São Paulo – Tunisia and Morocco signed on Wednesday (23), in Paris, three international agreements with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to promote improvement of the business environment and the development of the green economy in their territories. At the occasion, Tunisia also expressed its interest in joining the OECD Development Centre, established in 1962 and which operates as a channel for dialogue between emerging and developed nations.
According to a press statement disclosed by the OECD, the government of Morocco adhered to the “Declaration on Propriety, Integrity and Transparency in International Business and Finance” and to the “Declaration on Green Growth”. Tunisia, in turn, adhered to these two declarations and also to the "Declaration on International Investment and Multinational Enterprises".
The latter declaration forecasts that the signatory country should grant foreign companies the appropriate conditions to operate in their territory, that there will be safety and social order and that foreign companies will be treated according to the same laws and conditions as local companies.
The Declaration on Propriety, Integrity and Transparency in International Business and Finance determines, among others, that the countries that adhere to it will make an effort to fight corruption, to be transparent in taxing and to establish a structure for investment.
The Declaration on Green Growth forecasts that the signatories will be engaged in investing in the development of environmentally sustainable projects and forecasts, among others, the encouragement of domestic reforms that may focus on avoiding or removing policies that may be damaging to the environment or may frustrate green growth. Among these policies, the document mentions subsidies to consumption and production of fossil fuels, which contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.
The OECD secretary general, Angel Gurría, stated that on accepting these OECD declarations, Morocco and Tunisia are sending a great sign that they wish to adopt best practices in their attempt to build more open and inclusive societies. “Tunisia and Morocco have joined today a growing number of nations committed to ensuring greater multilateral cooperation, more transparency and greater business integrity. This is positive news for North Africa and for OECD countries," he said.
The agreements were signed by Gurría and the minister of Investment and International Cooperation of Tunisia, Riahd Bettaieb, and the delegate for General Affairs of Morocco, Mohamed Najib Boulif. The OECD was established in 1961 to debate projects whose objective is to improve social and economic wellbeing.
*Tradução de Mark Ament
