Check against delivery.
Our 2025 OECD Ministerial Council Meeting has been a great success.
A special thank you to Minister Manuel Tovar for Costa Rica’s leadership as Chair.
As well as our vice-chairs, Minister for Trade and Tourism of Australia Don Farrell, Minister of International Trade of Canada Maninder Sidhu, and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Kęstutis Budrys.
Our MCM has benefited from the participation of 848 delegates, representing 58 countries and the European Union, 14 Intergovernmental Organisations as well as Business at OECD and the Trade Union Advisory Committee.
Delegations at this MCM included 1 Prime Minister (Ukraine), 5 Deputy Prime Ministers (3 from Members; 2 from non-Members), 48 Ministers (31 from Members; 17 from non-Members), and 28 Vice Ministers (21 from Members; 7 from non-Members).
This is the largest attendance in my time as Secretary-General and a clear demonstration of the continued commitment to positive, constructive and solutions-focused dialogue.
At the launch of our latest OECD Economic Outlook yesterday, we discussed how the global economy had shown real resilience through to the end of 2024, recording GDP growth of 3.3% for the year.
But how the global economic environment and outlook had become significantly more challenging since.
How high policy uncertainty, increased barriers to trade and lower consumer and business confidence were all weighing on growth.
That to boost the outlook for growth, we recommend to all governments as a matter of policy priority, to engage with each other to restore certainty and to address any issues in the rules-based global trading system co-operatively and through dialogue.
That it was important to find a way forward to make our international trading arrangements fairer and work better while preserving the economic benefits of open markets and rules-based global trade.
Our Ministerial Council Meeting was a clear demonstration of what we can accomplish together, despite all the complexities.
This includes working together to restore trade policy certainty and strengthen supply chain resilience and economic security.
During our Ministerial Council Meeting we discussed how trade and investment policies can better support environmental sustainability and social inclusion through incentive-based approaches, fair competition, and targeted support for small and medium-sized businesses and women.
We also discussed how policymakers can unlock the full potential of AI and digital technologies and promote responsible AI adoption, while addressing associated risks through coherent and transparent governance frameworks and international co-ordination.
We adopted two updated standards to support an effective, co-ordinated and ambitious approach to a changing policy environment:
- On merger review, to prevent harm from anti-competitive transactions that could reduce market competition; and
- On digital technologies and the environment, to advance environmental sustainability and help combat climate change across sectors.
We have also welcomed:
- the Report on the Implementation of the OECD Recommendation on Countering Illicit Trade: Enhancing Transparency in Free Trade Zones; and
- the Recommendation on Eliminating Government Support to Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing.
Together we advanced on our shared vision, as set out in the 2021 Global Relations Strategy, to ensure OECD standards and policy recommendations have an effective global impact.
We discussed continued efforts to enhance the OECD’s global relevance through strategic enlargement, deeper engagement with partner countries, and active participation in key multilateral fora.
We welcomed the adoption of the Strategic Framework for Latin America and the Caribbean as a milestone in reinforcing the OECD’s engagement with the region and the launch of the Paraguay Country Programme.
We also welcomed the successful handover of the Southeast Asia Regional Programme’s co-chairmanship from Australia and Viet Nam to Canada and the Philippines, highlighting the Programme’s role in supporting policy reforms, capacity building, and regional co-operation.
We reaffirmed our unwavering support to Ukraine and reiterated our commitment to supporting Ukraine’s recovery, reconstruction, and reform efforts.
Finally, we discussed my update on our progress towards the development of a new OECD Strategy on Development. We will continue to engage with all relevant stakeholders on finalising our development strategy, ensuring the outcomes of the upcoming Financing for Development Conference in Seville in a few weeks’ time are appropriately reflected in our work going forward.
These developments and achievements at this year’s MCM will help ensure the OECD remains a trusted platform for open, constructive, and impactful policy dialogue and co-operation,
Building on our unique value in providing cutting-edge data, rigorous evidence-based analysis, and tailored policy work,
To foster mutual trust, support effective multilateral approaches and as always, shape better policies for better lives.
Thank you.
Working with over 100 countries, the OECD is a global policy forum that promotes policies to preserve individual liberty and improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world.