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Being able to swim empowers individuals to make choices, have agency, and be free to choose core aspects of their life, such as working safely on or near water. It is also associated with lifelong health benefits and reduces the risk of drowning. Using data from the Lloyd’s Register Foundation World Risk Poll 2019, this paper provides the first global estimates of adults’ ability to swim without assistance. Individuals in high-income countries are considerably more likely to report being able to swim without assistance than individuals in low-income countries. Disparities also exist within countries. In particular, women are less likely to be able to swim without assistance than men in virtually all countries, birth cohorts, and levels of education. Investing in reducing inequalities in life skills, such as swimming, can foster economic development and empowerment, especially in light of threats, such as climate change.

Understanding adults’ attitudes towards the environment is necessary to gauge the opportunities and challenges of creating effective and politically-feasible climate policies. Using data from the Wellcome Global Monitor 2020, the European Social Survey (Round 8), World Values Survey and EM-DAT, this paper examines how adults’ environmental attitudes vary within and across countries and details how environmental attitudes are associated with adults’ engagement in pro-environmental behaviours and support for environmentally-friendly policies. The paper explores whether the extent to which individuals prioritise the environment over the state of the economy or vice versa depends on individuals’ exposure to natural disasters or negative labour market conditions. Results indicate that people’s economic vulnerability and the sectors they work in impact their attitudes towards their environment and support for public policy. Furthermore, the findings suggest that increases in unemployment and exposure to natural disasters influence the extent to which individuals prioritise the environment.

As data become an important resource for the global economy, it is important to strengthen trust to facilitate data sharing domestically and across borders. Significant momentum for related policies in the G7, and G20, has gone hand in hand with a wide range of – often complementary – national and international initiatives and the development of technological and organisational measures. Advancing a common understanding and dialogue among G7 countries and beyond is crucial to support coordinated and coherent progress in policy and regulatory approaches that leverage the full potential of data for global economic and social prosperity. This report takes stock of key policies and initiatives on cross-border data flows to inform and support G7 countries’ engagement on this policy agenda.

The paper is the first in a series of two papers mapping young people’s environmental sustainability competence in EU and OECD countries that were prepared as background for the forthcoming OECD Skills Outlook 2023 publication. The papers are the results of a collaboration between the OECD Centre for Skills and the European Commission - Joint Research Centre (Unit B4) on students’ environmental sustainability competence. The second paper is titled: ‘The environmental sustainability competence toolbox: From leaving a better planet to our children to leaving better children for our planet’.

The paper is the second in a series of two papers mapping young people’s environmental sustainability competence in EU and OECD countries that were prepared as background for the forthcoming OECD Skills Outlook 2023 publication. The papers are the results of a collaboration between the OECD Centre for Skills and the European Commission - Joint Research Centre (Unit B4) on students’ environmental sustainability competence. The first paper is titled ‘Young people’s environmental sustainability competence: Emotional, cognitive, behavioural and attitudinal dimensions in EU and OECD countries.

Les enjeux de la mondialisation et des mégatendances ainsi que l’impact de la crise COVID affectent les territoires de manière asymétrique. Les Régions, responsables du développement économique et de l’internationalisation et les services et opérateurs de l’État qui les appuient, doivent pouvoir disposer d’indicateurs pertinents pour identifier les priorités de leurs politiques d’attractivité et assurer leur suivi. Ces politiques concernent un ensemble varié d’acteurs à différents niveaux de gouvernement. L’amélioration continue de l’action publique est un processus nécessaire pour faire de l’attractivité internationale vis-à-vis des investisseurs, des talents et des visiteurs, un levier de développement régional équilibré, inclusif et durable. À la demande de la France et avec le soutien de la DG REFORM de la CE, l’OCDE a développé une approche innovante pour accompagner les Régions françaises, leurs partenaires nationaux et les différents acteurs dans cet exercice. Six outils, dix recommandations et un plan d’action pour leur mise en œuvre sont proposés. Ce travail initié avec la France est désormais étendu à de nombreuses régions dans différents pays membres et non membres de l’OCDE.

Les administrations infranationales ont un rôle déterminant à jouer dans le respect des engagements pris au regard de la biodiversité aux niveaux national et international. En s’appuyant sur l’expérience pratique de l’Écosse (Royaume-Uni), de la France et d’autres signataires de la Déclaration d’Édimbourg, ce document présente et analyse les stratégies et plans infranationaux, ainsi que les mécanismes servant à assurer la cohérence et la coordination de l’action publique. Il examine également les instruments permettant aux administrations infranationales d’obtenir des résultats probants sur le front de la biodiversité. Ce document met notamment en évidence la nécessité : de définir des objectifs clairs et mesurables en matière de biodiversité au niveau infranational ; d’intégrer la problématique de la biodiversité aux plans d’action infranationaux pour le climat, ainsi qu’aux stratégies, plans et instruments de développement urbain, rural et régional ; de promouvoir les solutions fondées sur la nature en ce qu’elles permettent aux collectivités territoriales d’exploiter les synergies entre la lutte contre le changement climatique, l’adaptation à ses effets et l’action pour la biodiversité.

A first step to implement effective migrant integration policies is to know who does what in policy sectors key to integration. Responding to this need, this paper offers policy makers a tool to understand the organisation of public action in key sectors for integration - Employment, Education, Housing, and Health/Welfare – in a sample of 10 OECD countries: Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden and the Netherlands. The complexity of the division of powers among levels of government calls for coordination mechanisms between actors, whatever the level of decentralisation. Besides, it throws lights on subnational governments’ role in integrating migrants and enabling them to participate to local development for the benefits of all. The geographic differences that exist in migrant presence and outcomes mean countries should build on local authorities' knowledge of local realities, aptitudes to coordinate different policy fields at the relevant scale and cooperate with non-governmental organisations.