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Sharing the Benefits of Globalization
and the New Economy
Human Capacity Building Initiatives
27. Ministers recognized that human capacity
building is a vital means to meet the challenges of Globalization
and the New Economy, and affirmed its importance as one of
the core priorities in APEC. Ministers applauded the various
initiatives undertaken in this respect, particularly the Beijing
Initiative adopted at the APEC High Level Meeting on Human
Capacity Building and agreed to submit the Beijing Initiative
to Leaders as a way to provide opportunities for further work
on human capacity building in the context of the New Economy.
Ministers also supported the engagement of all key stakeholders
in the region and the development of tripartite partnerships
between government, business, academic and training institutions
for this purpose. Ministers welcomed the "Human Capacity
Building Promotion Program" as a follow-up project to
the Beijing initiative. Ministers instructed Senior Officials,
working through APEC fora, to further develop and carry out
initiatives for future work as appropriate to translate the
shared vision into action. Ministers also noted the benefits
of active engagement with the private sector in the provision
of IT training.
28. Ministers welcomed the significant
progress in formulating an APEC Human Capacity Building Strategy
on New Economy done by the Human Capacity Building Coordinating
Group (HCBCG) as an effective response to the present and
future need for transforming the "digital divide"
into "digital opportunities",so that the opportunities
of the New Economy can be widely shared in the APEC region
and encouraged HCBCG to finish their work by SOM I 2002, with
the active participation of all working fora and economies.
Ministers urged implementation of the human capacity building
projects, including Information Sharing and Best Practices
on Teleworking and Preparing Human Resources for the New Economy.
Ministers also welcomed Thailand's proposal to explore the
possibility of networking schools in APEC economies and instructed
SOM to examine the proposal.
29. Ministers welcomed the outcome of
the Fourth APEC Human Resources Development Ministerial Meeting,
held in Kumamoto, Japan and commended the significant progress
in achieving human resources development goals. Ministers
resolved to increase APEC's understanding of the forces that
shape and drive the New Economy, inter alia, by increasing
access to quality basic education, skills training-retraining
and lifelong learning to address the challenges that it presents
to the workforce of the 21st century, and to foster an environment
which assures greater access to the opportunities generated.
Ministers welcomed the meeting's focus on knowledge and skills
development, formulation of proactive labor market policies,
and involvement of stakeholders such as labor and business.
30. Ministers expressed their appreciation
to the APEC Education Foundation for its leadership in launching
the APEC Cyber Education Cooperation Consortium and recognized
the Foundation's potential as a useful vehicle for HCB efforts,
especially in the area of cyber education cooperation. Ministers
encouraged further participation in the work of the Foundation
and the Consortium by member economies, business, academia
and other stakeholders with a view towards realizing an APEC
cyber education community.
Ecotech Issues
31. Ministers endorsed the SOM Report
on Ecotech and its recommendations. Ministers reaffirmed the
role of Ecotech in contributing to sustainable growth and
achieving common prosperity. Ministers commended the progress
made this year in advancing the Ecotech agenda and reinforcing
the complementarity of TILF and Ecotech. Ministers also recognized
the need for APEC to interact with bilateral, regional, and
international organizations and financial institutions with
a view to fostering cooperation, broadening support and leveraging
financial resources to boost Ecotech activities.
32. Since its inception, SOM Subcommittee
on Ecotech (ESC) has played a significant role in managing
and coordinating Ecotech activities to ensure a more effective
and action-oriented agenda. Ministers endorsed the work that
ESC has done over the past year and expressed appreciation
to Dr. Medhi Krongkaew for his excellent contribution as the
ESC Chair. Ministers also welcomed Ambassador Elard Escala
from Peru to serve as the incoming ESC Chair and the Senior
Official of the Philippines as the Vice Chair for the next
two years commencing in 2002. Ministers also directed Senior
Officials to review the function and mandate of the ESC with
a view to making recommendations to the next Ministerial Meeting
on any adjustments required to ensure the most effective possible
leadership and coordination of APEC's Ecotech work.
33. Ministers welcomed the development
of Ecotech Action Plans (EAPs) in the area of Human Resources
Development as a pilot and affirmed its role in substantially
enhancing the opportunity for cooperation in field of HRD,
and facilitating a more focused and intensified agenda. Ministers
welcomed the submission of EAPs by 16 economies and encouraged
continued and broader participation. 34. Ministers commended
the completion of updating Osaka Action Agenda (OAA) Part
II and its Annex. Ministers reaffirmed the role of OAA in
shaping the road map for APEC in the new century. The revised
OAA Part II incorporates new initiatives and priorities since
1995, and will continue to function as a fundamental guide
in future Ecotech activities. Ministers also instructed Working
Groups to make sure their future activities are consistent
with the updated OAA II and include in their annual report
to the SOM information on the implementation of OAA II so
that progress can be monitored.
