The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is an important international, intergovernmental economic organization, gathering 37 highly developed countries, including Poland since November 1996, which is united by the acceptance of the principles of democracy and market economy.

The organization was established under the Paris Convention, signed on December 14, 1960. It started operating on September 30, 1961. It is a direct successor of the Organization for European Economic Co-operation – OEEC, established in 1948 for integrating the economies of European countries that rebuild themselves from the devastation of war and benefit from the Marshall Plan.

OECD countries occupy a dominant position in global financial markets, lead the way in the field of capital flows, foreign investments, services, modern technologies, innovation and research.

All OECD member states recognize that the overriding values ​​in political, social and economic life are three principles, which together constitute the unwritten basic criteria for countries applying for membership: democracy, i.e. political pluralism, respect for human rights and civil liberties, and stable growth within the framework of an open market economy.

In its activities, the OECD is guided by the principle of equality of all members, regardless of their size, economic potential or contribution to the Organization’s budget. In the decision-making process, the principle of consensus is applied, which is developed using the mechanism of „peer pressure”, i.e. exerting pressure on fellow members to bring about changes that lead to coordination, or at least a higher degree of coherence of national policies. rule, governments of member states exert pressure on each other to take into account the interests and positions of partners when taking sovereign national decisions in matters of economy and social life, as well as to account for the obligations adopted in the OECD on the basis of consensus.

Apart from formal agreements and codes of conduct (e.g. Liberalization of Capital Flows and Ongoing Invisible Operations), the OECD acquis also includes recommendations, resolutions and declarations – instruments of informal yet effective usually pressure. In addition, the OECD develops „rules of the game” in international economic relations, ie it develops and implements common rules (guidelines) and operating standards (standards) in individual areas of the economy. If accepted by the interested states, they often become a contribution, and sometimes even a starting point for negotiations in wider international fora – especially in other organizations, such as the WTO and the United Nations, agreeing on the Millennium Development Goals. It also unifies the position of OECD countries towards non-member countries.

The announcements of the annual ministerial sessions of the Council (MCM) play an important role in determining the short- and medium-term tasks and priorities of the Organization’s activities, as well as shaping the image of the OECD. Being the highest-ranking OECD programming documents, they include: agreed by the participating foreign and finance (or economic) ministers, assessments of development trends and challenges for economic and social policy in the OECD area and on a global scale, together with appropriate recommendations. The announcements define the current and future priorities in the work of the Organization, include an assessment of the membership policy of the Organization, as well as its cooperation with non-member countries, and with regard to matters related to the internal organization, such as the budget and work program. The announcements present the OECD achievements for the last year and set tasks for the next period, often referring to the implementation of tasks „commissioned” to the OECD by the G7 / 8.

Membership in the OECD and the way in which the Organization operates imposes a number of obligations, including the regular provision of information to the Secretariat on national policies in many areas, and implies being subject to the judgment of experts from other OECD countries. It forces systematic exchange of information and assessments between members, mutual consultations and agreeing the directions of economic and social policy. OECD country reports and opinions are often used by lenders and investors before deciding whether to engage in a particular country. This applies not only to transnational corporations and large private banks, chambers of commerce, etc., but also to the IMF and MBR.

The OECD also provides member states with the opportunity to share information and verify experiences in the sphere of national policy and legislation, as well as methods of managing the economy and other areas. At the forum of committees and working groups, policy reviews in particular areas are held, assessment of its compliance with OECD recommendations and standards, recommendations for adjustments to government policy are submitted. In particular, on average every one and a half years, each member state must undergo a comprehensive and stringent macroeconomic policy review in which all other states participate. The same applies to sectoral reviews, e.g. of health protection policy, environmental policy or regulatory reforms, the importance of which for Poland as a contribution to policy control and ensuring its coherence is constantly growing.

OECD is an intergovernmental organization closely cooperating with the so-called social partners: trade unions (on the forum of the TUAC committee) and from business (on the forum of the BIAC committee), as well as with non-governmental organizations (NGO’s). The growing importance of an open dialogue with representatives of civil society is manifested by the organization annually by the OECD, next to the Ministerial Session of the OECD Council, of an international conference – the OECD Forum, which is a broad platform for discussion and exchange of experiences on the main global problems that the organization deals with.

Source: https://www.gov.pl/web/oecd/o-oecd

Projekt otrzymał dofinansowanie z Norwegii poprzez Fundusze Norweskie 2014-2021, w ramach programu „Dialog społeczny – godna praca”.