SPEECH
SUSANNA HUOVINEN, SOC, FINLAND
REPORT ON ACTIVITIES OF THE OECD
TUESDAY 11 OCTOBER 2016
Mr President, dear colleagues,
I would like to thank the deputy secretary general for this report. It underlines several issues that have been addressed by this very Assembly.
It is important that the OECD conducts a lot of research and gathers data on the different situations in our countries and on our models. However, I would like to hear from you to which extent this information is actually used in various countries?
The report raises many important things, such as the significance of education, take care of employment measures, fighting corruption, ensuring the transparency of taxation as well as the possibilities of digitalization. It is easy to agree on most of these issues.
However, I would like to raise one issue, that in my mind often is left aside when discussing economic questions. That is the question of inequality. In my view, the rise of global and internal inequality poses a threat to democracy, human rights, the rule of law but also to the development of the economy and employment. Therefore, it would be important to put more emphasis on the necessity to eradicate inequality. As decision-makers we must realize that our citizens have a difficult time understanding austerity measures imposed on them for the sake of the economy if those earning and owning the most do not participate in these savings at all. I welcome the OECD’s longstanding efforts in promoting inclusive growth.
Mr President,
To finish, I would like to raise the issue of migration and the refugee crisis. Also in this field the OECD does important work through data collection and analysis. The report also quite rightly highlights the importance of integration. The importance of education is raised in the report and it is crucial. Of course we have many other ways to promote integration and we are currently discussing them in the Assembly. I hope that we can lean on your expertise and experiences in this work.
Thank you.