The MENA-OECD Competitiveness Programme
ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT
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The MENA-OECD Competitiveness Programme at a glance
The MENA-OECD Competitiveness Programme is one of the two pillars of the MENA-OECD Initiative on Governance and Competitiveness for Development.
Created at the request of MENA governments in 2005. It is a strategic partnership that brings together MENA and OECD governments, the international community, civil society and the private sector to address regional needs and national priorities.
The Programme covers all MENA economies and operates in a dual track approach:
1. Regional policy dialogue and
2. Activities and country-specific programmes and projects.
The Programme actively engages with MENA economies to support their efforts towards achieving inclusive growth. It focuses on six policy areas:
1. Women’s economic empowerment
2. Investment and trade
3. SMEs and entrepreneurship
4. Business Integrity
5. Economic Resilience
6. Private sector mobilisation and public-private dialogue.
Based on OECD expertise, standards and tools, the Programme:
l Combines policy dialogue, peer learning and capacity-building activities to support MENA economies in implementing reforms and policies.
l Ensures gender mainstreaming through all activities in addition to implementing specific projects focusing on women’s economic empowerment.
1 The MENA-OECD Competitiveness Programme
Since 2005, the OECD and MENA countries have worked together under the framework of the MENA-OECD Initiative on Governance and Competitiveness for Development to promote policy dialogue, analysis, and capacity building to achieve effective policy reforms. This partnership was renewed in 2021 for its fifth mandate. The work conducted under the Initiative relies on OECD standards, instruments, and good practices, building on its working methods of policy dialogue, peer exchange and learning.
The MENA-OECD Competitiveness Programme supports reforms to mobilise investment, private sector development and entrepreneurship as driving forces for job creation and inclusive and resilient growth in the MENA region. It promotes women economic empowerment and youth inclusion, and the green and digital transformations and contributes to attaining the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and Goals.
The Programme covers Algeria, bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestinian Authority, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
Focus areas and structure of the MENA-OECD
Competitiveness Programme
THEMATIC FOCUS
Women’s economic empowerment
Investment and trade
SMEs and entrepreneurship
Business integrity
Economic resilience
Private sector mobilisation and Public-Private dialogue
Enhancing Public-Private dialogue on competitiveness policies between governments, the private sector and civil society
Advancing women’s participation in all levels of the economy and society
Stimulating trade and investment through an improved investment climate and enhanced regional and global trade integration
Competitiveness and private sector development
Engaging the public and private sectors to support building economic resilience in fragile contexts
Promoting start-ups and SME development as an engine for decent job creation and inclusive and sustainable growth
Enhancing integrity in business and reducing corruption
Financial contributions
Key Donors
l Egypt
l European Union
l Germany GIZ
l International Monetary Fund
l Japan
l Morocco
l Portugal
l Saudi Arabia
l Siemens Golden Stretch Funding
l Sweden
l Türkiye
l UAE
Institutional Structure of the MENA -OECD Competitiveness Programme
l Programme chaired by MENA and OECD
l Ministerial Meeting – endorses mandate, sets long term priorities
l Steering Group – monitors progress, sets medium term priorities
2Policy areas
Women’s economic empowerment
Rates of women’s education have increased dramatically in the MENA region
Enrollments in tertiary education in 2020:
Regional female labour force participation remains low
Participation in the labour force in 2021:
Women’s access to employment and entrepreneurship not only increases productivity but also reduces poverty, helping to create more resilient and inclusive societies. Although major challenges still exist, MENA economies have stepped up their reform and policy efforts, resulting in narrowed gender gaps in education. The increase in skills is yet to translate to employment opportunies with gender disparities in labour force participation and entrepreneurship in the region remaining the highest in the world.
The Programme supports MENA economies in view of the adoption of legal and policy reforms in favour of women’s economic empowerment, in line with OECD standards and instruments, in particular the 2013 OECD Recommendation on Gender Equality in Education, Employment and Entrepreneurship.
