Australia’s former finance minister Coleman was elected secretary-general of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on Friday (12), but Coleman’s past handling of climate issues has been controversial, with environmental groups strongly opposing the result.
Coleman narrowly defeated popular candidate Cecilia Malmström, the former EU trade commissioner from Sweden, to be elected as the new OECD secretary-general, who will provide advice to member states on issues such as economic development, inequality, fighting corruption and trade. The vote was conducted by secret ballot, but analysis shows that Coleman, who has a European background, has won the support of some EU member states, the United States and Canada.
Coleman, 51, is a member of the right-wing Liberal Party and served as finance minister between 2013 and 2020. Many environmental groups say he was a member of the cabinet when the government withdrew its “carbon pricing” policy, maintained funding for fossil fuels and failed to commit to a zero-emissions target, questioning the difficulty of actively promoting emissions reductions after he took office and becoming an obstacle to international discussions. The international group Greenpeace expressed “deep disappointment and anger” at the appointment, and another group, E3G, said it sent a “dangerous signal”.
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