The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), made up of 38 member states, announced on Tuesday that it will begin the process of discussions for the accession of Argentina, Brazil and Peru as part of the organization.
The opening of talks on the accession of these three Latin American and three European countries (Bulgaria, Croatia, and Romania) was decided at a meeting of the OECD Council, according to a statement from the organization.
According to the resolution, the evaluation of the candidacies will begin to determine if these countries comply with “the preservation of individual freedom, the values of democracy, the rule of law and the protection of human rights.”
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In addition, OECD members must be committed to “an open market economy based on free trade, competition, sustainability and transparency,” the text said.
“Candidate countries will be able to use the accession process to promote further reforms for the benefit of their peoples”, declared the secretary general of the OECD, Mathias Cormann, after the decision of the Council.
The technical exams will focus on areas such as trade and investment opening, advances in public governance, efforts in the fight against corruption and climate change, and environmental protection, the organization explained.
The OECD countries -founded in 1961- and their key partners account for about 80% of world trade and investment.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Peru assured that the evaluation “is a historic event for the country because it recognizes the efforts made over the years to implement the standards and good practices required by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and that will directly benefit to our citizens.”
In 2012, Peru expressed for the first time the formal interest in being a member of the OECD, which became a State policy, supported at the highest level by successive governments since then, with the permanent support of the Legislative, and ratified in October 2021 by the President of the Republic, while these efforts have as their primary objective to improve the quality of life of citizens, particularly the poorest.
This invitation is the first formal step on the way to becoming a full member of the OECD, a process that will be characterized by fruitful reforms at all levels, in order to improve public policies, promote good governance and have an efficient State.
All this with a citizen-centered approach, in order to improve the services received, betting on inclusive and sustainable development; closing gaps and improving the well-being of the population.