Gender disparities in entrepreneurship are persistent in the region
Business ownership in 202?:
KEY FACTS & FIGURES
Women’s economic empowerment
The 2021-2025 Programme of Work employs policy dialogues to promote peer learning and sharing of good practices at the regional level, with targeted policy advice at the national level with the specific objectives of:
Promoting adherence to OECD standards on gender equality
Enhancing gender mainstreaming in economic policies
Ensuring better conditions for women’s access to employment and entrepreneurship
Changing laws and gender norms
Collecting better gender data to inform policymaking and programming
Activities:
l The Women’s Economic Empowerment Forum (WEEF), launched in 2017, is a regional network platform for policy dialogue, fostering regional cooperation and knowledge-sharing. The Forum has played a critical role in supporting policy discussions and setting priorities for reforms which target women’s access to economic opportunities across the MENA region.
l The Country Programmes in Morocco and Egypt include projects dedicated to promoting women’s economic empowerment (WEE). These national programmes complement the regional work on WEE and lead to in-depth policy advice and recommendations guiding the design and implementation of strategies, action plans and reforms.
Selected achievements:
l Strengthened statistical capacities through technical assistance and capacity-building workshops.
l Increased dissemination of OECD cross-house analysis, including the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)
l Building closer ties with other international organisations resulting in a wider reach within the private sector and civil society
l Special focus on the structural barriers for women’s digital inclusion in MENA, offering policy solutions to make digital a catalyst for WEE
l Country-specific work provided targeted support to policy reforms relating to WEE in line with the OECD Recommendation on Gender Equality in Education, Employment and Entrepreneurship, drawing on examples of good practices implemented within OECD countries.
Investment and trade
KEY FACTS & FIGURES
FDI net inflows accounts for
The oil industry dominates the MENA region’s trade (imports and exports) and with the rest of the world, representing roughly:
Enhancing trade and investment is important for MENA economies aiming to strengthen their position as a gateway to African, European, and Asian markets. While the region’s governments have advanced ambitious reforms to improve the investment climate and attract foreign direct investment (FDI), structural challenges in connectivity, or lack of private competitiveness, as well as inadequate trade policies continue to constrain investment and further participation in global value chains, aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Programme supports MENA economies’ reform efforts, on redefining trade and investment strategies, enhancing policy coherence and harmonisation, and promoting better integration at all levels to support inclusive growth and regional integration.
Investment and trade
Its Programme of Work for 2021-2025 combines policy dialogues to promote peer learning and sharing of good practices at the regional level, with targeted policy advice at the national level with the specific objectives of:
Building capacity to use OECD tools and develop trade and investment statistics to better orient policies
Encouraging sound, inclusive and coherent investment and trade policies
Promoting a regional dialogue connecting different stakeholders
Promoting quality investment and a transparent and predictable environment for investors
Facilitating trade, investment and integration into regional and global value chains.
Supporting and monitoring reforms at the national and regional levels
Investment and trade
The MENA-OECD Working Group on Investment and Trade (WGTI), chaired by Japan and Jordan, promotes policy dialogue and analysis on trade and investment interconnections in MENA economies. Building on relevant OECD policy and statistical tools, the WGTI provides policy orientations to maximise synergies between trade and investment, and recommendations to strengthen reform implementation and evaluation.
Selected achievements:
l Supported the integration of MENA countries into OECD statistical databases and benchmarking tools.
l Through the EU-OECD Programme on Investment in the Mediterranean, supported national policy dialogues convening key decision-makers and private sector representatives to identify reform priorities and outcome-oriented actions to improve the investment climate in targeted countries sectors (i.e., ICT in Jordan, Agri- food in Egypt, Pharmaceutical in Tunisia). The level of engagement of stakeholders during these public-private consultations demonstrated the role of the Programme in providing new spaces for dialogues to promote business climate reforms.
l Through the EU-OECD Programme on Investment in the Mediterranean, provided i) specific policy recommendations on investment law revisions and implementation, ii) facilitated peer
learning on institutional reforms of investment promotion agencies, iii) strengthened country-specific capacities related to negotiation of investment agreements in line with the OECD countries practices and global policy developments.
l Enhanced co-operation with regional organisations (Union for the Mediterranean, Arab League) and multilateral initiatives (G20, Deauville Partnership) on investment and trade issue to promote coordinated policy reforms.
SMEs and entrepreneurship
KEY FACTS & FIGURES
SMEs and self-employed people represent the vast majority of business units in the MENA region, yet they account for low shares of formal private sector employment (about 30%) compared to OECD countries (about 60%). When both formal and informal employment are considered, the share in MENA raises to 70%.
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and self-employed people are major economic and social agents, contributing to important shares of employment, production, innovation and value creation. More effective SME policies in the MENA region would lead to job creation, higher productivity, and greater innovation by introducing new ideas, products, services, and business models.
Unexpected shocks make it even more pressing to support SMEs and the self-employed, as disruptions to activity and uncertain recovery put those actors under immense pressure.
