Selection of a new Secretary-General of the OECD

1. Role of the Secretary-General
2. Selection process
3. Candidates and their biographies
4. Current and former Secretaries-General
5. Contacts


1. Role of the Secretary-General

The Secretary-General chairs the OECD's Council and heads the Secretariat.

The Council
Decision-making power is vested in the OECD’s Council. It is made up of one representative per member country and the European Commission. The Council meets regularly at the level of ambassadors to the OECD and decisions are taken by consensus. The Council meets at ministerial level once a year to discuss key issues and set priorities for OECD work. The work mandated by the Council is carried out by the OECD Secretariat’s various directorates.

The OECD Secretariat
Some 2 000 staff of the OECD Secretariat in Paris work to support the activities of committees. Some 700 economists, lawyers, scientists and other professional staff, mainly based in a dozen substantive directorates, provide research and analysis.

The Secretariat is headed by a Secretary-General, assisted by four Deputy Secretaries-General. The Secretary-General also chairs the Council, providing the crucial link between national delegations and the Secretariat.

More information: About the OECD

2. Selection process

OECD member countries were asked to put forward candidates by 15 July 2005. Six countries put forward candidates for the post of Secretary-General of the Organisation to succeed Donald. J. Johnston, whose term expired in May 2006.

These candidatures were reviewed by representatives of all 30 OECD countries in individual hearings in Paris on 3 – 4 October.

The Dean of the Ambassadors, Swiss Ambassador Wilhelm Jaggi, led a first round of consultations with the representatives of other OECD countries, assisted by Ambassador Peter Brückner of Denmark and Ambassador Jocelyne Bourgon of Canada. Following these consultations, he identified three candidates as best placed to win eventual consensus for appointment to the position.
=> Read the Dean's first report to OECD Heads of Delegations.

A second round of consultations began on 3 November with a view to narrowing down the field to the two candidates that member countries appraise as best suited to successfully lead the OECD in the coming years.
=> Read the Dean’s second report to OECD Heads of Delegations.

A third round of consultations took place on 24 November with a view to arriving at a consensus among the 30 member countries on the choice of the new Secretary-General by 1 December 2005.
=> Read the Dean’s third report to OECD Heads of Delegations.

On 30 November the OECD Council nominated Mr. Angel Gurria as the next Secretary-General of the OECD as from 1 June 2006 for a period of 5 years.
=> Read the Dean’s final report to OECD Council and the news release announcing the nomination.

3. Candidates and their biographies

Angel GURRÍA Angel GURRIA

CV, video, articles and more about Mr. Gurría and his nomination.

Candidates who withdrew from the selection process:
  CV Country
Marek BELKA Marek BELKA   English
  French
  Spanish
Poland
Allan FELS Allan FELS

  English
  French
  Spanish

Australia
Seung-Soo HAN Seung-Soo HAN   English
  French 
  Spanish
Korea
Alain MADELIN Alain MADELIN

  English
  French
  Spanish

France
Sawako TAKEUCHI Sawako TAKEUCHI   English
  French 
  Japanese
  Spanish
Japan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Current and former Secretaries-General

Since the creation of the OECD in 1961, when it took over from the OEEC, four people have occupied the position of OECD Secretary-General.

5. Contacts

OECD
For further comment, journalists are invited to contact Nicholas.Bray@oecd.org, Head of Media Relations at OECD (tel. 33 1 45 24 80 90).

Delegations
The contact details for the 30 national delegations to the OECD are provided below.

