Tomorrow, the Argentine Republic will become a full member of the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) and the Data Bank of the Council of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Argentina's accession to the Agency, endorsed by the OECD Council last 17 May, was formalized today with an official exchange of notes between the Secretary General of the OECD, Ángel Gurría, Foreign Minister Susana Malcorra, and the Minister of Energy and Mining, José Luis Aranguren, in a special ceremony in the context of OECD Week 2017.
What is the OECD?
Established in 1961, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) comprises 35 member countries and seeks to promote policies to improve economic and social conditions for people around the world. The OECD is a forum for governments to work jointly to share experiences and find solutions to common problems. The organization also sets international standards on a wide range of public policy issues.
What meetings will Argentina attend during OECD Week 2017?
Seeking to establish closer relations with the Organisation, Argentina will participate in the OECD Ministerial Council Meeting on 7-8 June. The meeting will be attended by members and associates, as well as several international organizations, and will discuss the benefits and shortcomings of globalization and trade.
Furthermore, our country has been invited by the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Denmark, the Council's current chairman, and by the Secretary-General of the OECD, to the session "International Trade and Investment for the Benefit of All", to be held on 8 June. The session will address the importance of open markets and the way in which international trade and investment regulations can foster global economic growth and productivity, support a more inclusive agenda and enhance the labour, ethical and environmental standards of businesses.
Further activities will be carried out with the participation of Argentine officials, which include our country's ceremony of accession to the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) and its Data Bank (7 June); the WTO Mini-ministerial Meeting (8 June), co-chaired by Argentina and Australia; the International Economic Forum on Latin America and the Caribbean 2017, "Rethinking globalisation for youth and inclusive development” (9 June); the OECD Emerging Markets Network Meeting (EMnet) on Latin America, "Navigating Uncertainty: strategies for innovation and growth" (9 June); and the G20 Conference on trade policy (9 June).
What are our country's expectations as regards its participation in the meetings?
One of the main purposes of the Argentine government's foreign policy is to strengthen Argentina's insertion into the world. The current policy to establish closer relations with the OECD works along those lines, seeking to achieve a new status within the organization and to profit from its experience, high standards and good practices in order to improve the country's public policies.
In March of this year, the Argentina-OECD Action Plan 2016-2017 was submitted to the Secretary-General of the OECD, focusing on three major issues: "enhancement of participation in OECD committees", "accession to key OECD instruments" and "performance of public policy research".
Both the Action Plan and Argentina's participation in the OECD Ministerial Council Meeting seek to demonstrate Argentina's strong cooperation commitment towards the Organization.
Which Argentine officials will participate in the meeting?
The Argentine officials who will attend the OECD's Ministerial Council Meeting are the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship, Susana Malcorra; the Minister of Production, Francisco Cabrera; the Minister of Energy and Mining, Juan José Aranguren; the Secretary of Commerce, Miguel Braun; the Undersecretary for the Treasury and OECD Representative, Marcelo Scaglione; and the President of the Argentine National Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA), Osvaldo Calzetta.
Press release No. 224/17
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