REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Indonesian Minister of Trade (Mendag) Zulkifli Hasan discussed the acceleration of Indonesia's full membership in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) during a meeting with OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann in Osaka, Japan on Saturday (28/10/2023).
With such full membership, Indonesia will play a part in determining the direction of global trade and economic progress, he said.
“We are expecting support for Indonesia's accession process to be the member of OECD, to proceed well and quickly. We believe that OECD membership should be more inclusive by involving more developing countries,” Zulkifli said in a written statement in Jakarta, Sunday (29/10/2023).
It is known that President Joko Widodo has delivered a directive for Indonesia to immediately become a full member of the OECD. As a follow-up to the directive, the Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs has sent a letter to the OECD Secretary General about Indonesia's intention to become a member of the OECD.
In response to Indonesia's intentions, several OECD member states such as Japan, Chile, the United Kingdom, Norway, Australia, the United States, and France expressed positive responses and supported Indonesia's accession plan.
Zulkilfi appreciated the positive response of several OECD countries to Indonesia's candidacy as a full member. Indonesia is currently in the process of reviewing OECD Standards/Guidelines relevant to national regulations and establishing a Special National Team to deal with Indonesia's membership.
“In the trade sector, Indonesia's membership in the OECD is expected to further drive improved trade policy quality, while the OECD will benefit from Indonesia's membership as a representative of the global south and emerging economies,” Zulkifli said.
The OECD is an intergovernmental organization aiming to create a strong, clean, and equitable global economy. Today, the organization has members in 38 countries.
Some of the benefits of Indonesia becoming a member of the OECD include support for domestic reforms through access to experts, data and statistics, exchange of best practices and peer review.
Through the OECD, Indonesia will participate in determining the direction of global policy through policy harmonization efforts at the global level. In addition, Indonesia's membership in the OECD will enhance Indonesia's reputation as a quality and sustainable investment destination.