OECD Forum 2004

The OECD Forum is a multi-stakeholder summit which brings together business and labour leaders, civil society personalities, government ministers and leaders of international organisations to discuss the key issues of the 21st century. What is unique about the OECD Forum is that it enables participants to shape the outcome of the annual OECD ministerial summit and this year, the OECD's first ever meeting of health ministers.

The OECD is very grateful to the governments of Canada, Japan, Korea, Mexico, the Netherlands and the Slovak Republic for their generous support for Forum 2004.

Leadership for the world economy:
Forum 2004 includes keynote speeches by Michel Barnier, Minister of Foreign Affairs, France; Luis Ernesto Derbez, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mexico; Donald J. Johnston, Secretary-General, OECD; Kim Dae-jung, Nobel Peace Prize Winner and Former President of Korea; and Mary Robinson, Executive Director, Ethical Globalisation Initiative, and former President of Ireland.

How to strengthen systems of financial governance for world economic recovery?:
What is the appropriate role of financial intermediaries, governments, regulators and civil society groups in improving financial education for consumers and individual investors? How to improve corporate governance standards following high-profile corporate scandals? How effective have been efforts to date to implement corporate responsibility programmes? How can the OECD Multinational Enterprise Guidelines make a vital difference in the way companies conduct business? Is Europe being by-passed by world economy recovery?
Discussion of these issues will be led by: Daniel Bouton, CEO, Société Générale; Jean-Philippe Courtois, CEO, Microsoft EMEA; Sir David Clementi, Chairman, Prudential, UK; Bronwyn Curtis, Managing Editor, Bloomberg Television, UK; Gunnar Lund, Minister for International Economic Affairs and Financial Markets, Sweden; Ivan Miklos, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Slovak Republic; John Monks, General Secretary, European Trade Union Confederation.

How to create new momentum in the Doha Development Agenda?:
Ministers from OECD and non-OECD countries addressed this important topic: Yousef Boutros Ghali, Minister of Foreign Trade, Egypt; Danuta Hübner, EC Commissioner; Leif Pagrotsky, Minister for Trade and Industry, Sweden; Martin Redrado, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Argentina; Jorge Rodriguez-Grossi, Minister of Economy, Chile; and Jim Sutton, Minister of Trade, New Zealand.

Health and technology:
Following introductory remarks by Andrew von Eschenbach, Director of the US National Cancer Institute, OECD Health Ministers discuss the contribution of research and innovation systems to improving the performance of health systems.
What is the potential of "e-health"? Discuss and debate with Sir William Castell, President and CEO, GE Healthcare; Hong-Jen Chang, CEO and President of the Bureau of National Health Insurance, Chinese Taipei; Thomas D'Aunno, Director of the Healthcare Management Initiative, INSEAD, France; Anders Olauson, Director, The Agrenska Foundation, Sweden; Marie Smith, President, AARP, United States; and Per Wold-Olsen, President, Human Health, Merck & Co., Inc.
What future for partnerships in research between government, business and civil society? This round-table will be animated by Gerard Kouchner, President, Education & Communication Department, Medimedia, France.

Towards better performing health systems?:
How to get better value for money from our health systems in ageing societies? How to improve the equity and access to health care? What role for prevention policies, such as in the case of the obesity epidemic?
The views of: Françoise Forette, President, International Longevity Centre, France; Julio Frenk, Minister of Health, Mexico; Jean-Pierre Garnier, CEO, GlaxoSmithKline; Pierre Lefèbvre, President, International Diabetes Federation, Belgium; Henry McKinnell, Chairman and CEO, Pfizer; Danny Strickland, Chief Innovation Officer, Coca-Cola; Christoph Thalheim, Secretary-General, European Multiple Sclerosis Platform; and Janet Voûte, Chief Executive Officer, World Heart Federation, Switzerland.