Our member countries said it loud and clear at the 60th anniversary of the OECD Development Centre: as multiple local events have increasingly strong ripple effects across the globe, international co-operation has become central to achieving better development at home.
This has been a founding principle of our Production Transformation Policy Reviews (PTPRs) since their start in 2017. By identifying innovative ways to tap into international flows and networks, the PTPRs support governments as they transform their economies into more resilient, sustainable and inclusive models.
Building on the longstanding international vocation and large marine territory of the Azores, this PTPR Spotlight looks at how the region can leverage its assets more effectively to create jobs and value. Multi-annual financing and planning for development, as well as new international partnerships, including a more active role in EU co-operation with its partners, are critical ways the Azores can begin to tap into this potential.
I hope that this timely report, built on strong empirical evidence and through a comprehensive, international peer-review process, will help implement the priorities outlined in the European Commission’s strategy for its outermost regions: “putting people first”, securing sustainable and inclusive growth, and unlocking the potential of the EU’s outermost regions. I also believe it can enrich the wider international community’s understanding of the variety and uniqueness of development trajectories, including among small island developing states (SIDS).
In our complex, fast-changing times, the PTPR series and this report in particular, illustrate how we can do “strong, shared and green development together”.
Ragnheiður Elín Árnadóttir
Director
OECD Development Centre