International Regulatory Co-operation and International Organisations : The Cases of the OECD and the IMO

The world is witnessing the progressive emergence of an open, dynamic, globalised economy, and the intensification of global challenges such as systemic risks, environmental protection, human health or safety. Against this background, governments are increasingly seeking to ensure greater co-ordination on regulatory objectives, processes and enforcement and to eliminate unnecessary regulatory divergences and redundancies. International regulatory co-operation (IRC) represents a critical opportunity to foster sustainable and inclusive growth through lower barriers to international flows and better rules of the game for all. It is real but remains largely untapped. This publication presents findings and two case studies from an April 2014 meeting on the role of international organisations in IRC, as well as a contribution from K. W. Abbott, on International organisations and international regulatory co-operation: Exploring the links.