OECD Forum 2016 - Highlights

Paris, 31 May-1 June www.oecd.org/forum

“While raising productivity is a key challenge for all our countries ‌ the increasing complexity of social challenges and the need for policies to adapt to these changes places the inclusiveness dimension at the core of policy making.â€?

Michelle Bachelet President, Chile

“The history of human civilisation is also the history of the quest for freedom. Every day there is something happening in the world that moves us towards freedom, and that means more transparency, more accountability… these are the ingredients of freedom.”

Kailash Satyarthi Nobel Peace Laureate; Founder, Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation

“This year we focus on the ultimate economic and social challenge – how to improve the productivity of our economies while also creating more inclusive societies.”

Angel Gurría Secretary-General, OECD

“Children are by nature completely creative. We mess them up in our linear systems and in the way that we set up our education systems.�

HRH Princess Laurentien of The Netherlands Founder & Managing Director, Missing Chapter Foundation

“Be careful about early withdrawals of monetary policy, this could be a policy mistake.

Interruptions of monetary policy support should not be too early.�

Rodrigo Valdes Minister of Finance, Chile

“We need to redesign our country to understand where our governance knots are and where our robust institutions need change. That’s why we are so keen to join the OECD.” Ana Helena Chacón Vice President, Costa Rica

“We need to use technology and have Latin America be part of the technological revolution, unlike the industrial revolution where we were not on the train. For that you need trust and openness when it comes to governments�

Luis Alberto Moreno President, Inter-American Development Bank

“Are we prepared for the digitalisation of the economy?

How are we going to provide the necessary social services? The economy in itself will have to provide the answers, and for this we will need closer co-operation between the public and private sectors.”

Ximena Rincón Minister, Labour & Social Security, Chile

“Productivity growth in the OECD area has declined from the 1990s and income inequality has increased in all countries. That’s why we’re looking at how the productivity-inclusiveness nexus shows possible linkages and points to win-win-policies.”

Gabriela Ramos Chief of Staff, G20 Sherpa & Special Counsellor to the Secretary-General, OECD

“It’s great to have economists and lawyers discussing migrants, but we need anthropologists! More anthropological approaches, describing how we react differently, will be the solution to integration.”

Pascal Lamy President emeritus, Jacques Delors Institute, France

“What is at stake in terms of cybersecurity is probably as important as what has been at stake so far in terms of trying to deliver peace across the world.�

Axelle Lemaire Secretary of State for the Digital Economy, Ministry for the Economy, the Industry & the Digital Economy, France

“We’ve achieved a globalisation of everything but labour.”

César A. Hidalgo Assistant Professor of Media Arts and Sciences, MIT Media Lab

“We will make progress, we, big organisations, if we talk to unions and NGOs.�

Michel Landel CEO & Member of the Board of Directors, President of Executive Committee, Sodexo

“There is a real shortage of skills to get the jobs that complement new technologies. Education systems have not adapted.�

Diane Coyle Professor of Economics, University of Manchester, United Kingdom; Director, Enlightenment Economics

“Some of the countries that are most vocal on tax actually control havens they could close down tomorrow. There is a credibility gap.�

Pravin Jamandas Gordhan Minister of Finance, South Africa

“Trade is not delivering because trade is not sustainable enough. It needs to deliver to all, it needs to address inequality at a global level.�

Lilianne Ploumen Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, the Netherlands

“The digital age is in favour of females – such a female-friendly industry! This digital world is all about cyber and virtual, all you need is your brain.”

Haruno Yoshida Vice-Chairperson, Keidanren, Japan

“Digital technology is providing a tool, but not necessarily a solution.

Information is more freely available, but that information may be contradictory or confusing.�

Jason Sadler President, International Markets, Cigna

“We can’t ask students to be creative and bold unless teachers are creative and bold. That’s where our challenge lies.”

Lin Kobayashi School Founder and Chair of the Board - International School of Asia, Karuizawa, Japan

“We have nerdy organisations like the OECD telling us if we expand infrastructure spending, we’ll get more growth and reduce our public debt to GDP. The IMF says the same. But policy makers are not following that advice.”

Jason Furman Chairman, White House Council of Economic Advisers, United States

“Too often we blame schools for bad economic outcomes. We want to think about what kind of society we want, what kind of citizens we want, and not as much about the economic outcomes.�

Bill Spriggs Chief Economist, AFL-CIO

“You can’t wait until you retire to suddenly get healthy.”

Julie L. Gerberding Executive Vice President Strategic Communications, Global Public Policy, and Population Health, MSD

“The question is, are cities going to be magnets of knowledge, ideas, people, resources or are they going to be ticking time bombs? Cities are not just accumulations of houses but concentrations of opportunities.�

Alejandro Aravena Executive Director, ELEMENTAL, Chile

“There’s no visibility for women in Latin America, there’s no data.

