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OECD Secretary-General congratulates U.S. President-elect Barack Obama

07-Nov-2008

OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría has written to U.S. President-elect Barack Obama congratulating him on his election victory and stating the Organisation’s commitment to working closely and productively with his Administration.

OECD and Central Asian countries join forces to improve regional investment climate

06-Nov-2008

OECD and Central Asian countries are to work together on a regional initiative to boost the business climate, drawing on OECD countries’ experience in policy reforms aimed at spurring investment and competitiveness.

OECD calls for Aid Pledge from donor countries

30-Oct-2008

The Secretary-General of OECD, Angel Gurría, and the Chair of OECD’s Development Assistance Committee, Eckhard Deutscher, have issued a call to the world’s main aid donor countries to stand by their development pledges despite the economic slowdown. “Unless we act decisively now, we may not be able to prevent the financial crisis from generating an aid crisis,” Mr Gurría and Mr Deutscher warn.

New bilateral pacts enlarge network on exchange of information for tax purposes

30-Oct-2008

Some 16 new bilateral agreements on exchange of information for tax purposes signed this week between OECD countries and the British Virgin Islands, Guernsey and Jersey mark an important step forward in efforts to bring greater transparency to cross-border financial transactions. OECD countries have been working with financial centres around the world since 2000 to bring greater transparency and accountability to cross-border transactions.

Latin America needs better taxes and better spending

28-Oct-2008

Fiscal policy, says the latest Latin American Economic Outlook (LEO 2009) from the OECD’s Development Centre, can be a powerful tool for economic, political and social development in Latin America if taxes are raised efficiently and fairly and spending is directed to promoting growth and reducing poverty and inequality.

Tackling the financial crisis is key to economic recovery

27-Oct-2008

In the latest edition of the OECD Observer, Secretary-General Angel Gurría explains how OECD, as a hub for dialogue, can help governments chart a way out of the crisis while Chief Economist Klaus Schmidt-Hebbel says the resumption of economic growth will depend largely on how quickly conditions in financial markets normalise.

Political boost to combat tax haven abuse

22-Oct-2008

The fight against tax fraud and evasion was given renewed political impetus on 21 October 2008 when 17 OECD countries agreed to step up pressure for full implementation of the OECD’s transparency and information exchange standards. The initiative, spearheaded by the French and German governments, called on OECD to review how countries and territories are assessed for full compliance with the exchange of information requirements. Read the Secretary-General’s speech to the ministers attending the conference.

Income inequality and poverty rising in most OECD countries

21-Oct-2008

Income gaps have widened over the past two decades in three-fourths of OECD countries. In today’s changing world economy, that means ever more people at risk of being left behind. According to Secretary-General Angel Gurria, “Ensuring growth for all, not just the rich, is the task we must set for ourselves.” Governments need not sit on the sidelines: they should respond to income inequality with policies that help lift people up.

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