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OECD

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The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, known as the OECD, is an intergovernmental organisation.

Château de la Muette, Paris 20 March 2019 004
Château de la Muette, Paris 20 March 2019 004

It consists of 38 member countries working together. The group aims to stimulate economic progress and world trade. Members describe themselves as committed to democracy and the market economy. They use the OECD as a platform to compare policy experiences. This helps them find answers to common problems and identify good practices. They also coordinate domestic and international policies among their members.

Most OECD members are high-income, developed economies. They possess a very high Human Development Index, which measures quality of life. The collective population of these members is 1.38 billion people. The average life expectancy in these nations is 80 years. The median age is 40, which is higher than the global average of 30. These nations hold massive economic power. They comprise 62.2% of global nominal GDP, totaling USD 49.6 trillion. At purchasing power parity, they represent 42.8% of global GDP, or Int$54.2 trillion.

OECD members applicants map
OECD members applicants map

The OECD has a deep history rooted in post-war Europe. It began as the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation, or OEEC. The OEEC was established in April 1948. Its primary goal was allocating American Marshall Plan aid. This aid helped rebuild Europe after World War II.

Robert Marjolin (1964)
Robert Marjolin (1964)

The OEEC was headquartered at the Château de la Muette in Paris. Leaders like Robert Marjolin and René Sergent served as Secretaries-General. By 1960, leaders wanted a more global mission. They held meetings at the Hotel Majestic to discuss this change. They wanted to help less developed countries, not just Europeans.

The OECD officially superseded the OEEC in September 1961.

Chateau de la muette, grand Salon
Chateau de la muette, grand Salon

The founding members included many European nations and North American countries. These were Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, and West Germany. Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands were also founders. Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United Kingdom joined too. The United States was a founding member. Japan joined in 1964, followed by Finland, Australia, and New Zealand.

Mathias Cormann APEC 2018
Mathias Cormann APEC 2018

The organisation has expanded significantly through various stages of reform. After the Revolutions of 1989, the OECD helped Central European countries. They assisted with market economy reforms in the Visegrád Group. This led to the membership of Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. South Korea and Mexico also joined between 1996 and 2000.

Entrance to the OECD Conference Centre April 2014
Entrance to the OECD Conference Centre April 2014

More recently, Chile, Estonia, Israel, and Slovenia joined in 2010. Latvia, Lithuania, and Colombia joined in later years. Costa Rica became a member in 2021. The OECD uses specific criteria for new members. These include being a "significant player" and having "mutual benefit."

One of the most important roles of the OECD involves international taxation. The organisation sets rules for how multinational companies pay taxes.

Payroll and income tax by country
Payroll and income tax by country

They publish the Transfer Pricing Guidelines to help allocate profits. In July 2021, a historic agreement was reached on a global minimum corporate tax. This policy sets a minimum tax rate of 15% for large corporations. It aims to stop companies from moving to countries with very low taxes. This change could help governments collect between $100 billion and $240 billion every year.

Reports for sale at the OECD bookshop April 2019
Reports for sale at the OECD bookshop April 2019

This ensures large companies pay their fair share of tax everywhere.

The OECD also performs multilateral surveillance to monitor economic trends. This involves regular peer reviews and policy assessments. They use committees and the Economics Department to study data. The organisation also creates specialized agencies to handle specific global issues. These include the International Energy Agency and the Financial Action Task Force. The OECD is also an official observer for the United Nations. This helps connect its economic work to the broader global community.

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🖼️ Images & Media (22)
File:OECD members applicants map.svg
OECD members applicants map.svg
File:Payroll and income tax by country.png
Payroll and income tax by country.png
File:Reports for sale at the OECD bookshop April 2019.jpg
Reports for sale at the OECD bookshop...
File:Entrance to the OECD Conference Centre April 2014.jpg
Entrance to the OECD Conference Centre...
File:Château de la Muette, Paris 20 March 2019 004.jpg
Château de la Muette, Paris 20 March 2019 004.jpg
File:Robert Marjolin (1964).jpg
Robert Marjolin (1964).jpg
File:no image.png
no image.png
File:Thorkil Kristensen (Kristensen cropped).jpg
Thorkil Kristensen (Kristensen cropped).jpg
File:Emiel van Lennep (1979).jpg
Emiel van Lennep (1979).jpg
File:Jean-Claude Paye.jpg
Jean-Claude Paye.jpg
File:DonaldJohnston.jpg
DonaldJohnston.jpg
File:Angel Gurria - World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2012 (cropped).jpg
Angel Gurria - World Economic Forum...

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