Welcome remarks
Anthony Gooch, Director of Public Affairs and Communications, OECD

Forging a New Consensus for Economic, Social and Environmental Progress
A conversation with Angel Gurría, OECD Secretary-General (Read his speech)

Break

The path to a sustainable and inclusive recovery

If the prospects for the global economy are looking brighter, considerable uncertainty remains and economies face important challenges as the pandemic leaves its mark on jobs, firms, and public finances. Continued fiscal support will be needed in the near term, and monetary policy currently provides a benign environment for sovereign borrowing in many OECD countries. Nevertheless, lawmakers need to start planning ahead now. Countries should use the time bought by expansive monetary policy to design sustainable public finance frameworks that allow for the stabilisation of shocks while also supporting economies’ capacity to deliver sustainable and inclusive growth.

• See the speaker's presentation (PDF)

• Bloch, D. and J. Fournier (2018), "The deterioration of the public spending mix during the global financial crisis: Insights from new indicators", OECD Economics Department Working Papers, No. 1465, OECD Publishing, Paris
• OECD (2020), "New horizons: Structural policies for a strong recovery and a sustainable, inclusive and resilient future", OECD Publishing, Paris
• Maravalle, A. and Ł. Rawdanowicz (2020), "Automatic fiscal stabilisers: Recent evolution and policy options to boost their effectiveness", OECD Economics Department Working Papers, No. 1636, OECD Publishing, Paris
• OECD (2020), Making the Green Recovery work for jobs, income and growth
• OECD Economic Outlook, December 2020
• OECD (2018), International Budget Practices and Procedures Database
• Rouzet, D. et al. (2019), "Fiscal challenges and inclusive growth in ageing societies", OECD Economic Policy Papers, No. 27, OECD Publishing, Paris
  
  

Priorities for continued support to those hit hardest by the crisis
Stefano Scarpetta, Director for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs, OECD

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to cause severe disruptions to the way we live and work. Unemployment levels remain significantly above pre-crisis levels, and some groups – including low-income workers, workers in non-standard jobs and young people – have been particularly hard hit by the crisis. This session discussed how countries can continue to provide and adapt support at a time when unemployment remains high and job creation remains weak, and considered how countries can set the foundations for an inclusive and resilient recovery through labour market and social policy.

• See the speaker's presentation (PDF)
• OECD (2020), OECD Employment Outlook 2020: Worker Security and the COVID-19 Crisis
• OECD (2020), Health at a Glance: Europe
• OECD (2020), Testing for COVID-19: how to best use the various tests?, Policy responses to COVID-19
• OECD (2021), Getting Skills Right: Career Guidance for Adults in a Changing World of Work
• OECD (2020), Public employment services in the frontline for employees, jobseekers and employers, Policy responses to COVID-19
• OECD (2020), Paid sick leave to protect income, health and jobs through the COVID-19 crisis, Policy responses to COVID-19
• OECD (2020), Job retention schemes during COVID-19 and beyond, Policy responses to COVID-19

Discussants:
Antonio Hurtado, Member of Parliament, Spain
Eva Lindh, Member of Parliament, Sweden

Break

Special session of the Parliamentary Group on Tax

Update on addressing the tax challenges of the digitalisation of the economy
Pascal Saint-Amans, Director, Centre for Tax Policy and Administration

Discussant: Paul Tang, Member of the European Parliament, The Netherlands

Overview of the Reports on the Blueprints of Pillar One (Reallocation of MNE Profits) & Pillar Two (Global Anti-Base-Erosion Tax Proposal)
Achim Pross, Head of International Cooperation and Tax Administration Division, Centre for Tax Policy and Administration, OECD

Discussant: Bénédicte Peyrol, Member of Parliament, France

Addressing the tax challenges arising from the digitalisation of the economy has long been a priority of the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework on BEPS. The COVID-19 crisis has exacerbated many of the same tax-related challenges and the increasing digitalisation of the economy has made the need for a multilateral, consensus-based solution among the 139 Inclusive Framework members even more acute. This session outlined the current state of play of the Inclusive Framework negotiations, as well as the path forward in light of the mid-2021 deadline to deliver a solution, as mandated by the G20. A brief overview of the Reports on the Blueprints for Pillar 1 and Pillar 2 was also provided. In addition, a synopsis of other ongoing and upcoming work of the OECD on international tax coordination and on tax policy responses to the COVID-19 crisis was shared.