The private sector doesn’t even know what the pay gap is.”

Janet Awad Region Chair of Latin America & Country President, Sodexo Chile

“Maybe robots are not everywhere yet. But they will be, and we need to be ready for that.”

Julien Seret VP Enterprise & EMEA Marketing, SoftBank Robotics

“One of the issues the government is now focusing on is regulation – rethinking regulation so that new arrivals making new products can continue to thrive. It is very clear that we can do more.”

Tuuli Kaskinen Executive Director, Demos Helsinki, Finland

“I don’t think democracy and capitalism can survive if we condemn an entire generation to a lower standard of living than the generation before.”

Shiv Malik Journalist and Author, The Guardian

“The longer the global economy remains in this low-growth trap, the harder it will be for governments to meet fundamental promises. The consequences of policy inaction will be low career prospects for today’s youth … and lower retirement income for future pensioners.”

Catherine L. Mann Chief Economist, OECD

“Governments have to rethink regulation so that new arrivals making new products can continue to thrive. It is very clear that we can do more.�

Sang Woo Kim President, Corporate Affairs Europe, Samsung Electronics

“As the economy becomes more digital, the digital divide will become even more important … this means governments have to be very proactive in providing infrastructure everywhere in a country.”

Andrés Gómez-Lobo Minister of Transport & Telecommunications, Chile

“Development cannot take place without a peaceful environment, so this becomes one of the basic challenges of the realisation of the SDGs.�

Peter Turkson President, Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace

“What are the different attitudes that we are teaching boys and girls? Stereotypes begin early and affect the educational decisions that women and men take.”

Alejandra Sepúlveda Executive Director, Comunidad Mujer, Chile

“By 2020 we expect to be able to keep our growth at around 6-7%.

When it comes to 2030 we feel that we could maintain about 5.5% annual GDP growth.”

Li Wei President, Development Research Center, State Council, People’s Republic of China

“There is no stability – the entire planet is being run by the shorttermism of central money.”

Paul Mason Author, Postcapitalism: A Guide to Our Future

“Paternity leave builds parenting skills in men and that helps to change attitudes and shift the balance of responsibilities.�

Yoon-Sun Cho former Minister of Gender Equality and Family, Korea; former Senior Secretary for Political Affairs, Office of the President, Korea

“Avec la digitalisation on est en train de créer une zone grise où les gens ne sont pas des vrais indépendants et ne sont pas des vrais salariés. Les personnes travaillent dans un contexte impossible – sans garanties.”

Jean-Claude Mailly General Secretary, Force Ouvrière (FO), France

“Too many young people are graduating in psychology, but we’re missing data scientists.”

Eric Labaye Chairman, McKinsey Global Institute

“Governments often take a short-term silo approach to health questions. We need to have a holistic view of health that goes beyond short-term parliamentary cycles.�

Martin Price Vice President, Health Economics, Market Access & Reimbursement, Janssen Europe, Middle East and Africa

“Tax avoidance is only the tip of the iceberg. I would rather speak of law avoidance.�

Brooke Harrington Associate Professor, Department of Business & Politics, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark

“We have islands of phenomenal digital prosperity surrounded by a sea of people watching passively without the skills to take part or the money to buy the products.�

Geoff Mulgan CEO, NESTA

“Interconnectedness, horizontality‌ these are the challenges facing implementation of the SDGs. All of these goals are interconnected with long-term strategies that all countries must have.â€?

Alenka Smerkolj Minister for Development, Strategic Projects and Cohesion, Republic of Slovenia

“Wealth is not being rich, but the ability to outlive your money.”

Jo Ann Jenkins CEO, AARP

“Who is going to set global standards in an IT-based health environment? Businesses? I don’t think I’d trust a robot, I’d want a human somewhere in the mix.”

Sharan Burrow General Secretary, ITUC

“We really can put climate responsibility and growth together. When we do, it’s a much more attractive way of doing things. Within that, investing in sustainable infrastructure, particularly as cities grow, is the heart of the story.”

Nicholas Stern Chairman, Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change & the Environment; IG Patel Professor of Economics and Government; Director, India Observatory, LSE, United Kingdom

“Trade ministers must ensure that we do not repeat situations where negotiations drift on for years. It is obvious that enhanced transparency and inclusivity must also inform the negotiations.�

Todd McClay Minister of Trade, New Zealand

“If the world wants to live up to its pledge to the citizens of this world with the SDGs, we have to talk about discrimination and we have to tackle discrimination.�

Helle Thorning-Schmidt CEO, Save the Children International

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