The German Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR), supported by the OECD, has initiated a study to assess the contribution of small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) to due diligence for responsible mineral supply chains. To gather information for this study, SMEs were invited to take part on a confidential survey of due diligence activities by SMEs.

Israel is not sufficiently proactive in detecting and investigating foreign bribery, with no prosecutions over the past 7 years, despite 14 allegations of foreign bribery involving Israeli individuals or companies. The OECD Working Group on Bribery is, however, encouraged by the recently-opened investigations, and will pay close attention to how these evolve.

In a historic visit by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang to the OECD in Paris, the People’s Republic of China today decided to enhance longstanding collaboration with the OECD and to join the OECD Development Centre.

Addis Ababa - Part of the 3rd International Conference on Financing for Development, this event explored strategies to leverage Africa’s pension funds and other sources of private financing to develop Africa’s infrastructure. Ways to improve the investment climate in Africa using the recently updated Policy Framework for Investment were also be addressed.

There is strength in unity but when it comes to regional co-operation to enhance development, this lesson can be lost. This blog post examines how regions such as the Southern African Community for Development (SADC) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) use the Policy Framework for Investment to enhance their investment policies and to attract investment that works for the development of the region as a whole.

This public consultation is being held to gather comments on the draft Chinese Due Diligence Guidelines for Responsible Mineral Supply Chains. They are intended to align Chinese company due diligence with international standards and allow for mutual recognition with existing international initiatives and legislations.

Focused mainly on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, this report takes stock of 5 years of implementation of national and international programmes and initiatives designed to operationalise the recommendations of the OECD Due Diligence Guidance on Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas in the Great Lakes Region of Central Africa.

This meeting will provide the opportunity to discuss the role of governments, international partners and businesses in promoting responsible mineral supply chains from conflict-affected and high-risk areas. Participants will learn first hand about international standards and approaches, and be able to ask questions to experts in supply chain due diligence implementation.

This update report by the IMF and the OECD was delivered to G20 in February 2016.

10-12 May, Paris: The 2016 forum focused on compliance and implementation of the OECD Due Diligence Guidance, including how to maximise the positive impacts on livelihoods through due diligence; viable options for trade in artisanal and small-scale mined gold; and identifying and preventing the worst forms of child labour in the mineral supply chain.

The paper summarises views expressed by practitioners at a workshop in Beijing on 13-14 April 2016 with respect to contemporary challenges in international co-operation in corruption cases and possible solutions to mitigate these challenges. It has a practical orientation and is intended to contribute to ongoing dialogue at national and multilateral levels on enhancing international co-operation.

Promoting responsible business conduct in the financial sector is vital to building a sustainable global economy. This paper will help institutional investors implement the due diligence recommendations of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises in order to prevent or address adverse impacts related to human and labour rights, the environment, and corruption in their investment portfolios.

“I am deeply saddened to learn about the tragic deaths of Michael Sharp and Zaida Catalan, members of the UN Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). On behalf of my Organisation, I wish to convey our condolences to their families and colleagues from the UN and beyond, who had the pleasure of working with them."

Practical actions for companies to identify and address the worst forms of child labour in mineral supply chains is for use by companies to help them identify, mitigate and account for the risks of child labour in their mineral supply chains. It builds on the due diligence framework of the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas.

Drawing on data presented in the 2017 OECD Business and Finance Outlook, this article looks at some of the forces influencing recent economic developments and asks what can be done to ensure a “fairer” global economy.

Globalisation has failed to create a level playing field in trade, investment and corporate behaviour, being one of the factors contributing to a backlash against openness in many countries and a decline in confidence in government institutions.

Effective international co-operation between countries is crucial for the successful investigation, prosecution and sanction of international corruption offences.

As part of the implementation strategy for the recently adopted OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains in the Garment and Footwear Sector, the OECD is conducting a series of surveys that target SMEs operating within the sector.

The OECD Due Diligence Guidance is being used as the basis and benchmark by many industry initiatives created to ensure the responsible sourcing of minerals. This report presents the findings of a pilot alignment assessment of five industry programmes against the recommendations of the OECD Guidance to gauge the coherence, effectiveness and credibility of these initiatives.

This annual, multi-stakeholder forum provides the opportunity to review and discuss compliance and implementation of the OECD Due Diligence Guidance, the ICGLR Regional Certification Mechanism and other initiatives to enable responsible mineral supply chains.

Temperature in Angola increased to 23.52 celsius in December from 23.43 celsius in November of 2015. Temperature in Angola averaged 21.83 celsius from 1857 until 2015, reaching an all time high of 25.17 celsius in October of 2005 and a record low of 17.23 celsius in July of 1932. This page includes a chart with historical data for Angola Average Temperature.

Precipitation in Angola increased to 193.26 mm in December from 119.29 mm in November of 2015. Precipitation in Angola averaged 82.07 mm from 1901 until 2015, reaching an all time high of 310.41 mm in January of 1912 and a record low of 0 mm in June of 1946. This page includes a chart with historical data for Angola Average Precipitation.

Mr. Angel Gurría was in The Hague to attend the High-Level Policy Forum on Mental Health and Work Policy Challenges in OECD Countries, where he presented key findings of the OECD Fit Mind Fit Job report and was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Orange Nassau.

Dementia is increasing in prevalence, and to date has no cure or treatment. One element in improving this situation is using and sharing data more widely to increase the power of research. Further, moving beyond established medical data into big data offers the potential to tap into routinely collected data from both within and outside the health system.

