OECD - Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development

At the end of the 2nd World War, the US launched an aid plan - for the reconstruction and economic development of European market economy countries - the Marshall Plan. To manage the distribution of aid, on April 16, 1948, the Organization for European Economic Co-operation - OEEC - was created with its headquarters in Paris.

Portugal was immediately part of the group of 18 adhering countries.

In 1961, the OECE opened to the rest of the world, being replaced by the OECD - Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, today with 38 member countries. The OECD's activity is fundamentally related to the development of consultancy work and the elaboration of statistics in almost all areas of the economic life of its members, helping governments in the elaboration of the best policies and best practices conducive to the development of populations. Globalization has brought increased responsibilities, especially in the economic and social areas.

Following the oil crisis that started in 1973, the OECD promoted the creation of an energy agency - the International Energy Agency - to coordinate, in that troubled period, issues related to the oil supply of the acceding countries.

Within the scope of the OECD and with a view to helping member countries improve their environmental performance, the "OECD's Environmental Performance Reviews" program was created, whose main objectives are:

- Helping governments to assess progress;

- Promoting a policy of continuous dialogue between member countries, through an evaluation process (peer review);

- Stimulating greater responsibility on the part of the governments of member countries through their public opinion, with developed countries and others;

The level of environmental performance is evaluated based on the number of goals achieved at national level and on international commitments.