Bangkok, this conference focused on OECD and Asian country responses to the main challenges in responsible business conduct, with a special focus on climate change, finance and education.

OECD, WTO to release Aid for Trade at a Glance 2009 on 06 July

from 06-Jul-2009 to 07-Jul-2009

This second monitoring report will examine recent developments, present a comprehensive analysis of donor and partner country engagement, address the regional dimension of Aid for Trade, and present country factsheets assessing the outcomes and impacts of the initiative. OECD Secretary-General A.Gurria and WTO Director-General P.Lamy will launch the report during the Second Global Review of Aid for Trade (Geneva, 06-07 July).



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