Voluntary contribution for OECD horizontal work on Policy Coherence for Development

Description What is done in the programme or project and why, what results are pursued, who benefits from the activities and who are involved in the implementation.

MFA provides a voluntary contribution to support the horizontal work on Policy Coherence for Development (PCD). The support, 60,000 euros per year during the program for work and budget 2015-16 is channeled through the PCD unit that operates within the office of the Secretary General of the OECD. On the basis of a broader approach to PCD (established in the OECD Strategy of the Development) its mandate is to i) broaden and deepen evidence-based analyses on the costs of incoherent policies as well as on the benefits of more coherent policies; ii) work with a wide range of partners to develop robust indicators to monitor progress and assess impacts of diverse policies on development; iii) apply a PCD point of view to ongoing OECD work in order to contribute to the analysis of key issues (such as global food security, illicit financial flows and green growth); and provide a platform for dialogue with key stakeholders on PCD issues from OECD and partner countries. The collaboration between the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the OECD PCD unit is interactive and based on a mutually beneficial partnership that forms an important part of OECD cooperation. Policy coherence for development is a high priority for the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and close collaboration with the PCD benefits the work that the MFA is undertaking in terms of strengthening the policy coherence for development at the national level by chairing the Finnish PCD-network. Finland's Food Security Pilot (2012-2013) tested OECD's PCD methodology and provided feedback to further develop it. The implementation of the policy recommendations in Finland is ongoing. In 2015 the MFA organized a PCD training for government officials and hosted a Community of Practice workshop in Helsinki among PCD active countries, where OECD's PCD unit was also represented.