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2010/TEL41/PLEN/006

Agenda Item: 5

APEC Secretariat Report on Key Developments

Purpose: Information

Submitted by: APEC Secretariat

/ 41st Telecommunications and Information Working Group Meeting - Plenary Session
Chinese Taipei
10-12 May 2010

APEC Secretariat Report on Key Developments – April 2010

(a) APEC 2010 Priorities

The theme for APEC Japan 2010 is “Change and Action”. In 2010, APEC will work on formulating a “new vision” for further growth and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region. The “new vision” agenda is structured along the following themes:

-  Regional Economic Integration. This will include assessing APEC’s progress towards meeting the 2010 deadline for industrialised economies under the Bogor Goals, as well as exploring a range of possible pathways towards a Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP);

-  New Growth Strategy. APEC will formulate a growth strategy for the Asia-Pacific region which supports more balanced growth within and across economies, achieves greater inclusiveness in our societies, addresses the challenges of environmental and energy sustainability, and which seeks to raise our growth potential through innovation and a knowledge-based economy.

-  Human Security. APEC’s human security agenda will be augmented to help sustain growth and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific.

-  Economic and Technical Cooperation (ECOTECH). APEC will intensify its work to strengthen the effectiveness of its ECOTECH activities in order to advance APEC’s new vision for achieving growth and prosperity.

(b) Key Outcomes of SOM1 and Committee meetings

The key outcomes of the SOM1 meeting held in Hiroshima on 22-23 February were as follows:

·  SOM agreed to continue discussion on the concrete elements of possible pathways to a FTAAP.

·  Japan will further develop the draft assessment report on the achievement of the Bogor Goals.

·  Within the broad agenda of REI, SOM agreed to focus efforts in the areas of 1. accelerating REI in specific sectoral areas; 2. improving the business environment; and 3. enhancing regional connectivity and promoting trade facilitation. APEC fora were instructed to develop deliverables under each of these priority areas and report back to SOM3 at the latest.

·  SOM will continue to work on the outline of the APEC Growth Strategy, which eventually will be used as the basis for formulating the Strategy.

·  SOM agreed to work on the post-LAISR (Leaders’ Agenda to Implement Structural Reform) agenda in close cooperation with EC and SFOM.

·  In the area of human security, a SOM Friends of the Chair (FotC) Group was established to discuss concrete actions for strengthening food security in the region and prepare for the Ministerial Meeting on Food Security in October.

·  SOM approved the final Framework to guide ECOTECH activities in APEC in a holistic approach. Please click http://aimp.apec.org/Documents/2010/SCE/SCE-COW/10_sce-cow1_019.doc to view the Framework.

An extraordinary SOM meeting is scheduled to be held in Tokyo on 20-21 April to discuss two specific issues, namely the Bogor Goals assessment and the Growth Strategy (including post-LAISR agenda).

The Economic Committee (EC) met on 26-27 February. Discussions focused on the possible shape and main elements of a post-LAISR (Leaders Agenda on Implementing Structural Reform) agenda, given that the current APEC structural reform agenda expires at the end of 2010. Other issues that were considered by the EC included the relationship between the APEC Growth Strategy and the post-LAISR agenda, the role of the EC in advancing the Growth Strategy, and EC’s stock-take report on APEC’s progress in implementing the LAISR Forward Work Programme that will be presented to Leaders at the end of 2010. The EC also agreed to oversee the implementation of the Ease of Doing Business Action Plan, which was launched in 2009.

The Committee on Trade and Investment (CTI) met on 26-27 February, preceded by a Trade Policy Dialogue on 25 February to brainstorm on the next steps of trade facilitation and the supply-chain connectivity (SC) framework. The Committee agreed on a work program that is focused on advancing Regional Economic Integration (REI) and new issues as tasked by SOM such as the proposed APEC Growth Strategy. One of the key issues for CTI this year would be to further develop, as tasked by Ministers, the SC Framework, in close cooperation with relevant APEC fora and ABAC. The CTI has created eight focus groups within its Friends of the Chair (FOTC) group on Trade Facilitation to examine and develop action plans to address the eight chokepoints identified in the Framework. It will continue to collaborate with the EC and the Transportation Working Group (TPT) in advancing this work. The CTI will also continue to oversee the implementation of other key REI areas and 2010 priorities in close collaboration with its sub-fora. These include services; investment; digital economy and IPR, rules of origin; trade facilitation; standards/technical barriers to trade and environmental goods and services (EGS).

