OECD focuses on green growth, unemployment at 50th anniversary

Under the motto "Better Policies for Better Lives," the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) invited on Wednesday world powers and booming emerging economies to discuss various subjects ranging from green growth, development to unemployment.

"The OECD 50th Anniversary Week is a unique opportunity to think collectively about how to best achieve the vision of our founding parents. Achieving better policies for better lives is a journey, not a destination", said Angel Gurria, OECD secretary- general.

The Paris-based agency's chief urged governments to further cement ties and import cooperation tools to face global challenges of climate change, unemployment and financial crisis.

" ... International cooperation is more essential than ever. The list of global challenges requiring coordinated policy action is getting longer, and in most cases, this action is becoming more urgent ... Much remains to be done to achieve a cleaner, stronger and fairer world," Gurria stressed.

During the two-day ministerial meeting starting from Wednesday, participants will try to answer questions over new sources of growth, ways to boost job creation and guarantee a fair share of wealth.

The OECD secretary-general pointed to the need of green growth and the improvement of economic and environmental policies.

"This is not just a matter of new technologies or new sources of renewable, safe energy. It is about how we all behave every day of our lives, what we eat, what we drink, what we recycle, re-use, repair, how we produce and how we consume," Gurria said.

In a statement, Gurria noted that "unemployment, especially among the youth, remains high" and called on states to focus on " well designed social and employment policies, efficient public services and investment in health and education" to be able to absorb the growing job seekers.

Composed of 34 states, the OECD was founded in 1947 to reconstruct the European continent after the World War II. But, officially, the organization was born on Sept. 30, 1961 after its convention entered into force.

At the time celebrating its 50 anniversary, the organization launched a new initiative to measure the quality of life, called " Your Better life Index" on Tuesday, and then its 2011 Economic Outlook looking into the next 50 years on Wednesday.

The OECD tries to help governments identify their problems and guide them to boost growth and meet development target. So far, OECD's 40 members and partners represent 80 percent of the world trade and investment.

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