On Tuesday, Ambassador Miriam Sapiro hosted a presentation and discussion of new projects currently under development by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Trade Committee concerning services trade, and raw materials policies and markets. Ken Ash, Director of the OECD Directorate of Trade and Agriculture, provided information to Washington-based Embassy representatives on the OECD Trade Committee’s efforts to create a Services Trade Restrictiveness Index as well as to enhance transparency in raw materials policies and markets. Participants engaged in a cross-cutting discussion of issues related to these topics.
Ambassador Sapiro Holds OECD Presentation Event
Thirty-four democracies in Europe, North and South America, and the Pacific Rim comprise the OECD, established in 1961 and headquartered in Paris. The OECD member countries account for 69 percent of world gross national income (GNI), 60 percent of world trade, 95 percent of world official development assistance, over half of the world's energy consumption, and 18 percent of the world's population.
The OECD is not just a grouping of economically significant nations, but also a policy forum covering a broad spectrum of economic, social, and scientific areas, from macroeconomic analysis to education to biotechnology. The OECD helps countries, both OECD members and non-members, reap the benefits and confront the challenges of a global economy by promoting economic growth, free markets, and efficient use of resources.
