Fora: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
About the OECD and ECAs
 Civil society organizations work to influence the behavior of ECAs by pressuring the OECD, an intergovernmental agency for business issues which acts as the convenor of the world's ECAs. The OECD, or
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, located in Paris, France, assembles an Export Credit and Guarantees Group (ECG, or formally "the Working Party on Export Credits and Credit Guarantees") which holds regular meetings to oversee the policies of ECAs, and measure their compliance with the "Common Approaches"
– environmental policies that benchmark against those of the World Bank Group and Regional Development Banks. The "Common Approaches" were brokered in December 2003 at the OECD's ECG in Paris.
Important Background Documents
An overview of the 2006 OECD Common Approaches review (August 2006)
More Useful Links:
OECD Watch An international network for corporate accountability.
OECD Documents on Export Credits and the environment
Official OECD correspondence between NGOs and the OECD Export Credit Working Party Secretariat
OECD's STATEMENT OF INTENT ON OFFICIALLY SUPPORTED EXPORT CREDITS AND THE ENVIRONMENT (1998)
OECD ECA Working Party Action Statement on Corruption [PDF]
OECD Export Credit page
Arrangement on Officially Supported Export Credits of the OECD Trade Directorate [Word Document] Jan. 2005
The OECD's Promotion of Big Hydro as Renewable Energy The OECD is facilitating negotiations to include hydropower under an arrangement for subsidies for renewable energy projects (approved in April 2005). This arrangement for new financing incentives for renewable energy projects includes trojan horses such as the eligibility of large dams, which generate massive and irreversible social and environmental damages, and incentives for private investment in water projects, investment which has a history of failing to ensure the supply of clean and affordable water. Including subsidies for large dams and water privatization detracts from genuine efforts to create a level playing field between renewable energy projects and nuclear and fossil fuel projects.
Nick Hildyard of the Corner House, UK, on the OECD Arrangement and New Subsidies for Dams: the Case for Strengthened Standards [Powerpoint] - also read the related room document [PDF] October 3, 2005
Dams and Renewable Energy Incentives Update September 2005 The OECD is facilitating negotiations to include hydropower under subsidies for renewable energy projects approved in April 2005. "A Trojan Horse for Large Dams" [PDF] - also in HTML - and other relevant documents updating the situation are linked here.
The OECD's Measures to Combat Corruption
The OECD is constantly revising its policies regarding corruption. This is a major concern, as bribery is recognized as prevalent in certain sectors of ECA investment.
ECA Watch summarizes the current state of play in the OECD ECG negotiations for an enhanced Action Statement on Bribery and Official Export Credits, Paris, February 23, 2006
Strengthening the OECD Action Statement on Combating Bribery in Officially Supported Export Credits - A Historic Opportunity [PDF] October 3, 2005 by ECA Watch campaign participants - a room document for a consultation between civil society organizations and members of the OECD Working Party on Export Credits and Credit Guarantees (ECG) and the Participants to the Arrangement on Officially Supported Export Credits.
Letter to Janet West, Head of the OECD Export Credits Division on the forthcoming revision of the Action Statement on Combating Bribery in Officially Supported Export Credits [PDF] October 4, 2005 by the Publish What You Pay Coalition
Enhancing the ECG’s Action Statement on Bribery and Officially Supported Export Credits (December 2000) Submission to the OECD - ECG [PDF] October 25, 2005 by Transparency International
ECA Watch OECD ECA Data Analysis [Excel Spreadsheet] 2005 by ECA Watch campaign participants - a tabulation of all types of credit and support, based on most recent data (2002 data published by the OECD in July 2004)
NGO statement for an OECD Consultation on Bribery and Export Credits [PDF] June 2004 by ECA Watch campaign participants
Responses to the 2002 Survey on Measures Taken to Combat Bribery in Offically Supported Export Credits [PDF] May 14, 2004 the OECD's Working Party on Export Credits and Credit Guarantees; information reported on
Implementation of the ECG's Action Statement of December 2000 on Export Credit Support: Comments on Best Practices Proposals: A Presentation to the ECG
November 4, 2003 by Michael H. Wiehen, Member of the Advisory Council, Transparency International
NGO statement for an OECD Consultation on Bribery and Export Credits [PDF] November 3, 2003 by ECA Watch campaign participants
Bribery and Officially Supported Export Credits: Best Practices to Deter and Combat Bribery in Officially Supported Export Credits [PDF] October 14, 2003 by the Working Party on Export Credits and Credit Guarantees (also called the Export Credit Group {ECG}, a part of the OECD) - drafted for consideration at the 100th Meeting of the Working Party on Export Credits and Credit Guarantees, November 3-4, 2003.
