OECD FORUM 2015 HIGHLIGHTS
PROSPERITY
“We must have a keen eye for sustainability and innovation as we work to boost investment, not only because it’s a clear necessity, but also because it provides many promising business opportunities.” Mark Rutte Prime Minister, the Netherlands
PROSPERITY
“Let me put it bluntly: we need to fix this broken investment engine to leave the crisis behind.” Angel Gurría OECD Secretary-General
PEOPLE
“In every country including my own we need ordinary people entering politics. You have to be determined to survive this environment, but quotas help.” Michaela Marksová Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, Czech Republic
PROSPERITY
“The measures we have put in place to get the world economy back on track are unprecedented. We shouldn’t see the present situation as the new normal. If we don’t succeed, we could see a bigger crisis than in 2008.” Kyung Hwan Choi Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Strategy and Finance, Korea
PLANET
“Jamais les conditions n’ont été réunies comme elles le sont aujourd’hui pour que nous reprenions ensemble la maîtrise de notre destin climatique.” Ségolène Royal Minister for the Environment, Sustainable Development and Energy, France
PEOPLE
“Citizen engagement is vital: people want to stay engaged and play a full part as participants in implementation, monitoring progress and holding governments and other stakeholders to account. This is very positive.� Helen Clark Administrator, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
PROSPERITY
“It’s very hard to address inequality, because capital is mobile. But labour is also mobile. Why don’t we let people move around? This would be good for inequality, but of course it comes at a cost.” Marcelo Neri Chief Economist, Center for Social Policies, Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV), Brazil
PEOPLE
“There needs to be an acceleration towards gender balance at all levels, with men and women working together for real change.� Mary Goudie Member, House of Lords, United Kingdom; Founder, The 30% Club
PROSPERITY
“Research has helped overturn a longstanding belief in economics that there’s an ever-present trade-off between inequality and growth. In many cases, precisely the opposite could be true.” Jason Furman Chairman, White House Council of Economic Advisers, United States
PEOPLE “Look at government as a crowdfunded initiative for the good of the people. The question is what are the mechanisms we use: are we using peer to peer mechanisms to figure out the answers to the sharing economy or are we using traditional mindsets and stifling it?� Tatiana Glad Co-Founder, Waterlution; Co-Founder, Impact Hub Amsterdam
PEOPLE “The new poor are the young, children, families, the unemployed.� Aart de Geus Chairman and CEO, Bertelsmann Stiftung
PROSPERITY
“From a purely economic and business point of view, the sharing economy is 4% of GDP and could be more: 7% by 2017, at least 20% by 2020.� Axelle Lemaire Secretary of State for the Digital Economy, Ministry for the Economy, Industry & the Digital Economy, France
PEOPLE
“The millennial generation is looking for meaning, not just money.� Ronald Cohen Chair, G8 Social Impact Investment Taskforce
PEOPLE
“Infrastructure investments create extra demand and confidence in the future. Public-private partnerships are crucial.” İlhami Koç Deputy CEO, Isbank, Turkey
PEOPLE PROSPERITY “Austerity and falling wages kill investment confidence. We need a global investment agenda.” Richard Trumka President, TUAC; President, AFL-CIO
PROSPERITY
“For foreign investment to recover, political stability is key.” Arda Ermut President, Investment Support and Promotion Agency of Turkey (ISPAT); President, WAIPA
PLANET
“There are no jobs on a dead planet. Our sons and daughters may still work in energy, they just won’t work in fossil fuels.” Sharan Burrow General Secretary, International Trade Union Confederation
PEOPLE
“We have two female mayors here, and the mayor of Paris is a woman. A woman will soon be mayor of Barcelona. I’m an immigrant. Women and immigrants are taking over.” Ahmed Aboutaleb Mayor, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
PLANET
“If we make the right choices in terms of low carbon, we’ll save money. Traffic congestion costs the US $1 trillion a year.” Helen Mountford Director of Economics, World Resources Institute; Global Programme Director, New Climate Economy project
PLANET
“Climate change escapes the attention of government ministers who are focusing on short-term problems.” Soogil Young Visiting Professor of Green Growth, KDI, Korea
PEOPLE
“A worker loses his life every 14 seconds because of barbaric working conditions. We have an awful long way to go to get to a virtuous world of healthy and safe workplaces.� Philip J. Jennings General Secretary, UNI Global Union
PROSPERITY “The new production revolution will be the quickest in human history. It is our near future, not our distant future.” Rut Bízková Chairwoman, Technology Agency, Czech Republic
