OECD delegation to visit G21

Acting Premier and Minister for Regional and Rural Development Peter Ryan today (6 July 2012) announced that representatives of the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) would visit Geelong in August as part of an international study.

Mr Ryan said the OECD’s Directorate for Public Governance and Territorial Development had chosen Geelong as the only non-European region for its Rurban study, which will analyse urban-rural partnerships to identify the role they can and should play in regional development.

“A team of senior representatives from the Directorate, including Dr Jose Enrique Garcilazo the Head of Unit for Regional Growth and Policies, will visit Geelong from 27 to 29 August to meet with representatives from the City of Greater Geelong and members of the G21 Board and Pillars,” Mr Ryan said.

“The study’s key objectives include analysing urban-rural partnerships, understanding if they are conducive to regional sustainable growth, and assessing how and if they should be further supported.”

The study will employ a comparison of case studies from the European Union and selected OECD countries to identify how urban-rural partnerships facilitate better economic development, service delivery, land use planning and infrastructure outcomes.

Mr Ryan said Regional Development Victoria was working with the G21 Region Alliance to maximise value from the OECD visit, including gaining a better understanding of what Victoria could learn from the OECD’s groundbreaking research into how regions grow.

“The OECD visit provides an opportunity for the Victorian Coalition Government to showcase how we work with regional communities through bodies such as G21 to promote growth and prosperity,” Mr Ryan said.

“Government initiatives, such as the Regional Growth Fund, will be included in published material by a highly regarded international organisation.

“The visit will also provide a chance for the Coalition Government to learn from, and contribute to, international best case practise on promoting regional growth.”

To read the G21 media release on the OECD delegation click here