The OECD, Export Credit Agencies and Corruption: Letter to the Secretary General of OECD Donald Johnston from concerned NGOs November 2000 by the Berne Declaration
Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions - Text of the Convention / Français 1997 On 21 November 1997, OECD Member countries and five non-member countries (Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile and the Slovak Republic) adopted this convention.
News 2004-2005:
 OECD Watch report evaluates OECD MNC Guidelines 5 years after their revision October 22, 2005
Documents presented by ECA Watch Campaign Participants at the Civil Society Consultation with the OECD ECG and Participants to the Agreement on Officially Supported Export Credits October 3, 2005 - Read the agenda for this consultation [PDF].
Read the list of participants [PDF]. -
Read the room documents authored by other civil society organizations.
ECA Watch Progress Report and Issues Paper [PDF] October 3, 2005 by ECA Watch campaign participants - a room document including commentary on the OECD process for reviewing the Common Approaches, project monitoring concerns, anti-corruption measures, and project summaries from Sakhalin and New Caledonia/ Kanaky.
Strengthening the OECD Action Statement on Combating Bribery in Officially Supported Export Credits - A Historic Opportunity [PDF] October 3, 2005 by ECA Watch campaign participants.
Nick Hildyard of the Corner House, UK, on the OECD Arrangement and New Subsidies for Dams: the Case for Strengthened Standards [Powerpoint] - also read the related room document [PDF] October 3, 2005
Dmitry Lisitsyn of Sakhalin Environment Watch on the Sakhalin II Oil and Gas Project, Russia [PDF] October 3, 2005
Joan Carling of the Cordillera Peoples Alliance on the San Roque Dam, Philippines [Powerpoint] October 3, 2005
Dams and Renewable Energy Incentives Update September 2005 The OECD is facilitating negotiations to include hydropower under subsidies for renewable energy projects approved in April 2005. "A Trojan Horse for Large Dams" [PDF] and other relevant documents updating the situation are linked here.
Non-OECD ECAs Growing in Market Share August 2005
Talking Export Credits at the European Commission June 22, 2005 Read the presentations of civil society representatives at a meeting with the EU's Council Working Group on Export Credits in Brussels, organized by FERN.
Independent Expert Raises Concerns About Dam Standards June 15, 2005
Dams Could Win OECD Support May 13, 2005 (IPS)
ECA Watch Opposes Funding Incentives for Large Hydro Dams [PDF] April 2005 The letter sent from ECA Watch to the OECD. With it was an attachment: the then-EU trade commissioner Pascal Lamy's November 2004 letter [PDF] stating support for safeguards on large dam projects. 18 ECA Watch campaign member NGOs signed this letter and sent it to ECAs and to the OECD Export Credit Secretariat to show support for the intent behind a proposal for new financing incentives for renewable energy projects, but also to warn that it has serious flaws which undermine and even negate its purpose. The proposal includes trojan horses such as the eligibility of large dams, which generate massive and irreversible social and environmental damages, and incentives for private investment in water projects, investment which has a history of failing to ensure the supply of clean and affordable water. Including subsidies for large dams and water privatization detracts from genuine efforts to create a level playing field between renewable energy projects and nuclear and fossil fuel projects. Also: ECA Watch April 2005 press release on this matter; a sample letter which you can copy and send to the OECD.
News 2002-2003:
NGO Proposed Amendments to the Environmental and Social Policies of ECAs [PDF] September 2003 Negotiated at the Export Credit Group of the Organization for Economic Cooperation (OECD) in Paris. The proposed amendments are in track changes. [Word Document version]
OECD DELIBERATELY IGNORES ITS COMMITMENT TO ENVIRONMENTAL REFORM OF EXPORT CREDITS 16th May 2002 "OECD governments do not know how to move forward with Export credits reform.They preferred to ignore the failure of the ECG negotiations and just to go on stating the same old rethorics on sustainable development promotion. The OECD lacks credibility as it is incapable of integrating the basic internationally recognised environmental regulations in global trade and investment."
News 2000-2001:
Letter by NGOs to the Prime Minister of Italy March 16, 2001 "We believe that...the OECD draft agreement on common approaches on environment and official supported export credits, if adopted in April, does not meet the requirements laid down by the G8 in its Okinawa summit statement..."
The OECD, Export Credit Agencies and Corruption - Letter to the Secretary General of OECD, Donald Johnston from concerned NGOs
November 2000
For more information, contact the ECA Watch Facilitator.
ECA Watch Campaign Member Links:
Pacific Environment, Doug Norlen - www.pacificenvironment.org
|
Dec. 2003