Friday, April 20, 2007
[IWS] OECD Response to ECONOMIST ARTICLE by SECRETARY-GENERAL [20 April 2007]
IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________
OECD
Statement by the Secretary-General, Angel Gurría, in reply to an article in The Economist of 20 April 2007
http://www.oecd.org/document/38/0,2340,en_2649_201185_38438438_1_1_1_1,00.html
20-April-2007 -- A lead story in today's edition of The Economist is an attack on the OECD and on me personally as Secretary-General. Drawing on a mixture of innuendo, gossip and partial truths, the European business editor of the Economist, aerospace and defence industry specialist Iain Carson, who is the main author of the article, paints a picture of "an organisation that seems to be lacking in modern rules and practices". He cites unnamed "OECD ambassadors from north European countries" as fearing that "the staid old body may drift into dangerous waters."
Before dealing individually with the specifics of this attack, I should like to make a general point. As Secretary General of the OECD since June 2006, I have spoken out vigorously in favour of international efforts to fight the scourge of corruption in the global economy. I am equally determined to root out any hint of favouritism or corruption within the OECD Secretariat.
We are indeed in dangerous waters. Not only multilateral organisations but businesses and national governments all have a role to play in fighting corruption wherever it rears its head. The OECD's prime role in this respect is to assist the 36 countries that are parties to the OECD anti-Bribery Convention in ensuring that each one of them fulfils their commitments. In recent months, a number of significant cases have been exposed to the public gaze and discussed by the OECD's Working Group on Bribery. It is no surprise that this attack occurs at this time.
In this context, clearly, the OECD's internal management practices must be exemplary. That is why I have initiated changes in management and hiring procedures to ensure that the OECD Secretariat follows best practices at all levels. In entrusting oversight of this process as Executive Director from 1 June 2007 to Patrick van Haute, a senior Belgian diplomat who is currently Belgium's Ambassador to the OECD, I believe that I have chosen someone with the experience and judgement needed to make these changes work. All future appointments, similarly, will be designed to uphold the OECD's reputation, not only as a purveyor, but also as an observer of best practices.
Allow me now to deal with some of the factual points used by Mr. Carson to support the innuendo on which his article is based.
1. In paragraph two of his article, Mr. Carson refers to apparent shortcomings in the OECD's "internal workings". The OECD is governed by rules that are determined by its members, and I am committed to their enforcement and continuous improvement. Mr. Carson cites a letter to me from the Canadian delegation, dated April 4 2007, but he neglects to cite my response. Both letters, which I provided to Mr. Carson, are contained in an annex to this statement.
AND MUCH MORE....
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________
OECD
Statement by the Secretary-General, Angel Gurría, in reply to an article in The Economist of 20 April 2007
http://www.oecd.org/document/38/0,2340,en_2649_201185_38438438_1_1_1_1,00.html
20-April-2007 -- A lead story in today's edition of The Economist is an attack on the OECD and on me personally as Secretary-General. Drawing on a mixture of innuendo, gossip and partial truths, the European business editor of the Economist, aerospace and defence industry specialist Iain Carson, who is the main author of the article, paints a picture of "an organisation that seems to be lacking in modern rules and practices". He cites unnamed "OECD ambassadors from north European countries" as fearing that "the staid old body may drift into dangerous waters."
Before dealing individually with the specifics of this attack, I should like to make a general point. As Secretary General of the OECD since June 2006, I have spoken out vigorously in favour of international efforts to fight the scourge of corruption in the global economy. I am equally determined to root out any hint of favouritism or corruption within the OECD Secretariat.
We are indeed in dangerous waters. Not only multilateral organisations but businesses and national governments all have a role to play in fighting corruption wherever it rears its head. The OECD's prime role in this respect is to assist the 36 countries that are parties to the OECD anti-Bribery Convention in ensuring that each one of them fulfils their commitments. In recent months, a number of significant cases have been exposed to the public gaze and discussed by the OECD's Working Group on Bribery. It is no surprise that this attack occurs at this time.
In this context, clearly, the OECD's internal management practices must be exemplary. That is why I have initiated changes in management and hiring procedures to ensure that the OECD Secretariat follows best practices at all levels. In entrusting oversight of this process as Executive Director from 1 June 2007 to Patrick van Haute, a senior Belgian diplomat who is currently Belgium's Ambassador to the OECD, I believe that I have chosen someone with the experience and judgement needed to make these changes work. All future appointments, similarly, will be designed to uphold the OECD's reputation, not only as a purveyor, but also as an observer of best practices.
Allow me now to deal with some of the factual points used by Mr. Carson to support the innuendo on which his article is based.
1. In paragraph two of his article, Mr. Carson refers to apparent shortcomings in the OECD's "internal workings". The OECD is governed by rules that are determined by its members, and I am committed to their enforcement and continuous improvement. Mr. Carson cites a letter to me from the Canadian delegation, dated April 4 2007, but he neglects to cite my response. Both letters, which I provided to Mr. Carson, are contained in an annex to this statement.
AND MUCH MORE....
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************
****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
**************************************** # posted by SBasefsky : 5:45 AM