• See Achim Pross' presentation (PDF)
• OECD (2020), Addressing the Tax Challenges Arising from the Digitalisation of the Economy, October 2020
• Tax challenges arising from digitalisation: Top 10 Frequently Asked Questions
• OECD (2020), Tax and Fiscal Policy in Response to the Coronavirus Crisis: Strengthening Confidence and Resilience, April 2020, Policy responses to COVID-19
• Inclusive Framework on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting

Co-operating on Vaccines: What we must do next

Mark Pearson, Deputy Director for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs, OECD 

Discussants:
Ricardo Baptista Leite, Member of Parliament, Portugal, Chair of UNITE
Luisa Carcedo, Member of Parliament, Spain
Mickey Levy, Member of Parliament, Israel

The development of vaccines against COVID-19 is an extraordinary success story. In less than a year, novel vaccines were developed, tested, and approved and vaccination campaigns are underway. However, demand for vaccine currently exceeds supply, and access is highly unequal, favouring rich countries with bilateral supply contracts, and causing competition between countries about who gets their populations vaccinated first. Expanding global supply of vaccines will help reduce these tensions. To facilitate expansion of manufacturing and production we need to ensure that technology and know-how are transferred more widely. Massive scaling-up of manufacturing will see millions of doses produced globally in just a few months, allowing for an unprecedented global immunization effort. However this will require extraordinary logistic and organizational efforts to deliver these vaccines to people rapidly and efficiently. Getting doses of vaccines to LMICs is not just an issue of equity, it is also in the interest of rich countries – if the pandemic is allowed to spread unchecked in poorer countries, future waves of disease will continue to damage global health, society and all economies. 

• See the speaker's presentation (PDF)
• OECD (2021), We must not fail humanity’s greatest test, Policy responses to COVID-19
• OECD (2021), Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines for developing countries: An equal shot at recovery, Policy responses to COVID-19
• OECD (2020), Getting goods across borders in times of COVID-19, Policy responses to COVID-19
• OECD (2020), Treatments and a vaccine for COVID-19: The need for coordinating policies on R&D, manufacturing and access, Policy responses to COVID-19

Break

Implications and lessons from COVID-19 waves: resilience of health systems

Francesca Colombo, Head of the Health Division, Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs, OECD

Discussants:
Gabriela Cuevas Barrón, Member of Parliament, Mexico
Teru Fukui, Member of Parliament, Japan

The COVID-19 global pandemic continues to impose a heavy health toll in many countries, especially, in Europe and the Americas. The pandemic has shown that health systems were unprepared, and that additional investments will be needed to make them more resilient in the future. This will help ensure that the significant human, social, and economic impacts of health shocks are not going to be repeated. Strong primary health care and long-term care are key elements of resilient health systems. As the frontline of the health system, high-performing primary care helps maintain populations healthy, and ensure the continuity of care during times of disruption. By focusing on some of the most vulnerable people in societies, long-term care must have the necessary resources and tools to ensure that the needs of the elderly are met.

• See the speaker's presentation (PDF)
• OECD (2020), Health at a Glance: Europe 2020
• OECD (2020), Health at a Glance: Asia/Pacific 2020
• OECD (2020), Health at a Glance: Latin America and the Caribbean 2020
• OECD (2020), Realising the Potential of Primary Health Care
• OECD (2020), Who Cares? Attracting and Retaining Care Workers for the Elderly 
• OECD (2021), Strengthening the frontline: How primary health care helps health systems adapt during the COVID 19 pandemic
• OECD (2020), Workforce and safety in long-term care during the COVID-19 pandemic, Policy responses to COVID-19

Impact of the pandemic on mental health

Francesca Colombo, Head of the Health Division, Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs, OECD

Discussant:
John Barlow, Member of Parliament, Canada
Martine Wonner, Member of Parliament, France

Mental ill-health represents a significant burden of disease in OECD countries – one in two people will experience mental ill-health during their lifetime, and one in five people are living with mental ill-health at any given time. The economic costs of mental ill-health, driven by disability, sickness absence, lost productivity and lost potential, rise up to 4% of GDP in some countries.

The COVID-19 crisis, both the health crisis and its economic impact, has had a significant negative effect on population mental health. Everywhere rates have been measured, prevalence of anxiety and depression has increased, with youth, unemployed populations, and people experiencing financial insecurity reporting particularly high levels of mental distress. To respond to this growing mental distress, governments have started taking action, but a stronger response is still needed to give people the mental health support they need.

• See the speaker's presentation (PDF)
• OECD (2018), Health at a Glance: Europe 2018 - State of Health in the EU Cycle (Chapter 1: Promoting mental health in Europe: Why and how?)
• OECD Mental Health Performance Framework
  
• OECD (2015), Fit Mind, Fit Job: From Evidence to Practice in Mental Health and Work
• OECD work on Mental Health