OECD Forum Wrap Up: Day 4

Alasdair Cannon, QUT Business School

Waking up this morning signalled a bit of a sad note to our tired minds: our time in Paris was officially drawing to a close. Having completed all our scheduled meetings at the OECD Headquarters, we instead made our way to the Australian Embassy. Located close to the Eiffel Tower (seriously, what a view!), the Embassy holds the Australian Permanent Delegation to UNESCO. Sitting in a beautiful conference room (courtesy of Harry Seidler, the classic Australian modernist architect), we met with the Australian Ambassador to UNESCO and Deputy Head of Mission at the Paris Embassy, H. E. Mr Angus Mackenzie. The next hour was spent discussing the details of UNESCO’s work, covering topics such as UNESCO’s World Heritage project and other matters of international concern. Following this, we were treated to a short-tour of UNESCO, which includes a mural designed by Picasso.

Australian Ambassador to UNESCO and Deputy Head of Mission at the Paris Embassy, H. E. Mr Angus Mackenzie.

Et, c’est tout: our Global Voices delegation was officially over. We said our goodbyes, and went our separate ways, with some returning to Australia, and others staying on to further explore Paris and Europe. It feels reductive to try to sum the trip up succinctly: the intensity, quality, and depth of the delegation were like nothing else any of us have experienced.

Never before had we met with so many interesting and important people in the international political sphere. From them we gained insight, knowledge and connections that no amount of ordinary university education can offer.

Ultimately, Global Voices truly delivered a formative experience for everyone involved, and I think that all of us have come away with refined and more mature interests in our various fields of study.

OECD Forum Wrap Up: Day 3

Ben Burgess, University of Melbourne Faculty of Business and Economics

With the official OECD forum officially over, day three provided the delegation with the chance to reflect on the policies issues discussed over the past few days and the opportunity to meet with some senior members of the OECD.

In the morning our first meeting was with Mr David Bradbury, Head of the Tax Policy and Statistic division for the OECD.  We discussed the changing role of tax reform in an increasingly globalised and digitised world. Given the decentralisation of markets and the emergence of crypto currency, it was fascinating to discuss how tax reform needs to change to accommodate for the future.

We were fortunate to meet someone who had previously worked within the Australian government as Assistant Treasury, now working at a global organisation within Europe. It was great to meet an Australian who has been shaping policy in different forms.

Mr David Bradbury, Head of the Tax Policy and Statistic division for the OECD.

After this, we were lucky enough to meet another Australian politician, Mr Brian Pontifex, Australian Ambassador and permanent representative to the OECD. Like Mr Bradbury, Mr Pontifex had previously worked within Australian politics, as Chief of Staff to the Hon. Colin Barnett and it was intriguing to discuss how his roles have changed over his career. Mr. Pontifex had just arrived from a long day of ministerial meetings and provided us with an insight into the intricacies of how decisions at the OECD are made. The ministerial meetings that Mr Pontifex discussed were a significant part of the OECD week for policymakers and it was great to be able to discuss how topics being debated at the forum were also being implemented in policy meetings.

Our final meeting for the day was with Mr Andrew Wyckoff, Director for Science, Technology and Innovation. Mr Andrew’s department, specialising in technology and innovation, played an important role in this year’s OECD forum as issues such as the impact of technology on the workforce, Artificial Intelligence and the opportunities and threats of globalisation were debated.

Mr Brian Pontifex, Australian Ambassador and permanent representative to the OECD

As well discussing these issues in length, Mr Wyckoff asked for our input into ways in which the OECD can communicate its work and deliver key messages to the younger population. As many of our research topics touched on areas of technology and innovation, we were fortunate to be able to debate our findings with Mr Wyckoff and discuss potential solutions to these pressing problems.

Thursday was a fantastic day. The diverse range of topics discussed and rich insights gained from such different and experienced individuals inspired and energised the delegation.

Later that evening, the team ventured to Sacré-Cœur Basilica together, enjoying the splendid views of Paris offered from the site. The team also shared its last team dinner, which included the consumption of frog’s legs!

When in Paris...

OECD Forum Wrap Up: Day 1

By Gulandam Khan, Monash University

We kicked off day one in Paris at the OECD Forum with plenary speeches from the Secretary General Angel Gurria and Her Royal Highness, Crown Princess of Denmark, which set the tone and intent for discussions over the next 48 hours. They both spoke about the opportunities presented by globalisation, including those that threaten our ability to create inclusive societies despite so much technological advancement. One such example raised was the process of globalisation being hijacked by the global elite with the fall in labour share of national income, rise of market distortion, income concentration, a shift in taxation from high individuals to labour, and even tax avoidance all together. All of these trends in our economies and societies has meant that wealth concentration at the top 1% is now accounting for 50% of global assets held by individuals.