MENA: 70% OECD: 60%
SMEs play a substantial role in formal employment in the private sector in Egypt (around 33%), Jordan (around 43%), Lebanon (55%), Morocco (nearly 30%), the Palestinian Authority (over 90%) and Tunisia (nearly 40%).
Prior to the pandemic, only 8% of SMEs in the MENA region had an online presence (compared to 80% in the United States) and only 1.5% of the region’s retailers were online.
A small proportion of SMEs have a loan or line of credit: only 8% of debt goes to SMEs in the MENA region. This is lower than the average of 18% for middle-income countries and 22% for high-income countries.
The MENA-OECD Competitiveness Programme seeks to specifically address these challenges and promote SME and entrepreneurship development in MENA region. Its Programme of work for 2021-2025 combines policy dialogues to promote peer learning and sharing of good practices at the regional level, with targeted policy advice at the national level with the following specific objectives:
Identify and support reforms for more effective SME policies based on the methodology of the OECD SME Policy Index.
Contribute to improving business environments for SMEs and entrepreneurs.
Facilitate the exchange of experience in key SME areas such as access to finance, access to public procurement and business development services.
Make entrepreneurship an important tool for inclusive growth in the MENA region.
Provide targeted policy responses to the large variety of SMEs in the region (family owned, informal, micro enterprises, midsize enterprises) to promote growth and decent jobs
1 2 3 4 5
SMEs and entrepreneurship
The MENA-OECD Working Group on SME Policy & Entrepreneurship, co-chaired by Tunisia and Italy, is the Programme’s vehicle to foster regional dialogue and peer learning among MENA economies and OECD countries, regional organisations, and representatives of the private sector on SME’s and entrepreneurship promotion. It supports the identification of good policy practices and reforms at the regional level based on the methodology of the OECD SME Policy Index.
Selected achievements:
l Contributed to monitoring the impact of COVID-19 on small businesses during the pandemic to provide timely, evidencebased policy recommendations for MENA SMEs practitioners and support their effort to offset structural constraints on the sector. The Programme provided analysis as part of the publication on “Navigating beyond COVID-19: Recovery in the MENA region” and practical guidance to include SMEs in wider policies for the postpandemic economic recovery.
l Contributed to strengthened capacities among MENA policymakers and SMEs practitioners to design frameworks and policies for sound policies that support SMEs development.
l Raised awareness on the role of SMEs in fostering economic resilience.
l Contributed to the dissemination of best practices to promote the financial inclusion as well as the green and digital transformations of SMEs in MENA.
l Engaged with ILO and UNDP in a cooperation to promote dialogue on effective policies to help informal labour and business transition to formality in the region. Initial work focused on Egypt, Iraq and Jordan.
Business integrity
KEY FACTS & FIGURES
Corruption continues to act as major impediment to fair market conditions in MENA economies, eroding trust in governments and severely impacting economic growth.
Business integrity is central to the development of competitive and open economies in which growth and opportunities are sustainably and equitably distributed.
The MENA-OECD Competitiveness Programme works to foster transparent public-private dialogue and improve business integrity across the MENA region, in line with OECD standards and instruments, notably the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions.
In 2019, 40% of private firms in MENA economies indicated corruption as major or severe constraint to their business.
The Programme has taken a stance in tackling corruption in the region with dedicated policy dialogue and capacity-building activities, leveraging OECD standards, good practices, and legal instruments to support the regional and national efforts towards a transparent level playing field for businesses and citizens. The Programme of Work for 2021-2025 on business integrity aims to:
Raise awareness and enhance the understanding of public officials of the detrimental impact of corruption on the business climate and attracting foreign investment.
Support the convergence of MENA regulatory frameworks and businesses with internationally recognised integrity norms, standards and best practices.
Build a culture of responsibility and accountability among SOEs to prevent corruption.
Provide an effective platform for peer learning, sharing tools and best practices, both of government actions and on voluntary corporate compliance.
1 2 3 4 5
Support government actions to promote clean business, such as defining standards and imposing sanctions through legislation, enforcement and prosecution, and raising awareness and incentivising companies to comply
Business integrity
The MENA-OECD Business Integrity Network (MOBIN) is a regional platform that promotes policy dialogue on business integrity in the region. It brings together regional businesses and public anti-corruption officials to build awareness on the tools, instruments and standards to fight corruption and develop a culture of business integrity.
