The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is an organization of 34 like-minded countries, founded in 1961, which strives to support the economic policy of its members, to improve its effectiveness and to contribute to the growth of both developed and developing countries.
Its activities are carried out within different committees and sub bodies and are linked, among other things, to economic issues, development, international trade, environment, science, technology and industry and touch upon different aspects of sustainable development such as corporate social responsibility or sustainable consumption and production.
After abolishing the Annual Meeting of Sustainable Development Experts (AMSDE), the OECD made a strategic decision to focus instead on a green growth strategy. However, following the adoption of Agenda 2030, the OECD resumed its initiatives on sustainable development policies. These are set out in an SDG action plan. In addition, the OECD has also developed expertise on policy coherence for sustainable development (PCSD) and adopted recommendations in this regard.
Policy coherence for sustainable development
You can find the OECD recommendations on this subject here.
OECD Legal Instruments and an IFDD project are presented here in Dutch and in French
At the end of 2016, the OECD Council approved the SDG action plan. The responsibility for implementing the 2030 Agenda falls primarily to Member States, but the OECD wants to make a contribution.
The central element is the international organisation's intelligent use of its existing expertise and wealth of experience to cooperate with its 34 members, partner countries and developed and developing countries worldwide. The SDG action plan focuses on the following avenues:
- to support countries in identifying their position and their progress in relation to the 2030 Agenda;
- to strengthen the role of the OECD as a principal source of expertise, data, best practice and standards in the economic, social and environmental aspects of the policy;
- to promote a "race to the top" in order to ensure better and more coherent policy plans that achieve the SDGs through the tools available to the organisation, namely peer reviews, peer learning, monitoring and statistical reporting, soft law, etc.
In addition, the OECD will improve its cooperation with other international organisations (such as the UN's network of organisations), encouraging synergies and avoiding duplication.
You can find more information on the OECD resources concerning the SDGs here.