  • Permanent Delegation of Austria to the OECD
    3, rue Alberic Magnard
    75116 Paris
    France
    Tel: +33 (0)1 53 92 23 30
    Fax: +33 (0)1 40 50 87 05
    Email: oecdpost@bka.gv.at
  • Permanent Delegation of Luxembourg to the OECD
    33, avenue Rapp
    75007 PARIS
    France
    Tel: +33 (0)1 45 55 13 37
    Fax: +33 (0)1 45 51 72 29
    Email: paris.amb@mae.etat.lu
  • Permanent Delegation of Belgium to the OECD
    14, rue Octave Feuillet
    75116 Paris
    France
    Tel:  +33 (0)1 56 75.34 50
    Fax: +33 (0)1 56 75 34 70
    Email: ParisOECD@diplobel.org
  • Permanent Delegation of Mexico to the OECD
    8, rue de Berri
    75008 Paris
    France
    Tel: +33 (0)1 56 59 29 29
    Fax: +33 (0)1 45 63 03 63
    Email: delocde@sre.gob.mx
    Web site: www.sre.gob.mx/ocde
  • Permanent Delegation of Canada to the OECD
    15 bis, rue Franqueville
    75116 Paris
    France
    Tel:  +33 (0)1 44 43 20 90
    Fax: +33 (0)1 44 43 20 99
    Email : poecd@international.gc.ca
  • Permanent Delegation of Denmark to the OECD
    77, avenue Marceau
    75116 Paris
    France
    Tel: +33 (0)1 44 31 21 57
    Fax: +33 (0)1 44 31 21 66
    Email: pardel@um.dk
    Web site: www.oecddelegationen.um.dk
  • Permanent Delegation of Norway to the OECD
    19 Rue Franqueville
    75116 Paris
    France
    Tel: +33 (0)1 45 24 97 84
    Fax: +33 (0)1 45 20 08 82
    Email: oecd.paris@mfa.no
    Web site: www.norway-oecd.org
  • Permanent Delegation of Finland to the OECD
    6, rue de Franqueville
    75116 Paris
    France
    Tel. +33 (0)1 45 24 71 71
    Fax: +33 (0)1 45 20 63 04
    Web site: www.finoecd.org
  • Permanent Delegation of Portugal to the OECD
    10 bis rue Edouard Fournier
    75116 Paris
    France
    Tel: +33 (0)1 45 03 31 00
    Fax: +33 (0)1 45 03 22 03
    Email: portugalocde@wanadoo.fr
  • Permanent Delegation of Greece to the OECD
    15, Villa Saïd
    75116 Paris
    France
    Tel: +33 (0)1 45 02 24 10
    Fax: +33 (0)1 45 00 71 55
  • Permanent Delegation of Spain to the OECD
    22 Av. Marceau
    75008 Paris
    France
    Tel: +33 (0)1 44 43 30 00
    Fax: +33 (0)1 44 43 30 13
    Email : consejeria.paris@mpr.es 
  • Permanent Delegation of Hungary to the OECD
    140, avenue Victor Hugo
    75116 Paris
    France
    Tel: +33 (0)1 53 65 65 00
    secretariat@delhongrie-ocde.fr
    Fax: +33 (0)1 47 55 80 60
  • Permanent Delegation of Sweden to the OECD
    2, rue Conseiller Collignon
    75116 Paris
    France
    Tel: +33 (0)1 45 24 98 60
    Fax: +33 (0)1 45 24 18 34
    Email: oecd-del.paris@foreign.ministry.se
  • Permanent Delegation of Iceland to the OECD
    8, avenue Kléber
    75116 Paris
    France
    Tel: +33 (0)1 44 17 32 85
    Fax: +33 (0)1 40 67 99 96
  • Permanent Delegation of Ireland to the OECD
    12, Avenue Foch
    75116 Paris
    France
    Tel:  +33 (0)1 44 17 67 13
    Fax: +33 (0)1 44 17 67 70
    Email: irish.del@dfa.ie
  • Permanent Delegation of Turkey to the OECD
    9, rue Alfred Dehodencq
    75116 Paris
    France
    Tel: +33 (0)1 42 88 50 02
    Fax: +33 (0)1 45 27 28 24
    Email: turdeloe@club-internet.fr
  • Permanent Delegation of the United Kingdom to the OECD
    140, Avenue Victor Hugo
    75116 Paris
    France
    Tel: +33 (0)1 53 70 45 70
    Fax: +33 (0)1 53 70 45 86
    Email: uk-del.oecd@wanadoo.fr
    Web site: www.ukdeloecd.org
  • Permanent Delegation of Japan to the OECD
    11, avenue Hoche
    75008 Paris
    France
    Tel : +33 (0)1 53 76 61 00
    Fax: +33 (0)1 45 63 05 44
    Web site: www.tmp.deljp-ocde.fr
  • Permanent Delegation of the United States to the OECD
    12, avenue Raphael
    75016 Paris
    France
    Tel: +33 (0)1 45 24 74 77
    Fax: +33 (0)1 45 24 74 80
    Email: usoecdpao@usoecd.org
    Web site: www.usoecd.org
  • Permanent Delegation of the Commission of the European Community to the OECD
    12, avenue d'Eylau
    75116 Paris
    France
    Tel: +33 (0)1 44 05 31 60
    Fax: +33 (0)1 44 05 31 79
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