Selected achievements:
l At the regional and national level, contributed to strengthen business integrity practitioners’ capacities to implement anti-corruption measures (detection and investigation of corruption).
l In the framework of the country-specific activities, namely Algeria, Iraq and Morocco, built awareness amongst stakeholders from both the public and private sectors and the civil society on OECD standards, notably the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention, and good practices in the areas of business integrity and anti-corruption including collective action mechanisms.
l Strengthened collaboration with business organisations (chambers of commerce, business associations etc) in the region and other multilateral actors engaged in the field of business integrity on promoting public-private dialogue on anti-corruption.
Economic resilience
KEY FACTS & FIGURES
The rapid increase in exposure to food insecurity is one of the defining trends in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, where the number of people exposed increased from 45.4 million in 2020 to 60.5 million in 2021. Syria and Yemen account for more than half of the people in the region facing acute food insecurity.
As protracted conflicts continue to have a devastating impact on societies across the region, with spill over effects on neighbouring states and deep developmental setbacks, it is important to involve conflict-affected and fragile economies into the MENA-OECD regional process. Promoting resilience requires addressing short-term issues while providing long-term solutions that can minimise the impact of future shocks.
MENA countries are characterised by low levels of social protection spending, varying on average between 2.5% and 7.6% of GDP compared to the OECD average of 20%.
Access to water has emerged as one of the most significant issues facing the MENA region, which accounts for 12 of the 17 most water-stressed countries in the world.
Therefore, the MENA-OECD Competitiveness Programmes recognises the importance of working across the humanitarian, development, peace nexus to harness economic resilience and prosperity.
The Programme of work for 2021-2025 articulated the economic resilience work around the following specific objectives:
Deliver detailed analyses of how fragility can create a vicious macroeconomic cycle by stifling foreign direct investment, trade and economic growth, thereby weakening an already volatile context and generating even greater fragility.
Raise awareness about how conflict and fragility are closely related to economic performance.
Promote sound legal investment frameworks and promotion tools adapted to fragile contexts to mitigate risks and attract the private sector.
Provide insights into the multiple ways that fragility negatively impacts livelihoods, ranging from unemployment to displacement and beyond.
Promote policy dialogue at the national and international levels, and contribute to coordination among key stakeholders.
Support affected countries in addressing pressing challenges and preparing the ground for economic recovery.
1 2 3 4 5 6
Economic resilience
The MENA-OECD Economic Resilience Task Force (ERTF), chaired by Germany and Lebanon, is the Programme’s dialogue platform that gathers economies from the region to address the economic challenges of conflict and fragility to sustain growth.
The OECD engaged with several partners in Iraq, Libya, Palestinian Authority and Yemen, to provide targeted policy advice on economic resilience.
Selected achievements:
l Through country-specific work, contributed to increasing stakeholders’ capacities in promoting economic resilience measures and policies and creating space for policy dialogue to enable decisionmakers to identify transitional and reform priorities to improve the regulatory framework and business environment. More specifically, the capacity-building and policy dialogue activities undertaken allowed stakeholders to acquire tools and methodologies to:
a. Design economic, monetary, and financial frameworks and policies.
b. Implement and monitor sound fiscal policy (GST).
c. Strengthen network industry regulations.
d. Build data collection systems to better inform policymaking based on OECD standards and tools; and
e. Enhance engagement between the private and public sector through public advocacy.
l Disseminated trainings materials and tools through Knowledge Platforms accessible to all stakeholders (e.g. https://www.ppd-libya.org/ and https://resilience-yemen.org/) to ensure ownership and sustainability of the capacity-building activities.
l Systematically aligned with other multilateral initiatives carried to support economic resilience in conflict settings. Regular engagement and consultations with multilateral and bilateral development partners and donors contributed to creating consensus on the need for achieving more consistent aid delivery, build a shared strategic narrative for donor interventions and map financing initiatives to streamline support to conflict-affected economies.
Private sector mobilisation and public-private dialogue
Public-Private Dialogue (PPD) is a tool to create effective and transparent reform coalitions to inform the design and implementation of policies while building trust between economic actors. Partnering with the private sector in a structured, systematic, and transparent way is key to supporting reform efforts aimed at improving the business environment and fostering job creation amongst other policy goals. The MENA-OECD
Competitiveness Programme mainstreams Public-Private Dialogue throughout its work streams.
