OECD

OECD Organisation on Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is an international organisation which helps members and some other governments tackle the economic, social and governance challenges of a globalised economy. After World War II, we can define the main situation in Europe by the word ''catastrophe'', no matter if the European country is on winners or losers side because for Europe ''nobody wins'' in World War II. Both infrustructures and economies of European states were collapsed so, in order for these states to recover, a planned and systematic arrangement was needed. MARSHALL PLAN United States Secretary of State, George C. Marshall made a speech at at Harvard University on 5 June 1947, saying that, in order to recover European economies, a post-war European Aid Program would be implemented. This program is known as ''Marshall Plan''. To realize this aim The Organisation for European Economic Co-operation (OEEC) and its predecessor to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development(OECD) was created to co-operate with the government of the United States in planning for the distribution of the aid to the countries whose economies damaged from World War II. To wipe the effetcs of war from the world economy in general and strenghten the position of its European allies, were the main reasons for United States to initiate such a program. According to many intellectuals and politicans, Marshall Plan and OEEC can be accepted as ''successful''. By time, European economies became to recover and their contribution to world economy increased step by step each year during 1950's. In 1961 OEEC became as OECD with some additional properties and aims. OECD of today does not focus on ''distribution American aid'', but focuses on building strong economies in its member countries, improve efficient and good-working market systems, expand free trade and contribute to development in industrialised as well as developing countries. MEMBER STATES There are 30 member states of OECD and a numerous number of countries are in touch with the Organisation. Member states are as follows: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom and United States. CONVENTION OF OECD OEEC has officially took the name OECD during a conference held in Paris on 14th December 1960. At this meeting, Convention of OECD was also accepted. Convention states that economic strength and prosperity are essential for the attainment of the purposes of the United Nations, so that strengthening the tradition of co-operation among countries will help to reach these goals. Members in Paris accepted that in economic recovery and progress of Europe OEEC played a major role and new perspectives and broader objectives were also needed. Convention says that, interdependence of economies are increasing, in these new conditions, more consultation and co-operation among countries will be vital. Main objectives of OECD are explained in Convention as follows: "(a)to achieve the highest sustainable economic growth and employment and a rising standard of living in Member countries, while maintaining financial stability, and thus to contribute to the development of the world economy, (b)to contribute to sound economic expansion in Member as well as non-member countries in the process of economic development, (c)to contribute to the expansion of world trade on a multilateral, non-discriminatory basis in accordance with international obligations.'' After more than four decades, the OECD is moving beyond a focus on its own countries and is setting a program on many other countries in the world. The Organisation now is, for example, putting the benefit of its accumulated experience to the service of emerging market economies, particularly in the countries that are making their transition from centrally-planned to capitalist systems. And it is engaging in increasingly detailed policy dialogue with dynamic economies in Asia and Latin America. But its scope is changing in other ways too. The matrix is moving from consideration of each policy area within each member country to analysis of how various policy areas interact with each other, across countries and even beyond the OECD area. How social policy affects the way economies operate, for example. Or how globalization will change the world's economies by opening new perspectives for growth, or perhaps trigger resistance manifested in protectionism. In other words, many things change in the world since 1950's and OECD itself is one of them. Organization is making new arrangements, new aims, new understandings and all these prove that international community still need OECD with its new frameworks. As it opens to many new contacts around the world, the OECD will look ahead to a post-industrial age in which it aims to tightly weave OECD economies into more prosperous and increasingly knowledge-based world economy. In a world in which all economies are interdependent, it is obvious that economically more advanced nations should co-operate in assisting to countries in process of economic development. THE MAIN TOPICS OF OECD TODAY Today, OECD has been dealing with a number of topics among member states creating new strategies for developing countries. Here are some of the main topics OECD has been working on: Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Biotechnology, Competition and Regulatory Reform, Corporate Governance, Corruption, Development Education, Electronic Commerce, Emerging and Transition Economies, Employment, Energy, Enterprise, Industry and Services, Environment, Finance and Investment, Food Safety, Future Studies, Growth, Health, Information and Communication Technologies, Insurance and Pensions, International Migration, Macroeconomics, Money Laundering, Public Governance and Management, Science and Innovation, Social Issues, Sustainable Development, Taxation, Territorial Economy, Trade, Transport. There are three main bodies of OECD. They are Council, Secretariat and Executive Directorate, and many many commissions are working under Executive Branch in order to cover the issues and policies mentioned above. The Organisation can not take any bounding decisions without consensus, but can take decision-recommendations, recommendations, agreements, arrangements, conventions, declarations and understandings. RESOURCES: -Turkish Foreign Policy, Edited by Buskin roan, Volume -Official Web site for OECD -Susan Ariel Aaronson, ''Voluntary Codes Can Make Corporations Model Citizens", the International Economy, March/April 2001