Since 1999, the OECD Regional Development Policy Committee (RDPC) has championed place-based policies that improve lives across regions, cities, and rural areas, while strengthening regional competitiveness and resilience. It provides internationally comparable subnational data that supports evidence-based decision-making and informs global debates on policy, finance, and governance.
Representatives from national ministries and partner organisations meet twice a year to develop a shared vision for place-based, multi-level, and cross-sectoral regional development policies. Since its creation, the RDPC has grown into a leading international forum for senior policymakers, playing a key role in shaping global debates on regional development, governance, and public investment.
The RDPC is supported by subsidiary bodies/groups and international networks that advance the place-based debate:
The Working Party on Territorial Indicators (WPTI) conducts statistical work on measuring regional economies and enhances policy analysis and evaluation with subnational statistics.
The Working Party on Rural Policy (WPRUR) develops modern, rural development policy for improving the well-being of rural regions.
The Working Party on Urban Policy (WPURB) tackles urban challenges, working closely with national public officials and mayors.
The OECD Expert Group on Multi-level Governance and Public Investment provides a platform for exchange on multi-level governance and supports place-based regional development policies and public investment.
The OECD Water Governance Initiative is a multi-stakeholder network gathering twice a year to share good practices in support of better governance in the water sector.
In addition, approximately every five years, the RDPC holds a meeting at ministerial level, bringing together Ministers responsible for regional and urban development and territorial reforms to discuss current challenges.
