12th Meeting of the OECD High-Level Risk Forum

The 12th meeting of the OECD High-Level Risk Forum took place in Paris between 12 and 13 of December. This year, senior government officials from the OECD's Member Countries discussed Emerging Risks.

A key lesson from the pandemic for country risk managers has been that anticipation and understanding of critical risks are only a starting point to inform preparedness decisions. In light of this, the Forum addressed how knowledge of critical risks can be acted upon through public investments in risk management capabilities and resilience capacities, and the delivery of these through public-private partnerships, tested business continuity planning and reliable supply chains for essential goods and services.

Day 1 of the meeting began with a discussion on how well OECD countries are living up to the standards that they set for themselves in the 2014 Recommendation on Governance of Critical Risks. The discussion took stock of progress and identified areas for further improvements in light of the COVID-19 pandemic that affected all countries simultaneously. Thematic discussions and exercises over the course of Day 1 and Day 2 provided countries opportunity to learn from each other on managing such current challenges as the energy crisis, critical infrastructure resilience, and longer-term challenges associated with emerging risks such as climate change. Overall, the discussions provided key insights and information for a strategic reflection concerning revisions to the OECD Recommendation on the Governance of Critical Risks.

The OECD High-Level Risk Forum convenes senior government officials to advance the international policy agenda for building preparedness and resilience to critical risks in advanced economies. The Forum may invite experts from the private sector, civil society, think tanks and recognized academics to participate in order to foster inclusive debates on risk governance, and a platform for exchange on cutting-edge practices in management of disaster risks and strategic level crises. Participants learn from each other about what policies and practices have worked well, but also about where changes would be useful to consider. The exchanges aim to inspire Members to consider policy reforms aligned with the OECD Recommendation on Governance of Critical Risks, which Member countries agreed to in 2014 as a non-binding, practice-based standard on coordination and implementation of risk governance policies for a more resilient society and economy.