Dear Guests,

Welcome to the website of the Permanent Delegation of Turkey to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). I would like to inform you about the issues on the agenda of the OECD and the comprehensive studies that our Permanent Delegation carries out in this regard. The OECD carries out studies on strategically important issues and problems of the World Economy and global trade in order to build a ‘better future’, publishes valuable reports and creates a global information network.

The OECD, whose history spans over the first steps taken in 1947 to rebuild and restructure Europe after World War II to the Marshall Aid Plan, is an international organization, which was established following the OEEC (Organization for European Economic Cooperation) founded in 1948. By expanding the OEEC on multiple arrays to cover the global system, including more countries and taking an interest in more issues, the OECD took over the mission of OEEC in 1961 and was founded by twenty countries, including our country, Turkey.

Our Permanent Delegation worked under the OEEC between 1952 and 1961 and has been operating under the OECD since 1961. Bureaucrats and experts from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Finance and Treasury, Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, Ministry of Labor and Social Security, and Central Bank of Turkey serve at our Permanent Delegation.

OECD’s aim is to support governments in ensuring sustainable economic growth, employment growth, high living standards, and in maintaining financial stability. With this regard, the organization provides a platform where member countries can share their knowledge and experience, find solutions to common problems and coordinate on policies they follow in the national and international arena.

The OECD currently has 37 members and has multiple ongoing processes for the membership of new countries. OECD member countries make up about half of the global GDP (gross domestic product) and provide 90% of official aids for development. At this point, thanks to the recent successful performance of especially the developing countries and with the shift in the economic weight of the world, the OECD has also started to open up to the outside. In this context, the organization broadens its cooperation with non-member countries, emerging economies, regional organizations and other international organizations.

OECD's field of work mainly covers development and economic reforms. In addition to these main focus points, the analyses and evaluations performed in areas such as education, aging population, migration, environment, energy, climate change, sustainable development, pension and insurance systems that directly affect development and economic reforms constitute an important source of data and reference for both member countries and other countries and organizations. OECD's work is carried out within the scope of formal and informal organizations such as more than 250 committees, working groups, and expert groups.

Two trends that have accelerated in the last decade increased the importance of OECD in the global arena. While the OECD is transforming from a think-tank to a do-tank on the one hand, on the other hand, people’s perception of the organization as a "Rich Club" is also being transformed towards a “Global Public Institution” with its strong corporate performance. These two trends were significantly bolstered during the G20 term presidency of our country where the OECD’s role, especially in the fields of environment, SMEs and tax, was significantly enhanced in the international platform.

Turkey effectively follows the OECD’s work in the light of extensive studies carried out by our Permanent Delegation. Hence, our institutions and organizations continue their committed efforts on the expanding working grounds of the OECD.

You are welcomed to send your questions, comments, opinions and suggestions on our country's activities related to OECD to (tr-delegation.oecd@mfa.gov.tr).

On behalf of all the members of our Permanent Delegation, I would like to express my best wishes.

Dr. Kerem Alkin

Ambassador, Permanent Representative