United States and Netherlands lead call to action at OECD to fight economic discrimination of LGBT on global scale

The United States and the Netherlands launched on February 12 a call to action urging the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development to include lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) issues in its ongoing and future work on economic inclusiveness.  The call to action prevailed on the OECD to examine the economic case for LGBT-inclusivity and to develop recommendations for policy makers to remove barriers to equal LGBT treatment in the workplace.

The call to action immediately followed a high-level meeting in Paris, France, entitled 'LGBT:  the Economic Case for Inclusive Policies', which was jointly organized by the Netherlands and United States. Fourteen Ambassadors and dozens of subject matter experts from the OECD, UNESCO and civil society met to discuss gaps in current knowledge and to outline a road map for action.

Participants identified six areas of critical collaboration, including data collection, analysis of knowledge gaps, identification of needed resources, and collaboration with civil society stake-holders.

Participants asked the OECD to provide data, comparative analyses, and recommendations to shape effective policies within developed and developing countries.

“The OECD has already conducted compelling and relevant research that provides perspectives on pieces of the inclusiveness puzzle – women, aging populations, the disabled,” said Chargé d’Affaires Guthrie-Corn.  “OECD expertise is similarly expected to shed light on the economic costs of discrimination for LGBT persons on a global scale.”

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