PLENARY SESSION, OECD 2017

It then becomes increasingly clear that we need to rebalance these numbers. That’s where the role of the OECD and the agenda of the OECD Forum for 2017 comes into play. The Secretary General raised questions: how do we provide everyone with the opportunity to improve their well-being? How do we achieve a “cooperative globalisation” model?

These questions formed the golden thread for the sessions throughout the day. There were discovery labs on sustainable development, and how it has been affected (for better or for worse) by globalisation. The panel speakers included Ramiro Fernandez, Director of Climate Change, Fundación Avina, Rasmus Abildgaard Kristensen from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Denmark, Tatiana Landysheva, Vice President, AIESEC International and, of course, Bathylle Missika, Head of Partnerships & Networks, Development Centre, OECD.

Another similar session was on “bridging divides”, with panellists across multiple sectors. They discussed and debated what it means to bridge divides in an increasingly globalized world and how to actually do this. The most impactful component of this session was having someone from the corporate sector like Airbnb, alongside an NGO like Amnesty International, engaging in a debate about the future of our world and what steps governments and businesses need to take

This business, government, and civil society debate is what makes the OECD so unique and impactful. Similar robust discussions continued over topics like the ‘gig economy’, where people are less and less likely to have secure full-time jobs. The panel had a local Australian, Nicola Hazell, Head of Diversity for BlueChilli, alongside John Evans, the trade advisor for the OECD and the CEO and Chairmen of Randstad and Deloitte! They discussed the opportunities, as well as the threats, of an increasingly decentralized work system and the need to protect those most vulnerable as trends of the workforce predict increased casualization and less job security.

GV DELEGATES TAKE FRONT AN CENTRE AT PANEL DISCUSSIONS

Between sessions, we met with Mari Kiviniemi, the Deputy Secretary-General of the OECD (Yes, that’s right!) in her office to talk about our research papers, her thoughts on our research areas, as well as all things that have been hot on the agenda of the OECD, including: trade liberalization, emerging technology, the future of jobs, and the ever changing roles of governments and corporations to tackle civil society issues. It was an absolute honor to get as much time and robust debate as we did with Ms Kiviniemi, considering it was right in the middle of OECD week’s Ministerial meetings. One ever-present theme from the forum was how much each of the leaders we met with was enthused about meeting with young people to hear our views on the changing future.

MEETING WITH MARI KIVINIEMI, DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE OECD

After our meeting with Ms Kiviniemi, some of us joined a ‘Meet the Author’ session with renounced ex-Guardian and BBC journalist Matthrew D’Ancona, who just released his new book on ‘Post truth: The new war on truth and how to fight back”. He spoke about how much data and information has shaped and empowered the decisions governments and corporations make, and how in an increasingly data driven and information heavy world, us citizens must navigate our ways to find the truth.

We also met with Jehan Savage from the Trade Department at the OECD, who spoke to us about the ever changing landscape of trade, particularly following global trends after the rise of Donald Trump and Brexit.

After a day of one on one with leaders like Ms Kiviniemi, heard from the likes of the Crown Princess of Denmark, the Chairman of Deloitte, CEOs of Amnesty International and leaders from Airbnb, it is safe to say the OECD experience was already off to an enriching, engaging, and awe inspiring start!

Canberra Wrap Up - May 9-11, 2017

By Sophie Levy, UNSW Coop Scholar

A group of six OECD delegates, two Y20 delegates, two Defence delegates and four Global Voices staff met in Canberra for a pre-departure briefing where we met with diplomats and politicians in order to gain different perspectives on global trade relations and Australia’s strategic place in the world and to prepare us for some discussion topics that we will likely encounter on our international delegations.

We began day one with a visit to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), where DFAT officers Christine Schafer, Benjamin Lavis and Daniel Millis provided an overview of the current architecture of international trade and relations.

Y20 and OECD delegates at the department of foreign affairs and trade

Christine explored Australia’s current trade relations and values, discussing the changing nature of global trade and we examined potential impacts of recent global changes on Australia’s trade relations and foreign policies. Ben discussed his role in MIKTA, a multilateral trading group including Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, Turkey and Australia. This unique, non-regional partnership unites five diverse cultures and regions in order to discuss ways in which they can maintain stability and prosperity in areas of finance, economics, security, the environment and sustainable development. It was fascinating to learn about the benefits of bringing together these diverse countries and the similarities that these countries share in their objectives amidst a rapidly changing world.

We then raced over to the US Embassy where James Shea, the Unit Chief for Energy and Environment, gave us a valuable insight into the relationship between the US and Australia and their shared interests. We discussed the way in which the US and Australia interact to reach mutually beneficial goals for both countries and discussed some of the challenges that the US embassy faces in Australia.

For our final meeting of the day we had the privilege of meeting with members of the G20 team at the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.

