Since 2007, the OECD has aimed to enhance its co-operation with Brazil, China, India, Indonesia and South Africa, and designated these countries as Key Partners. The OECD continues to engage with Key Partners in a flexible manner on the basis of shared interests and mutual benefits. Strategic, country-specific frameworks for co-operation facilitate a tailored approach to engagement with Key Partners. 

The Organisation also works with specific countries through Country Programmes, which help to anchor national policy reforms in OECD standards and best practices. Ongoing country programmes cover Egypt, Morocco, Thailand and Ukraine. Other forms of country-specific co-operation take place through tools such as Joint Work Programmes, Memoranda of Understanding and Action Plans

Regional approaches facilitate the participation of countries as a group in selected OECD activities. They foster regional co-operation and integration, while also facilitating co-ordination and monitoring of OECD work across regions, for example by highlighting progress made by some countries and encouraging others to follow. The Organisation has five Regional Programmes – covering Eurasia, Latin America & the Caribbean, Middle East & North Africa, Southeast Asia and South East Europe [placeholder for links] – and is strengthening its engagement with Africa through the OECD-Africa Partnership.

Participation in meetings of OECD bodies – such as OECD committees, working parties and Global Forums – is the backbone of the OECD’s engagement with partner countries and economies, allowing them to take part in OECD work, share good practices and identify issues of common interest. Together with active participation in OECD committees, adherence to OECD’s legal instruments is crucial.

The OECD contributes data, analysis, and expertise to global fora such as the G20 and G7, as well as the United Nations and specific regional organisations such as Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Pacific Alliance, the African Union, and the Union for the Mediterranean. The OECD also co-operates with the World Trade Organization, International Labour Organization, and international financial institutions, including the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, and with multilateral and regional development banks.