PROSPERITY
“On n’a pas simplement le risque d’avoir des travailleurs pauvres, mais d’avoir des travailleurs “lost in transition, lost in translation”, une catégorie de gens qui ne correspondent pas à la nouvelle croissance.” Harlem Désir Minister of state for European affairs, France
PLANET
“We are holding our breath in anticipation of what will happen at COP21 in Paris. We have gone too far, risked too much, worked too hard to fail now.� Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono Chair, Council, Global Green Growth Institute; Former President, Indonesia
PROSPERITY
“The number one thing we can do to promote inclusive growth is to make sure we get jobs and build the quality of those jobs.” Phil O’Reilly Chair, BIAC
PEOPLE
“Our board is almost equal, with 44% female representation. I am pro-quotas. What gets measured, gets done.� Michel Landel CEO and Member of the Board of Directors, President of Executive Committee, Sodexo
PROSPERITY
“Too often I see fear-driven hesitation, a tendency towards protectionism as a perceived medicine against innovations and the disruptions they may bring.� Marietje Schaake Member, European Parliament
PEOPLE
“Companies are not human enough to actually solve issues about minerals in fragile states.� Bas van Abel Designer & Founder, Fairphone
PROSPERITY
“A global labour market has already emerged, but we lack the institutions to make it work. A real problem is the location mismatch between available jobs and employees.� Jacques van den Broek CEO and Chairman of the Executive Board, Randstad
PEOPLE
“We women wake up feeling guilty and then ask why we are guilty. If we take that word out of our vocabulary we can succeed.” Clara Gaymard President, Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society
PROSPERITY
“Exam rooms are testing and rewarding for the exact opposite set of skills that most employers say they want.” Andrew Bollington Global Head of Research and Learning, LEGO Foundation
PEOPLE
“As an entrepreneur, we need to learn how to fail and learn from it. But our schools are based on how to become the best and how not to fail.� Michel Visser Founder, Konnektid
PEOPLE
“You don’t empower a woman by disempowering a man.” Farah Mohamed Founder & CEO, G(irls)20
PEOPLE
“Last year 279 molecules were tested for treating Alzheimer’s, but they all failed!” Cyril Schiever President, MSD France
PROSPERITY
“It is very important to have well capitalised banks - they can provide credit and financial services even in times of economic stress.” Danièle Nouy Chair, Supervisory Board, European Central Bank
PLANET “The fatal mistake is that we think that economists can provide the answer. 400 million people in India will go home to a house without electricity; this is not a sharing economy, they have nothing to share!� Chandran Nair Founder and Chief Executive, Global Institute For Tomorrow (GIFT)
PLANET
81% of the audience think that prospects for a global climate deal are better now than in 2009. Wisembly vote on climate
PLANET “There has never been a better opportunity to borrow for green investment. Future generations will view our failure to do so as unbelievably stupid. I mean, unbelievably stupid.� Martin Wolf Chief Economics Commentator, Financial Times
PEOPLE
“Reduced democracy and increased populism can be a huge threat to the world economy. That has to do with inequality.” Maria Luis Albuquerque Minister of State and Finance, Portugal
PLANET
“Water is a global issue but the response must be at local level. We need to find local solutions for water.� Pierre Victoria Director for Sustainable Development, Veolia Environnement
PROSPERITY
“There is only a 5% increase in business investment since 2007, in previous cycles it would have been 40%. The economy is failing in terms of investment.” Catherine L. Mann Chief Economist, OECD
PROSPERITY
“We think that big decisions on innovation should be taken by companies, with government helping through a stable policy environment.� Henk Kamp Minister of Economic Affairs, the Netherlands
PEOPLE “Successful multinational companies are currently allowed to get away with paying no taxes, creating huge economic inequality and diminishing budgets of public services for the poor. This is a universal problem affecting rich and poor countries alike.” Céline Charveriat Director of Advocacy & Campaigns, Oxfam International
PLANET
“Water is the number one global risk: 90% of the natural disasters in the world are water-related. We have no excuse, we have to act now!� Henk Ovink Water Envoy, the Netherlands
PEOPLE, PLANET, PROSPERITY “As the Dutch say, “only the sun rises for free” (Voor niets gaat de zon op). The rest is up to us! Let us grasp the light and make sure that 2015 goes down in history as the year in which we finally made it happen.” Angel Gurría OECD Secretary-General
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