MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th April, 2020) Colombia has officially become the 37th member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the organization said in a statement on its website on Wednesday.
"Today Colombia has formally become an OECD Member, the 37th country to do so in the Organisation's near 60-year history," the OECD said.
According to the statement, the accession process began in 2013 and, following five years of scrutiny on behalf of the 23 OECD committees and "major reforms to align its legislation, policies and practices to OECD standard," the other member states invited Colombia to formally join in May 2018.
"We are delighted to welcome Colombia as the 37th member of the OECD. Colombia's accession is tangible proof of our commitment to bring together countries who strive for the highest standards in global public policy in order to improve the well-being and quality of life of their citizens. Given its recent history, Colombia can be rightly proud of what is truly an exceptional achievement," OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria said, as quoted in the statement.
Colombia has thus become the third Latin American country to join the OECD, on par with Mexico and Chile. Another regional state, Costa Rica, is currently in the final stages of its accession process.
The Paris-based Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development is an international organization that promotes policies to improve the economic and social well-being of people worldwide. It provides a forum in which governments can work together to share experiences and seek solutions to the economic, social and governance challenges they face.
The full list of OECD member states now includes Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States.