35. Ministers commended the completion
of the first APEC Science & Technology Policy Forum held
in Penang, Malaysia,which was organized by the Industrial
Science and Technology Working Group (ISTWG). The Forum identified
numerous recommendations for building innovation capacity
within APEC economies and fostering linkages among science,
technology and innovation communities across APEC. Noting
the contribution to the success of the Forum made by the participation
of academic, business, and other non-governmental groups,
Ministers urged the ISTWG to continue to involve these stakeholders
in implementing these recommendations.
APEC Food System (AFS)
36. Reaffirming the importance of addressing
the three areas of the AFS on rural infrastructure development,
promotion of trade in food products, and dissemination of
technological advances in food production and processing,
Ministers welcomed and endorsed the SOM report on the implementation
of the AFS. They also asked the Senior Officials to give further
thought to ways to increase the momentum in AFS implementation,
requested SOM to report annually on progress in implementation
of the AFS recommendations, and instructed officials to examine
how to respond to ABAC's recommendations on the AFS in 2000
and 2001.
Biotechnology
37. Ministers reaffirmed the importance
of transparent and science-based approaches to risk assessment
and management in the introduction and use of biotechnology
products, and of technical cooperation, and information exchange
on new technology and capacity building in this area. They
recognized the importance of economies' efforts to enhance
consumers' awareness, confidence and understanding of biotechnology
products to facilitate the realization of the potential benefits
of this technology.
38. Ministers endorsed the SOM Report
on Agricultural Biotechnology and asked Senior Officials to
report on progress next year. They welcomed the initiative
to hold a policy-level dialogue on agricultural biotechnology
and requested Senior Officials to report on progress in 2002.
Infectious Disease
39. In recognition of the challenges
posed by infectious diseases, Ministers endorsed the APEC
Strategy to address HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases
and commended the efforts and contribution made by ISTWG in
developing the strategy in less than a year. Ministers asked
related APEC fora, notably the ISTWG to take actions as laid
out in the Strategy in the six categories of electronic networking,
surveillance, outbreak response, capacity building, partnering
across sectors, and political and economic leadership. Ministers
also noted that the APEC Healthcare Services Accreditation
Project and a project to conduct training in infectious disease
surveillance were approved at the 21st meeting of the ISTWG
in Penang, Malaysia. Ministers welcomed these initiatives
in response to the APEC Infectious Disease Strategy and requested
ISTWG to report outcome to the SOM.
Strengthening the Functioning of Markets
40. Ministers commended the significant
efforts made by member economies in strengthening the functioning
of markets, which complement the APEC trade and investment
liberalization and facilitation process. Acknowledging the
importance of developing transparent, favorable and predictable
policy as well as legal and regulatory environment for business,
Ministers:
Took note of the progress made regarding
the APEC-OECD Cooperative Initiative on regulatory reform
led by Peru, welcomed the outcomes arising from the Opening
Conference of the Initiative held in Singapore, the First
APEC-OECD Workshop on Regulatory Reform held in Beijing on
19-20 September 2001 and commended Mexico's offer for hosting
the Second Workshop;
Took note of the work of the coordinating
group on Strengthening Economic Legal Infrastructure led by
Australia, Japan and Peru, particularly the completion of
Menus of Options for Strengthening Economic Legal Infrastructure,
called for early implementation and the development of cooperative
projects in capacity and institutional building, corporate
law and competition policy, based on the Cooperation Framework,
and urged continuous efforts in building capacity and skills
of individuals, institutions and agencies in developing and
applying commercial, corporate and competition law;
Took note of the progress made in the
cooperation program in the area of SME and New Business Support,
and welcomed the progress achieved in the Cooperation Programs,
which consists of holding seminars, dispatching experts and
related activities, based on the Evolving Cooperation Initiative
by Japan;
Endorsed the Guidelines for Good Corporate
Governance Practice developed by PECC and encouraged APEC
members to implement the Guidelines on a voluntary basis;
Welcomed the Guidelines of Best Practices
for Entrepreneurship and Start-up Companies, which was the
principal outcome of a Symposium in this regard held on August
2-3 2001 in Chinese Taipei, and encouraged relevant APEC fora
to apply the Guidelines to their future work; and
Recognized the importance of capacity
building for the implementation of APEC Principles to Enhance
Competition and Regulatory Reform, and welcomed further work
in this area, such as training programs.
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