| APEC 2023: CPTPP Trade Ministers Ready to Welcome New Members APEC 2023: Business Community Collaborates to Address Global Challenges |
The conference series is designed to renew commitment to promoting quality growth in Asia- Pacific by focusing on the social dimension of economic growth.
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| From February 24 to March 8, the first series of APEC Senior Officials Meetings in 2024 was held in Lima, Peru. |
This year, Peru, as APEC Chair, has adopted the overarching theme of “Empowerment. Inclusion. Growth” based on in-depth consultations, including some 350 meetings with Peruvian stakeholders including business associations, non- governmental organizations, universities, indigenous communities and women’s associations.
Ambassador Carlos Vasquez, Chair of the APEC Senior Officials Meeting 2024, said that when deciding on the theme and priorities of APEC for this year, Peru took into account the changes and impacts that the international system has suffered from successive shocks over the past 15 years.
The common thread that emerged from all of these shocks was digital technology. Peru has seen how rapidly technology has advanced, helping to cushion the impact of these shocks on the regional economy . For this reason, APEC 2024 needs to prepare its people, citizens and communities, equipping them with the skills they need to build resilience to future shocks and thrive.
This is not only relevant to Peru but to all APEC member economies. Only when APEC member economies facilitate and attract more people to participate in the interconnected global economy and global value chains can we achieve quality growth that is inclusive, sustainable, equitable and fair.
The Lima meetings will cover a wide range of topics that underpin Peru’s APEC 2024 priorities, from trade liberalization, facilitation and inclusion to regulatory quality aimed at increasing efficiency and effectiveness. Special focus will also be placed on closing gaps through comprehensive digital transformation, reducing food loss and waste, and developing and deploying low-carbon hydrogen.
The first Senior Officials Meeting (SOM1) on March 7-8 will provide a general direction for APEC’s work as senior officials are tasked with implementing the directives agreed by leaders and ministers in San Francisco in November 2023. APEC senior officials will also set out key elements needed to implement Peru’s 2024 priorities, including the transition of informal actors to the formal economy.
On February 26, Peruvian Vice Minister of Economy Zósimo Juan Pichihua Serna chaired the APEC Finance and Central Bank Delegates Meeting in Arequipa, focusing on sustainable finance and infrastructure, clean energy transition, carbon measures as well as digital finance, among other issues.
APEC is a member-driven forum whose success reflects a commitment to deepening regional economic integration and a focus on sustainable and inclusive growth, said Dr. Rebecca Sta Maria, Executive Director of the APEC Secretariat. From the 1994 Bogor Goals of free and open trade and investment, to the Putrajaya Vision 2020 of a peaceful, dynamic, resilient and open Asia-Pacific community, the common theme throughout the years has been a focus on people and future generations.
Peru is hosting APEC for the third time this year and will host more than 160 meetings in five cities including Arequipa, Cusco, Trujillo, Pucallpa and Lima.
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