The US have announced today (May 23) their support to Brazil’s request to join the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) during a closed meeting held in the city of Paris, as confirmed in a tweet by the US Embassy in Brazil. This position had already been made public during the Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro’s visit to the US in March, but it was questioned earlier this month after a report that the US would have maintained their opposition to Brazil’s request during a meeting of the organization held on May 7.
The support means that Brazil’s accession to the OECD should face less opposition, although it does not mean its immediate approval, since the official accession procedure (which entails a series of legislative and institutional changes, with an increasing adhesion to the organizations’ documents) had not yet started, and there are other candidates which should start it before Brazil, such as Argentina and Romania.
The OECD is an international organization currently composed by 36 “developed” countries, whose goal is to increase the dialog and institutional convergence between its members, with the goal of providing incentives for public policies that promote lasting economic growth and development for its members. OECD accession is strategic for the Brazilian foreign policy, especially because it grants its members a type of “good practices” certification which can by its turn attract foreign investment and consolidate economic reforms. So far, there is no deadline for a final decision on the Brazilian accession to be reached.
By: Ricardo Motta, Julia Krein e Marília Borges
