Member of Parliament Mari Kiviniemi appointed OECD Deputy Secretary-General

By decision of the OECD Council, Member of Parliament Mari Kiviniemi was appointed Deputy Secretary-General of the organization for a term of two years on 25 July.

Kiviniemi is the first Finn to be named Deputy Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), based in Paris, during Finland’s 45-year membership of the organization. “This appointment indicates that Finland has good candidates to offer for a diverse range of international tasks for which competition is fierce and candidates from the smallest countries often find it difficult to be elected,” Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja states.

According to Minister for European Affairs and Foreign Trade Lenita Toivakka, “the appointment shows confidence both in Mari Kiviniemi’s extensive experience and in Finland’s consistent policy towards the OECD.”

During her two-year term, Mari Kiviniemi will be one of four Deputy Secretary-Generals of the OECD. Kiviniemi is well versed in matters within the OECD’s line of operations and for instance served as the Chair of the 2009 Ministerial Meeting of the OECD Territorial Development Policy Committee.

The three other Deputy Secretary-Generals of the OECD are from the United States, Japan and Germany, i.e. from the three largest member economies. Their task is to assist the Secretary-General in leading the organization. Angel Gurria of Mexico has been the Secretary-General for a little over eight years. Gurria has previously served as Foreign Minister and Minister of Finance of Mexico.

The main mission of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development is to support the organization’s 34 member countries in developing policies for achieving sustainable economic growth, employment and well-being. The OECD conducts research, makes recommendations and prepares standards with regard to economic issues. The central approach is peer review and peer learning. The organization, to an increasing extent, carries out cooperation also with non-member countries, especially emerging economies.