APEC Officials Convene to Push for Inclusive, Sustainable Recovery

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Leaders, ministers, and senior officials from APEC's 21 member economies will jointly bolster their commitment to respond to the health and economic crisis and collectively determine a path for recovery that ensures resilience and sustainability.

"There was never a more important time for economies to work together to share, rebuild, and recover," according to the 2021 Chair of APEC Senior Officials, Vangelis Vitalis, who concluded the technical discussions on Friday.

The technical discussions set the stage for ministers to round out concrete commitments on Monday and Tuesday (Nov 8-9), as noted in a release issued by the 2021 Concluding APEC Senior Officials’ Meeting and received on Saturday.

"Senior officials have met throughout the year and worked intersessionally on various programs to advance APEC’s work to be responsive to the crisis and relevant to the recovery," Vitalis stated.

Actions on the table specifically focus on economic and trade policies that strengthen recovery, increase inclusion and sustainability for recovery, and pursue innovation and a digitally enabled recovery.

"Any recovery needs to take into account the impact of this crisis on women and youth as well as on Indigenous populations and small businesses. That will be the key to our region's successful recovery," Vitalis added.

Beyond setting a course through the current crisis, senior officials have discussed APEC’s work for the next two decades in the form of a plan to implement the APEC Putrajaya Vision 2040.

The week will culminate with the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting on November 12–13 to be chaired by Prime Minister Ardern that will provide the strategic vision and directives for future collaboration between APEC member economies.

It will be preceded by the APEC Ministerial Meeting, co-chaired by New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs Nanaia Mahuta and Minister for Trade and Export Growth Damien O’Connor on Nov 8–9.

APEC member economies together constitute three billion people, half of the global trade, 60 percent of the total gross domestic product (GDP), and much of the world’s growth.

Read: Digital Human to Host Speakers at the APEC CEO Summit 2021

ANTARA