The 51-year-old politician was chosen"by a slim majority" during a meeting of ambassadors of the 37-nation Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development based in Paris. AFP/MARK GRAHAMPARIS: Australian former finance minister Mathias Cormann was elected Friday as the new head of the influential Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, sources close to the OECD told AFP, in a choice likely to dismay environmental groups.
Earlier this month, more than two dozen global civil society leaders wrote to the OECD's selection chair to draw attention to Cormann's record on climate change in government. Cormann, a powerbroker in the ruling Liberal party in Australia, will take over from long-standing OECD chief Angel Gurria who is stepping down after 15 years in the position.
It also serves as a forum to discuss policy, latterly working on a new global plan to tax multinational tech groups.