APEC committees’ contribution to help fulfill Bogor goals: official

Khanh Hoa (VNA) – Contributions from committees under the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum to APEC Year 2017 will help fulfill the Bogor Goals by 2020, Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son has said.

In his opening remarks at the APEC First Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM1) and related meetings in Nha Trang city, the central province of Khanh Hoa on February 26, Son, who is also chair of the meeting, suggested committees focus on the forum’s priority orientations.

Executive Director of the APEC Secretariat, Allan Bollard, updated the plans of the secretariat, which will focus on media campaigns to provide business communities and the people with more detailed information of the APEC forum.

At meetings on trade, investment and budget management, representatives from APEC members discussed the importance of trade and investment in co-ordinating the agenda on liberalisation and facilitation of trade and investment and budget management-related activities within the APEC forum.

Regarding the Committee on Trade and Investment, the sub-group on free trade area of the Asia-Pacific discussed the sub-group’s operations, helping business communities and scholars contribute to the process, and plans for 2017.

Meanwhile, the Working Group on Trade Facilitation discussed the second phase of the Supply-Chain Connectivity Framework Action Plan in 2017-2020, towards improving the reliability of supply chains to improve business efficiency in Asia-Pacific.

The Economic Committee held a dialogue on government procurement, debating the role of the APEC forum in managing government procurement. With international organisations like the World Bank and the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law, representatives from APEC member economies shared experience in the fight against corruption, technological application, e-government procurement promotion.

After workshops, the Competition Policy and Law Group also convened a plenary session on the same day. Apart from detailing the implementation of projects and proposing new initiatives, participants at the event announced changes in competition policy-related legal regulations, towards minimising interventions distorting the market and improving efficiency.

Meanwhile, on their second working day, members of the Committee on Policy Partnership on Food Security discussed sustainable agriculture and aquatic resources  development, infrastructure investment, and trade and market promotion.

At the Oceans and Fisheries Working Groups meeting, representatives from APEC economies reviewed the operation of centres under the forum related to ocean fishing, and discussed maritime environmental protection and adapting to disasters and climate change.-VNA