Welcome message byMathias Cormann, OECD Secretary-General
The OECD is pleased to co-host the 2026 OECD Skills Summit with the Republic of Türkiye, taking place in Istanbul on 27-28 April under the theme of “Unlocking talent across generations.”
Effective skills policies are key drivers of growth, productivity, and innovation, as well as better employment opportunities and living standards. They will also be central in responding to some of the major structural reform challenges of our time - from addressing population ageing, to reinvigorating productivity growth, to meeting evolving labour force needs in the wake of AI adoption, digitalisation and the energy transition. Peer learning and international co-operation can support countries in adapting their education and training systems in the most effective possible way, developing and using people’s skills more effectively at every stage of life.
Since 2016, the OECD has organised biennial Skills Summits in partnership with host countries. These Summits bring together policymakers to learn from each other’s experiences in designing and implementing skills policies. This 6th OECD Skills Summit will focus on three priorities: first, ensuring that formal education equips young people with strong foundations for lifelong learning; second, helping adults to upskill and reskill throughout longer working lives; and third, unlocking the potential of under-represented and overlooked groups such as youth talent not in education, employment or training, as well as women and migrant workers.
The OECD is committed to supporting countries with robust evidence, comparative analysis and practical policy recommendations across general education, vocational education and training, adult skills development, and the effective use of skills in workplaces and society. By learning from one another and strengthening co-operation between ministries, sectors, stakeholders and countries, we can build economies and societies that are more innovative, more resilient and more inclusive.
I very much look forward to our discussions at the OECD Skills Summit 2026 in Istanbul.
