EPA's Role with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is an international organization of 38 member countries that promotes economic growth, prosperity, and sustainable development. OECD works across a range of policy areas, including economic, environmental, development, social, technology and trade.
EPA leads U.S. engagement with OECD’s Environment Policy Committee (EPOC) and the OECD's Chemical and Biotechnology Committee (CBC) and related subsidiary bodies.
Founded in 1970, EPOC has a long history of promoting effective and economically efficient policies to respond to important environmental concerns. EPOC oversees work on country environmental performance reviews, environmental indicators and outlooks, climate change, environmental finance and investment, natural resource management, policy tools and evaluation, environment and development, and resource efficiency and waste.
EPA’s Office of International and Tribal Affairs (OITA) provides technical expertise for OECD analyses and reports to guide the policy work of EPOC and OECD’s environmental portfolio by coordinating across EPA offices and other U.S. Government agencies.
EPOC’s substantive work is undertaken by its working parties and other subsidiary bodies. Representatives from EPA and other U.S. agencies serve as U.S. delegates to the Working Parties and participate in meetings as technical experts.
- Visit the official website of the OECD.
The work of the CBC is focused on developing tools for efficient and effective management of chemicals (including pesticides, industrial chemicals, and products of biotechnology). EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention provides U.S. leadership in this forum, in which other EPA offices, the Food and Drug Administration, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture also participate. The work of the CBC focuses on the harmonization of risk assessment tools and chemical safety policies across jurisdictions and the development and integration of test methods into the CBC’s flagship program, MAD, or Mutual Acceptance of Data. MAD is a system of international agreements whereby adhering countries agree to accept for assessment data generated in other countries if produced using OECD test guidelines and in accordance with good laboratory practices. EPA works closely with other government agencies and with other countries through the OECD to facilitate development of test guidelines, and to keep them current. MAD reduces cost for governments and chemical producers and conserves scientific resources, including the minimal use of laboratory test animals. The CBC also provides a forum for work and experience-sharing and cooperation on chemical safety and risk assessment among all OECD countries and participating non-member governments.
Environmental Justice Within the OECD
Several environmental justice commitments within the OECD were made in April 2022, when the EPA Administrator co-chaired the environment ministerial. Commitments include the inaugural cross-cutting program on environmental justice for the first time in OECD’s core 2023-2024 Program of Work and Budget and the addition of environmental justice concepts as criteria to the accession process and requirements of new countries joining the OECD. The EPA supported and continues to provide expertise to this inaugural workstream. In 2024, OECD developed and published a report with the first multilateral assessment of country actions on environmental justice and recommendations for how countries can better assess and address environmental justice concerns. The OECD also led an international workshop on environmental justice in February 2024. Ongoing work includes and the development of data and analytical tools for measuring economic impacts on communities with environmental justice concerns.
Inclusive Forum for Carbon Mitigation Approaches
Through the OECD’s EPOC, EPA works with OECD member countries on climate assessments, including follow up actions from the climate COPs, reports or other follow up actions requested by the G7 or G20. EPA is serving on the 12-country steering committee for the IFCMA and leading U.S. participation in the project in coordination with colleagues from Department of Treasury, the State Department, the White House Council of Economic Advisors, the Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, and the National Security Council. The IFCMA is a climate policy research initiative to improve data and information sharing, evidence-based mutual learning, and inclusive multilateral dialogue. It brings together relevant policy perspectives from a diverse range of countries from around the world, participating on an equal footing basis, to take stock of and consider the effectiveness of different carbon mitigation approaches. By taking stock of different carbon mitigation approaches and their comparative impact in terms of emissions reductions, the IFCMA is enhancing understanding of the effectiveness of a wide spectrum of carbon mitigation approaches deployed around the world. The IFCMA also supports the development of more accurate, timely and granular carbon intensity metrics, which can play a crucial role in emission reduction efforts by governments, businesses and consumers. More than 55 countries have joined the IFCMA .
OECD Global Forum on Environment Dedicated to Mercury
EPA staff participated in the OECD Global Forum on Environment dedicated to mercury which took place from November 7-8, 2022 in Paris, France. The Forum’s focus was on promoting effective engagement, collaboration, and action to eliminate or reduce mercury from supply chains for gold, mercury-added products, and mercury processes. EPA represented the US delegation to the OECD CBC on a conclusion panel for the forum, highlighting the importance of applying an environmental justice lens when addressing mercury issues across products and sectors. EPA staff led discussions on the role of cooperation in fighting ongoing illegal trade of mercury and mercury-added products and presented on approaches to reduce mercury trade from decommissioned mercury-cell chlor-alkali facilities.
Environmental Performance Review
In 2023, for the first time in over 15 years, the OECD conducted an Environmental Performance Review of the United States. The U.S. EPR is focused on our approaches to marine litter, including plastics, and examines other high priority issues such as environmental justice and EPA implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act. The final report was published in June 2023 and provides recommendations to help the United States improve its environmental performance, with a special focus on marine litter and a cross-cutting focus on environmental justice.
Learn More:
Examples of Specific EPA and OECD Areas of Work
Environment Ministerial
Waste
Chemicals
Pesticides
Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) around the World
Additional Information
- US Mission to the OECD
- Explore all of EPA's Partnering with International Organizations
- EPA Press Release for Former Administrator Regan Participation
Contacts
For additional information on EPA's work with the OECD,
Brianna Besch
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of International and Tribal Affairs (2660R)
1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20460
E-mail: besch.brianna@epa.gov
Phone: 202-564-6600