The Assembly,
1. Taking note of the report on the activities of OECD in 1975 (Doc. 3799), and of the report of its Committee on Economic Affairs and Development (Doc. 3838),
2.Considering that most OECD countries are going through a period of unacceptably high levels of inflation and unemployment, and that the recent recovery calls for special measures in order to ensure moderate and sustained non-inflationary growth that will make for a return to full employment ;
3. Stressing that the implementation of the selective economic policy measures to achieve such growth should be worked out by governments in consultation with the social partners, so as to be backed by the largest possible public consensus ;
4. Aware that the present serious economic problems can only be solved through international economic and monetary co-operation ;
5. Aware also of the fact that the present economic difficulties may result in a systematic effort to use natural resources more rationally, and welcoming the action taken by OECD in this sector ;
6. Convinced of the need for greater discipline in the price, budget and monetary policies of the OECD countries, in order to create the conditions necessary for a return to greater economic and monetary stability ;
7. Welcoming the new initiatives taken by OECD to examine the policy issues involved in the pursuit of non-inflationary growth in the years immediately ahead, and the research project on the future development of advanced industrial societies in harmony with that of developing countries,
8. nvites governments and parliaments of the OECD countries who have not yet done so to speed up the ratification of the Agreement on the Financial Support Fund set up in the framework of OECD ;
9. Takes note of the Declaration on International Investment and Multinational Enterprises made by the governments of OECD countries on 21 June 1976 to which guidelines for multinational enterprises are annexed, and invites OECD and its member countries to survey closely their implementation and to take into account, with a view to further strengthening international co-operation in this field, Assembly Resolution 639 (1976), on multinational corporations ;
10. Invites OECD and the governments of its member countries :
i. to put into effect the economic policy strategy defined by the OECD Council in June 1976 for the remainder of the decade, and to restore conditions for closer co-operation between OECD member countries, with a view to achieving sustained, non-inflationary growth and renewed possibilities of full employment ;
ii. effectively to implement the Declaration of 1974 concerning the commitment not to resort to unilateral measures to restrict imports or stimulate exports artificially ("Trade Pledge"), and to study ways and means of maintaining a high level of cooperation between member countries in the longer term ;
iii. to respond adequately to the commitment achieved at UNCTAD IV, in particular to negotiate agreements designed to ensure stable and remunerative prices for commodities exported by developing countries ;
iv. to attempt in the framework of the North-South dialogue to harmonise the positions of the industrialised countries, with a view to strengthening co-operation with the developing countries in a spirit of mutual understanding ;
v. to continue their work on the progressive improvement of the generalised systems of preferences in favour of developing countries introduced by the industrialised OECD countries, although the European states should not thereby fail to consolidate and develop their specific relations with a large number of countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific ;
vi. to step up co-operation between OECD member countries in the energy field, in order to conserve non-renewable energy resources, foster the development of new sources of energy and ensure adequate supplies to meet the long-term energy requirements of each country, provided that these measures are compatible with world ecology needs ;
vii. to set as a basic target the establishment of an international monetary system that provides stable exchange rates, except in the event of admitted necessity, and the establishment of the other conditions that are necessary for financial and economic stability, particularly as regards commodities exported by the developing countries;
viii. to promote to a greater extent agricultural research, with a view to solving the world food problem through transfer of know-how and technology, and thus reducing the existing gap between developed and developing countries ;
ix. to pursue their work on the various kinds of interaction between energy and the environment, and more particularly to speed up the study of the systematic utilisation of thermal waste ;
x. to make sure- in the event of further work on urban environment indicators- that they act in concert with the Council of Europe technical committees already working on town planning and urban administration ;
xi. to give the members of the Assembly, and especially of the committee directly concerned, an opportunity to hold a thorough exchange of views on these matters with OECD experts ;
11. Welcoming the holding of regular Ministerial Conferences on Science, the fruitful co-operation between the OECD and the Council of Europe in the field of science and technology, the continuance of OECD's work on the management of technology for social and economic benefit and in encouraging technology transfer to developing countries,
12. Calls upon OECD and its member countries :
to take steps as quickly as possible to translate the recommendations of the 1975 Ministerial Conference on Science into concrete action ;
to start consultations immediately with a view to laying down a policy and agreeing on the concrete contribution of OECD and member countries to the UN Conference on Science and Technology for Development.