Dr. Gruen, Australia’s G20 Sherpa, provided us with an interesting and detailed overview of how this year’s G20 will possibly play out and gave us an insight into the issues that the G20 aims to address. We talked through the challenges of globalisation, free trade, technology, cyber security and more. Dr. Gruen even gave some advice to the Y20 delegates in their negotiation strategies and the way in which Australia positions itself in the G20 forum. We were all incredibly grateful for this opportunity, considering Dr. Gruen’s reputation as one of Australia’s most respected economists.

On day two, we woke up excited for the day ahead, anticipating the incredible insight into foreign policy that we were expecting to receive from diplomats and politicians throughout the day.

First stop: InnovationXchange (Ixc). Established by DFAT to support innovation across the Australian Aid Program, IxC collaborates with partners such as Google and Atlassian with the aim of encouraging fresh thinking to provide innovative solutions that are ‘cheaper, faster and more effective’.

We had the privilege of sitting down with Matthew Steine, Cassie Cohen (a Global Voices alumni) and a few other members of IxC. The group focused on the importance of collaboration, in particular with their partner organisations, in developing innovative and thoughtful solutions to global issues. It was particularly interesting to hear from Matthew, the current Innovation Director, who previously worked in the telecommunications industry and then went on to develop social enterprises in telecommunications. We all gained an insight into current foreign aid challenges, specifically within the Pacific region, and took away a lesson in new and exciting methods that governmental departments can achieve desired outcomes.

Our next stop was a visit to the Australia Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), where we shared in a roundtable discussion with a panel of eight experts with varied knowledge, from international relations to physics, to middle eastern studies and specialties in the Chinese market.

Australian strategic policy institute roundtable

As a commerce student with little knowledge of defence strategy, this fascinating panel provided me with a new understanding of the complexity of defence and security and it has certainly sparked my interest in the effects of the current economic situation on our defence strategy. We discussed the impact of recent economic changes and the constantly evolving global environment, with a focus on the US, China and Russia. This conversation led us into many perspectives on Australia’s possible future global challenges. I found it particularly interesting to learn more about counter-terrorism strategies being used in Australia on a community level and gain an insight into IT security from a government perspective.

After a short walk through Canberra, we found ourselves at the beautiful Australian Parliament House. Surprised by the perfect layout of the premises and the extremely well kept exterior, I was excited for our tour with Harry Jenkins, AO, to begin.

Harry Jenkins, the Global Voices Chairperson and former Speaker of the house of Representatives, gave us an ‘insider’ tour of Parliament House, providing us access to areas of the building that were off limits to the general public. It was an honour to be guided by such a well-respected and well-liked politician who has an incredible knowledge of Australian politics, policies and the history of Australian Parliament House.

We were fortunate enough to have a brief meeting with Tanya Plibersek, deputy leader of the Opposition. We discussed the importance of women’s economic empowerment, specifically within the Pacific region. She focused on the role of women in promoting global economic growth and we discussed the importance of foreign aid in supporting women in developing countries.

discussing women's economic empowerment with tanya pliberseck and Harry Jenkins AO at Parliament House

A visit to Parliament House would be remiss without a pit stop at Question Time. Having never observed the Senate Question Time in real life, I was surprised to experience the ‘Question Time culture’ and found it extremely interesting to observe the ways in which the senators interacted and responded during this event. Attending Question Time two days after the 2017 budget release provided us with a unique experience as we heard different views of policies such as the bank levy, education and taxes.

Our meeting began with two of Senator Penny Wong’s advisers, Allan Behm and Nina Dynon, who commenced the discussion by asking – ‘Do you believe that the current world can cope with disruption?’ What a big question! We discussed global disruption and debated the true meaning of the phrase and went onto discuss the importance of Australian values – distinct from Australian interests –  in establishing ourselves and ultimately in establishing our policies.

This conversation was then joined by the hon. Senator, Penny Wong, who discussed our foreign trade policies and added to our previous discussion on disruption and values. Senator Wong spoke movingly about her personal connection to Australia and how honesty and equity are crucial Australian values and assets in how we conduct ourselves as a nation, both bilaterally and multilaterally, in a changing world.

Meeting the hon. senator Penny wong

Just as we were finishing up our day at parliament house, and we thought the day couldn’t get any better, Harry Jenkins spotted Julie Bishop, our Minister for Foreign Affairs. She paused her conversation and lunch with her colleagues to provide us with a few words of wisdom as we embark on our journey to the G20 or the OECD. It was an honour to meet her.

Travelling to Canberra as a Global Voices Delegate was a remarkable, inspiring and insightful experience! It was an absolute privilege to speak with so many respected, intelligent and high-level individuals who could share their varied perspectives on so many issues. If this is an indicator of the Global Voices experience, I can’t wait to see what’s in store for us at the OECD Forum in Paris!

global voices staff and delegates with australia's minister for foreign affairs, the hon. julie bishop