The mission of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is to promote policies that will improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world.

The OECD provides a forum in which governments can work together to share experiences and seek solutions to common problems. We work with governments and civil society to understand what drives economic, social, and environmental change. We measure productivity and global flows of trade and investment, analyse and compare data to predict future trends, and set international standards on a wide range of activities and products, from agriculture and tax to the safety of chemicals.

The OECD also looks at issues that directly affect people’s daily lives, like how much individuals pay in taxes and social security, how much leisure time they enjoy, how well school systems are preparing their young people for modern life, and how pension systems will look after citizens in their old age.

The common thread of our work is a shared commitment to market economies backed by democratic institutions and focused on the well-being of all citizens.

Within the OECD, the Directorate for Education and Skills helps individuals and nations to identify and develop the knowledge and skills that drive better jobs and better lives, generate prosperity and promote social inclusion. We encourage countries to compare their experiences and learn from each other, and we accompany them in the difficult process of policy implementation. We aspire to help every learner, every parent, every teacher and every policymaker see that only the sky is the limit to improving education – and that improving education is the key to a better and fairer society.