The OECD has faced many challenges in the last 50 years, but perhaps none as great as the current global crisis. Response to the crisis has been swift and massive. But despite some cautious optimism, the immediate future does not offer much relief. The global economic system must undergo many structural changes if we are to avoid a repetition of this scenario. The job ahead is substantial and requires great perseverance. This is a key feature of the OECD , which has consistently worked with governments with a long-term view, to address structural problems through enhanced global co-operation. The crisis has left virtually no area of policy making untouched. It has brought many long-simmering issues, such as tax evasion, income inequality, good governance and competition issues, back to the centre stage. But other substantive, medium and long-term matters, such as climate change and poverty reduction, which were at the forefront of most government agendas only one year ago, are adding to the sense of urgency. This crisis presents opportunities as well as challenges, and the OECD is seizing these opportunities to formulate policies that will lead to a stronger, cleaner, fairer world economy. Over the past year, the OECD has pressed for a "stronger" world economy through its work in areas such as regulation; governance; trade (especially Doha); investment and competition; and, of course, developing policies for sustainable growth. Work on anticorruption, corporate governance and tax evasion has sought to restore trust in globalisation by making it "cleaner". So has, literally, our work on environment and climate change, another face of "cleaner". Finally, our work on employment and social inclusion, education, health care and economic development is key to developing a "fairer", more participative world economy. The OECD is the global standard setter in many of these fields. It helps governments to determine where policy changes are needed and how governments can implement those reforms. It is not surprising that the focus of much of this year's Annual Report is on the Organisation's analysis of and response to the crisis. The OECD 's unique ability to address the complex nature of the global crisis, which affects virtually every aspect of policy making, is presented and developed in the pages that follow. We will continue working with member and non-member countries, as well as with other international organisations, to establish the basis for a better world economy.

The Doing Business series provides research, data, and analysis on regulation in 181 economies across 10 areas of the business life cycle. Doing Business 2009 identifies top reformers in business regulation and highlights best practices and global reform trends. This year s report builds upon the five previous editions, adding new economies and updating all indicators. This year s report covers 3 additional economies, bringing the total number of economies covered to 181. Now included are the Bahamas, Bahrain, and Qatar. The report also adds a preface on Doing Business methodology, as well as in-depth analysis throughout the report on the main trends and findings of the past six years of Doing Business. Doing Business is an invaluable resource for entrepreneurs, investors, advisors, academics, professionals, and policymakers. The indicators benchmark regulation across 10 areas of a typical business lifecycle, and are used to analyze economic and social outcomes that matter such as equal opportunity, unemployment, poverty, and growth. This annually-published report gives policymakers the ability to measure regulatory performance in comparison to other economies, and learn from best practices.