The SOM Steering Committee on ECOTECH (SCE) and the SCE – Committee of the Whole (SCE-COW) met on 23 and 24 February 2010 respectively. Key outcomes of the meetings were as follows:

·  SCE endorsed its 2010 workplan and the new Term of Reference (ToRs) that reflect reform measures to strengthen the SCE processes;

·  SCE endorsed the request to upgrade the status of the Taskforce for Emergency Preparedness (TFEP) to working group level;

·  SCE had a fruitful discussion between Senior Officials and representatives of various APEC fora on (i) the communication between SCE and its subfora; (ii) the question of subfora’s communication beyond APEC to the broader community; and (iii) subfora’s accountability/responsiveness to policy indicators or directions set by Leaders and Ministers. SCE will continue to work on these issues intersessionally and develop a discussion paper for SCE2.

·  SCE considered the 2010 workplans of 16 working groups and taskforces and agreed to make final decisions on them intersessionally.

(c) Developments within the Secretariat and Policy Support Unit (PSU)

APEC Secretariat Strategic Plan

The APEC Secretariat has for the first time prepared a three-year Strategic Plan. The objective of the Strategic Plan is to set out a clear path for the Secretariat to strengthen its services to APEC member economies and APEC fora in certain key areas. The Strategic Plan was considered favourably at SOM1. Please click http://aimp.apec.org/Documents/2010/SOM/SOM1/10_som1_006.doc to view the Plan.

Key Staff Movements and Appointments

Ambassador Muhamad Noor Yacob has taken over from Amb Michael Tay, who has relinquished his position as Executive Director (ED) of the APEC Secretariat at the end of APEC Singapore 2009. Amb Noor, who is the first professional ED, will serve for a fixed term of three years with effect from 1 January 2010.

Other staff members who have recently joined the Secretariat include Chief Operating Officer Mr Sim Cher Young, Program Director Mr Michael Vonk, Communications and Outreach Officer Mr Augustine Kwan, Policy Support Unit (PSU) Analyst Mr Akhmad Bayhaqi and Program Executive Daphne Chew. Ms Linda Carroll, who was Communications and Outreach Manager, has been appointed as Director of Communications and Public Affairs (C&PA) whilst Ms Patricia D’Cotta has been appointed as Staff Officer to the Executive Office (she was a Program Executive).

Staff members who have recently left include Special Assistant to ED Ms Jolene Tan, Director of C&PA Ms Anita Douglas and PSU Senior Analyst Professor Lee Hyun-Hoon.

Key dates

SOM2 and related meetings will be held in Sapporo, Japan, from 26 May to 6 June. APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade will meet from 5-6 June. Please contact your fora Program Director if you would like to see the Administrative Circular for the SOM2 meetings.

The APEC calendar of events can be found at http://www.apec.org/webapps/events_calendar/events_calendar_t.php.

Projects

The Budget and Management Committee approved a total of 23 projects valued at $1,820,707 through approval session one.

Approval session 2 will close at midnight on Wednesday 9 June. Session 2 will trial a new approach to project selection, de-linking the assessment of priority and quality. This process will allow members to select projects on the basis of importance and relevance to APEC’s core agenda, rather than on how well they are designed or articulated. The highest priority proposals that fit within the amount of funding available will then be asked to develop a full project proposal. Full proposals will need to reach a satisfactory quality standard before the BMC approves them to commence.

Further information on the trial procedure can be found via fora Program Directors, the Project Database and the ‘Projects’ section of the APEC website.

PSU

The PSU delivered its first report for 2010, Progressing towards the APEC Bogor Goals: Perspectives of the APEC Policy Support Unit, to Japan on 2 February. After comments at SOM1 and with more economies volunteering for assessment in 2010, the PSU updated its report and provided it to Japan and all members early in April 2010.

The PSU has also provided assistance to Japan in relation to the APEC growth strategy including mapping and assessing relevant international organizations’ efforts with regard to growth strategies. The PSU is scheduled to deliver a further three projects in May and June:

·  a study on the economic impact of enhanced multi-modal connectivity;

·  a report on market access and internationalization of SMEs (analysis of medium term KPIs); and

·  databases of key economic and social indicators and bilateral trade and investment linkages in the APEC region.

All of the PSU’s work and the PSU work plan (which is updated monthly) are available on its website (http://www.apec.org/apec/about_apec/psu.html).

The PSU’s current mandate expires at the end of 2010 and its future, form and roles beyond 2010 are currently under review by SOM. SOM is seeking to finalise the review prior to the MRT meeting in June 2010.

Media & Outreach

During SOM1 Ambassador Noor conducted interviews with several Japanese media outlets and made official visits in Hiroshima, Yokohama and Tokyo. In addition, the Secretariat issued seven media releases and published several feature articles based on SOM1 events.

In March, Ambassador Noor undertook outreach trips to New Zealand and China. In New Zealand the Ambassador presented at the Conference on Asia-Pacific Regional Economic Integration and Architecture. In China, the Ambassador met with Chinese government senior officials involved in APEC cooperation. In May the Ambassador will be attending WTO Geneva Week and will be travelling to Chinese Taipei to speak at the APEC SME Crisis Management Training Workshop.

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