Angel Gurria re-elected to third term as OECD chief

Former Mexican Finance Minister Angel Gurria was re-elected secretary general of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Tuesday, giving him a further six years to press his agenda of innovation.

Initially elected to the post in 2006, Gurria has pursued his objective of transforming the once-somnolent, deeply wonkish OECD into an agenda-setting source of research closer to the lives of real people and fast-moving societies.

"I am honoured and humbled by the trust and confidence the members have bestowed upon me, and look forward to continuing to transform the OECD into a cutting-edge international organisation to promote better policies for better lives," said Gurria in a statement after the organisation's 34 member states unanimously re-elected him to a third term.

Committed to creating what he has termed a "do tank" (rather than more theory-rooted think tanks), Gurria has widened the OECD's focus from traditional macro-economic indicators to a more diverse range of factors affecting economies and societies.

Those have included impact studies and policy proposals on youth alcoholism, education, taxation, the environment and reversing the growing wealth gap.

Long considered the faithful sounding board of policies championed by founding Western powers after World War II, under the 65-year-old Gurria's lead the OECD has advanced diverse and at times unexpected policy positions, and weighs in as respected, equal voice during G20 and other international summits.

Prior to heading the OECD, the media-savvy Gurria served from 1998 to 2000 as Mexico's finance minister, where he helped contain the country's deep economic crisis, and was instrumental in renegotiating its crushing debt load.