The 2021-2025 Programme of Work under this policy area combines regional policy dialogues and country-specific policy recommendations to achieve the following objectives:
Strengthen the capacity of business and industry associations to develop their policy-advocacy role in order to point out relevant issues and voice their messages in a coherent and structured way.
1
Build institutional frameworks that ensure the participation and contribution of the private sector and other stakeholders in decision-making processes in order to achieve better policy outcomes.
2
Address the specific needs of female entrepreneurs and support the role of women in business activities.
3
The MENA-OECD Business Advisory Board (BAB) is a dedicated regional platform which promotes public-private dialogue. Open to private sector organisations from MENA economies and OECD countries, it is a unique network of business associations creating opportunities for networking, sharing knowledge and good practices across MENA and OECD countries. The BAB relies on tools and analysis developed by the OECD, including strategic private sector organisations mappings, assessments of the status of private sector representation, and PublicPrivate Dialogue mechanisms in the MENA region.
Selected achievements:
l Developed a Toolkit for successful Public-Private Dialogue, drawing on years of experience in the MENA region. The toolkit provides concrete recommendations on how to organise a successful PPD process, highlights potential risk factors and includes a user-friendly checklist.
l Provided capacity-building activities to improve the policy advocacy role of private sector organisations in collaboration with leading businesses representation, such as Business at OECD.
l Fostered discussions with the private sector on improving the business climate for investment and provided actionable recommendations based on OECD tools and instruments
3Country Programmes and country- specific collaboration
Country Programmes are an innovative OECD tool that enables selected partner economies to leverage OECD expertise and best practices, strengthen institutions, build capacity for successful policy reforms, and align themselves to OECD standards. The MENA-OECD Competitiveness Programme coordinates the Egypt Country Programme. Additionally, the OECD has several Memoranda of Understanding in place, setting a framework for additional enhanced cooperation on a country-specific level.
EGYPT Egypt
In October 2021, the OECD and Egypt signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the three-year Country Programme.
Building on OECD expertise, the Programme combines policy reviews and capacity-building activities to provide guidance for the successful design and implementation of structural reforms to address Egypt’s main
l Inclusive and sustainable economic growth: This pillar aims to support Egypt in addressing bottlenecks to productivity growth, supporting the improvement of the business climate, promoting competition in the economy, and developing financial markets, to nurture a more competitive and inclusive economy.
l Innovation and digital transformation: This pillar aim to support the development of Egypt’s digital economy including in education policy and human capital development, to promote innovation, improve the quality of life of Egyptian citizens and raise standards of living and work opportunities.
economic challenges. Egypt’s adherence to OECD legal instruments and Egypt’s participation in OECD committees are important aspects of the Programme. The Programme includes 35 projects under five pillars, in line with the priorities of Egypt’s revised sustainable development strategy Egypt Vision 2030:
l Governance and anti-corruption: This pillar aim to strengthen governance frameworks that promote levelling the playing field for the private sector, business integrity, and support equal access to justice and gender equality through good public governance practices.
l Statistics: This pillar aims to improve statistical methods and the overall governance of statistics systems in Egypt, which is essential to gather comprehensive
evidence, including on the state of the economy, the population, the territory, and the environment.
l Sustainable development: This pillar aims to support Egypt in strengthening the frameworks governing the implementation of the social, economic and environmental dimensions of Vision 2030 to promote green growth, quality infrastructure investments, and territorial development.
MOROCCO
Morocco
l For almost 20 years, the OECD has been supporting Morocco’s commitment towards achieving better social and economic development policies through leveraging OECD’s methodology, tools, and best practices. This longstanding partnership led Morocco to become the first country in the MENA region to benefit from an OECD Country Programme. The OECD
implemented the first phase of the Country Programme between 2015 and 2018 and the second phase 2021-2024, supporting Morocco’s increased level of participation in seven OECD bodies and its adherence to 20 OECD legal instruments,
l On 11 September 2024 OECD SecretaryGeneral Mathias Cormann and
Morocco’s Head of Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding marking the launch of an impact-driven action plan, building on past achievements and Morocco’s strong leadership. For the first time, the partnership includes a regional dimension that focuses on a triangular cooperation to boost economic integration in West Africa.