The OECD is launching an online consultation: tell us how we can improve sustainable access to innovative therapies!

Universal Health Coverage is about everyone having access to good quality health services without suffering financial hardship. Although most OECD countries offer all their citizens affordable access to a comprehensive package of health services, they face challenges in sustaining and enhancing such universal systems.

Korea tops a new OECD PISA survey that tests how 15-year olds use computers and the Internet to learn. The next best performers were New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Hong-Kong China and Iceland.

Australia’s enforcement of its foreign bribery laws has been extremely low, with just a single case leading to prosecutions out of 28 referrals in 13 years. Cases may have been closed prematurely. Australia must vigorously pursue foreign bribery allegations.

Mr. Angel Gurría, Secretary-General of the OECD, was in Sydney from 21 to 23 February 2014 to attend the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meetings. While in Sydney, the Secretary-General launched the 2014 OECD Going for Growth report, alongside Mr. Joseph Benedict "Joe" Hockey, Treasurer of Australia.

PISA 2012 financial literacy results focusing on the performance of Australia amongst 17 other countries and economies who participated in the assessment: Belgium (Flemish Community), Shanghai-China, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Israel, Italy, Latvia, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain and the United States.

Mr. Angel Gurría, Secretary-General of the OECD, will be in Sydney from 17 to 20 July 2014 to attend the G20 Trade Ministers Meeting.

Mr. Angel Gurría was in Brisbane to attend the G20 Leaders' Summit on 15-16 November. Prior to the Summit, the Secretary-General attended a G20 Finance Ministers Meeting, as well as L20 and B20 meetings.

In a boost for international efforts to strengthen co-operation against offshore tax evasion, seven new countries have joined the agreement to exchange information automatically under the OECD/G20 standard.

Australia should provide early access to more intensive employment services for disadvantaged laid-off workers to help them find a new job more quickly, according to a new OECD report.

Korea tops a new OECD PISA survey that tests how 15-year olds use computers and the Internet to learn. The next best performers were New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Hong-Kong China and Iceland.

On the occasion of his visit, Angel Gurría presented the brochure "Policies for a revitalisation of Japan" and met with government and business representatives.

OECD Secretary-General will visit Japan on 22-24 April to launch the Economic Survey of Japan. During his stay in Tokyo, Mr. Gurría will also meet government officials and representatives from the business and labour communities amongst others.

Firstly, and most importantly, this year marks Japan’s golden jubilee: 50 years as a member of the OECD. Japan was our first Asia-Pacific member country, and has paved the way to strengthen the OECD’s ties within the region. This year, for the second time, Japan is chairing our Ministerial Council Meeting – the most important annual decision-making event of the Organization, said Angel Gurría.

Mr. Angel Gurría was in Japan from 6 to 10 April 2014 to commemorate the country’s 50th anniversary of membership of the Organisation. The OECD Secretary-General was received in Audience by Crown Prince Naruhito, and held a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Abe, to whom he presented the report “OECD Better Policies Japan - Advancing the Third Arrow for a Resilient Economy and Inclusive Growth”.

A moderate expansion is underway in most major advanced and emerging economies, but growth remains weak in the euro area, which runs the risk of prolonged stagnation if further steps are not taken to boost demand, according to the OECD’s latest Interim Economic Assessment.

It was with immense sadness that I learned of the tragic execution of Kenji at the hands of the terrorists from Islamic State. We strongly condemn this terrible and odious act, as well as other killings carried out by ISIS.

Low oil prices and monetary easing are boosting growth in the world’s major economies, but the near-term pace of expansion remains modest, withabnormally low inflation and interest rates pointing to risks of financial instability, according to the OECD’s latest Interim Economic Assessment.

Mr. Gurría presented the 2015 OECD Economic Survey of Japan, held several meetings including with the Prime Minister, took part in the launch event for the Education 2030 project and delivered a keynote speech at the International Symposium on Corporate Governance and Japan’s Growth Strategy.

The rise in Internet usage among young people has seen a corresponding increase in international concern regarding their online safety. In line with the Recommendation on the Protection of Children Online, the Japanese government has initiated efforts to develop improved indicators to measure Internet literacy among youth.

On the occasion of the 5th anniversary of 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami, OECD Secretary-General, Angel Gurría, shared his sustained support for the victims and their families.

The Secretary-General met with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as well as several Ministers and high-level authorities of Japan. He spoke at a number of events and also presented the OECD Territorial Review of Japan and the publication Japan: Boosting Growth and Well-being in an Ageing Society.

The Secretary-General presented OECD’s recent analysis and recommendations on the world economy, on more balanced and efficient financial markets for growth, and on progress on the international tax system. He also spoke at the G7 High-Level Symposium “Future of the Global Economy”, organised by the Japanese G7 Presidency.

The Secretary-General attended the G7 Leaders’ Summit and spoke at the outreach sessions “Stability and Prosperity in Asia” and “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals”.

OECD Secretary-General was in Tokyo on 13-14 April 2017, on an official visit to Japan. During his visit, he presented the OECD Economic Survey of Japan 2017 and held hold bilateral meetings with several High Level Officials.

The OECD has appointed Masamichi Kono as a Deputy Secretary-General. He will replace Rintaro Tamaki, who will be stepping down after six fruitful years in the post.