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Press Release

1 February 2007

The UK joins the OECD Development Centre

United Kingdom Secretary of State for International Development Hilary Benn today announced that the UK will join the OECD Development Centre from 1 February 2007.

The Development Centre is the OECD’s specialised unit for development policy analysis and acts as a bridge between policy-makers and researchers in OECD countries and the developing world.

The Centre tackles issues of global and regional importance, such as migration, the impact of China and India on the economies of developing countries, and the influence of tradition on development. The Centre works closely with both developing and OECD countries and has a big impact on the design and implementation of development policies and is an important source of development-related information and data. The UK is making an annual contribution of €600 000 (£400,000) to the centre.

Hilary Benn said:

“ Working together with the OECD Development Centre will let the UK share the best aspects of development policy and help us improve the lives of the poorest.”

The UK’s 2006 White Paper on International Development outlined how the UK commits to help create an international environment that promotes development, strengthen the voice of developing countries on issues that affect development, and encourage the OECD to work more closely with emerging non-OECD donors such as India and China. These are all central areas to the work of the Development Centre, and the UK’s decision to join the Centre demonstrates its commitment to fighting poverty through the international system.

For further information on the Development Centre, please see www.oecd.org/dev  Media information is available from colm.foy@oecd.org and kathryn.bailey@oecd.org.

For information on the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development, please see www.dfid.gov.uk.

The member countries of the Development Centre are: