OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions & Cities

🌊 Cities and regions play a key role in unlocking the potential of the blue economy. 🔵 With 16 million people and a 636 km coastline, the blue economy in Rio de Janeiro is driven by sectors like oil, gas, and tourism. Whilst contributing up to 44% of the state’s GDP, it faces threats from pollution, climate risks, and ecosystem degradation. 🌍 On #WordCitiesDay today, read our NEW Paper exploring the challenges and opportunities of building a resilient blue economy in Rio de Janeiro. Read the Paper 🔗 https://brnw.ch/21wOdV4

💡By 2050, two-thirds of #EU regions will see a decline in population, with the median age set to increase by 4 years. Faced with a dwindling workforces, reduced revenue and growing demands, how can regions and cities make big changes and continue to deliver core services? In our NEW #COGITO piece, Margaux V. and Antti Moisio share lessons from Europe's Nordic regions. Read here 👇

🗺️ You might have heard that #tourism continues to face big challenges on getting the balance right. ❓Interested in finding out how the numbers are looking where you live? 🔎 Check out our Tourism Trends and Policies Country Profiles. 🔗 http://oe.cd/5L2

As the UN Environment Programme #EmissionsGap report highlights, we need swift action on #climate. But how can we prepare regions with high-emission sectors to meet evolving labour market demands? Our latest #COGITO piece explores👇 https://lnkd.in/g4AmHg_3

💬 "It’s increasingly clear that climate action and economic development are not opposing forces." As the UN Environment Programme #EmissionsGap report sends an urgent message to cut GHG emissions, check out this piece from Andrew Wear on how #climate action can #golocal. 👇 https://lnkd.in/geaXew9G

Mayor Karim Bouamrane of Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, #France, has joined the OECD - OCDE #ChampionMayors. Mayor Bouamrane promotes #inclusivegrowth by leading local job initiatives and urban renewal. His no-relocation policy ensures dignity in housing. Check out his full profile 🔗 https://brnw.ch/21wNKMU

🚀 New report "𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗲𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗘𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗪𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀" Explore the recently launched OECD - OCDE study on the linkages between higher education institutions (HEIs) and their places across England and Wales, and the key role of the National Civic Impact Accelerator. 🔎 Key Takeaways 🟢 HEIs are increasingly being called upon to play a vital role and contribute to addressing societal challenges in their surrounding communities. 🟢 Integrating a territorial dimension in research, innovation and engagement agendas of HEIs continues to be challenging. 🟢 The report offers recommendations to better align the higher education agenda with regional needs, leveraging the role of the NCIA. Read the full report 🔗 https://brnw.ch/21wO4kr

💡 On 10 October, the OECD - OCDE launched Alentejo’s Regional Attractiveness Case Study at the Portugal Air Summit in Ponte de Sôr. ✅ The case study aims to help Alentejo unlock its full potential and promote sustainable economic growth by attracting talent, investors, and work towards rebalancing tourism in the inland areas. 💻 Across all of Alentejo, common challenges include fostering innovation and entrepreneurship, facilitating digitalisation, addressing environmental risks and improving rail transportation. Tackling these issues requires joint action to ensure long-term growth. 💡Six policy considerations from our analysis: 1. Increase incentives to attract and keep talent, especially in smaller towns 2. Encourage innovation and entrepreneurship by improving access to capital and talent 3. Re-balance tourism by promoting inland areas and collaborating with Spain 4. Strengthen governance for better cooperation between local stakeholders and with national levels 5. Improve transport and internet for the region’s connectedness 6. Expand affordable housing for young professionals and families in key areas 📍Alentejo is one of 11 regions in the second phase of the "Rethinking regional attractiveness for a green and inclusive globalisation," supported by the European Commission's DG REGIO. Discover more here 🔗 https://bit.ly/3X4bvdX 

🌊 Portugal is moving forward to strengthen its regional administration and better support its diverse regions. 🌱 Through this ambitious reform, the Coordination & Regional Development Commissions (CCDRs) are taking on new responsibilities in areas like agriculture, education, and health. 🤝 This initiative aims to align public policies between national and regional levels, allowing for more effective implementation that addresses the unique needs and opportunities of Portugal's five mainland regions. 🌍 The OECD - OCDE, in collaboration with Portugal's Cohesion and Development Agency (AD&C) and with support from the European Union (DG Reform), is assisting in the implementation of this reform. 📊 The project will focus on creating a monitoring tool for programme contracts, building capacity within the CCDRs, and evaluating the reform's progress by 2026. Learn more 🔗 https://oe.cd/5Ks

📣 Our new Working Paper on Veneto’s Decentralised Development Co-operation (DDC) strategy is out now. 𝗘𝗻𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼-𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗩𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘁𝗼, 𝗜𝘁𝗮𝗹𝘆 🌍 Regions and cities are emerging as key players in international development co-operation. This growing form of engagement, known as decentralised development co-operation (DDC), goes beyond financial aid, fostering mutual exchange in economic, social and cultural areas. It’s about learning from each other and building mutually reinforcing bonds, not just a one-way transfer. ✨ For Veneto, Italy, there is exciting potential to connect DDC efforts with areas like global citizenship education, labour migration and fair trade. Our new report delves into these opportunities and offers a comparative analysis with the Basque Country (Spain), Flanders (Belgium), Emilia-Romagna and Friuli-Venezia Giulia (Italy), providing valuable insights for peer learning. The paper explores how Veneto can strengthen its DDC practices by:  ✅ Reviewing strategic objectives ✅ Prioritising resource allocation ✅ Increasing representation of diverse groups in project partnerships With a focus on governance, stakeholder engagement and project evaluation, the report also highlights untapped opportunities in leveraging sectoral champions and involving the private sector, paving the way for greater public support and awareness of DDC in Veneto. Read the Paper 🔗 https://oe.cd/5Kj