SAUDI ARA b IA
Saudi Arabia
On 17 January 2024, the OECD and Saudi Arabia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). In addition, a comprehensive Action Plan for strengthening co-operation between the OECD and Saudi Arabia was officially launched in Riyadh on 5 November 2024. The Action Plan aims to support Saudi Arabia in designing, advancing, and aligning its economic and social reforms with international standards, drawing on the OECD’s expertise and best practices. It fosters a systematic and
l Good Governance: This Pillar emphasises the importance of transparency, accountability, and good governance as key components of the country’s efforts to improve public administration, combat corruption and build a fair and sustainable economic environment.
collaborative approach to cooperation, enhancing the effectiveness of initiatives and enabling a comprehensive assessment of outcomes and impacts in achieving competitive, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth.
Aligned with Saudi Arabia’s reform agenda and Vision 2030, the Action Plan includes 14 projects under three pillars:
l Levelling the Playing Field for Open Markets and Economic Integration: Creating a level playing field is essential for fostering fair competition and economic integration. This necessitates the establishment of sound policies in key areas such as corporate governance, finance, investment, competition, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), entrepreneurship, trade facilitation, and anti-corruption. The Action Plan helps Saudi Arabia assess its performance and identify areas for reform. It offers evidence-based policy recommendations and best practices for systematic approaches to policymaking and implementation based on OECD standards.
l Inclusive Society: Saudi Arabia and the OECD recognise the importance of fostering inclusive and resilient economic development. By advancing initiatives in environmental sustainability, modernising education with emerging technologies, and empowering women across all sectors, the Action Plan aims to drive sustainable economic growth, reinforce social cohesion, and improve overall societal well-being.
UAE
UNITED ARA b EMIRATES
The collaboration between the OECD and the UAE has strengthened over the past decade, driven by shared goals and mutual interests. Formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in June 2020, this partnership has been reinforced by the UAE’s active participation in the OECD-MENA Initiative. Notable achievements in this collaboration include high level engagement through the UAE World Governance Forum (WGB) and the successful completion of Phase I of the Policy Alignment Project, which assessed key UAE policies in investment, competition, corporate governance, and entrepreneurship, benchmarking them against OECD best practices and instruments, and providing valuable insights for further alignment.
In 2024, the UAE has expressed a renewed commitment to deepening its engagement with the OECD through a more structured and comprehensive approach, aiming for increased participation in OECD committees and a more robust alignment with international standards.
In 2025, a renewed MoU is set to expand cooperation into new and strategic areas. Additionally, the Phase II of the Policy Alignment Project will prioritise Tourism and strategies to elevate the UAE’s regional role through greater engagement in the MENA OECD Initiative, positioning the country as a leader in regional policy dialogue and development.
Yemen
The EU-OECD project “Promoting Economic Resilience in Yemen” builds on OECD expertise to support Yemen in addressing economic challenges exacerbated by conflict. Launched in 2020, the project focuses on strengthening economic institutions, fostering public-private dialogue, and enhancing donor coordination to lay the groundwork for inclusive economic recovery. Through tailored capacity-building activities, peer-learning initiatives, and targeted policy support, the project has directly engaged over
300 officials across 12 public institutions. The project aligns with Yemen’s national economic priorities and international frameworks for fragile contexts, delivering impactful outputs such as improved policy planning, strengthened MSME support, and enhanced economic governance. The project also emphasises collaboration with international partners, including the IMF, World Bank, and UNDP, to ensure synergies and promote sustainable economic resilience.
The OECD Istanbul Centre
Istanbul
The OECD Istanbul Centre plays a critical role in support the OECD Global Relations Strategy, by strengthening horizontal collaboration and synergies between different regions of the world.
Established in 2022, the Centre is as a platform for the promotion and dissemination of OECD standards, best practices, and knowledge sharing, with partner countries and regions. Through analytical work, conferences, capacity building and high-level meetings, the Centre deepens multilateral co-operation and is a hub for OECD’s regional programmes, including the MENA-OECD Competitiveness Programme.
The Istanbul Centre promotes long-term thinking with partners, to develop common approaches for responding to pressing challenges and provide effective policy responses and capacity building. The programme of work of the Centre focuses on the following policy areas: Climate change, Gender equality, Business climate, Private sector development and informality, Connectivity, Digital economy.
The Centre hosts several regional activities of the MENA-OECD Competitiveness Programme, including the MENA-OECD Business Advisory Board (BAB) and the Working Group on Trade and investment.
Selected publications
Navigating beyond COVID-19 RECOVERY IN THE MENA REGION
Regional Integration in the Union for the Mediterranean PROGRESS REPORT
Middle East and North Africa Investment Policy Perspectives
Competitiveness and Private
Development
Changing Laws and Breaking Barriers for Women’s Economic Empowerment in Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia
