KUALA LUMPUR: The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) wants to see its shared prosperity agenda translated into work plans for members of the organisation this year.
Chair of the APEC senior officials Hairil Yahri Yaacob also hoped that the prosperity agenda would touch all segments of society.
“We want to see the benefits from the shared prosperity agenda translated into work plans for APEC 2020 and for them to touch all segments of society,” said Hairil.
He described the agenda as one of the desired outcomes for the 2020 initiatives of the APEC forum.
“We want people from all walks of life to be able to feel what APEC has done for them,” he told the APEC Secretariat amid preparations for the first senior officials’ meeting for 2020.
Malaysia hosts the regional economic forum and its associated meetings this year, which will take place in the federal administrative capital of Putrajaya.
What senior officials agree in the next three days will set the tone for the rest of 2020, a year when the economic forum will be deciding on what to focus on this new decade.
“The Bogor Goals will expire this year,” Hairil said referring to the long-term objective of free and open trade that APEC member economies set for themselves in 1994.
“We need to come up with a new vision to chart our direction for the next 10 to 20 years.
“Malaysia will provide the leadership in order to come up with a new vision post-2020 for APEC,” he said.
Under Malaysia’s direction, the theme for APEC is “Optimising Human Potential towards a Future of Shared Prosperity,” which reflects the forum’s recent emphasis on taking a people-centred approach in planning programmes and initiatives.
This has resulted in studies, workshops and activities geared towards promoting inclusivity, equal opportunity, digital education, assistance for small businesses as well as environmental awareness.
Hairil however emphasised APEC’s mission of promoting open trade in the region still remains its priority.
“It remains a top agenda for APEC. In fact, it is the foundation.
“It is just that we live in an era when issues such as digital economy, digital technology, and sustainability and inclusivity are very important because these matter to people,” he said.
He noted that the growth generated through trade must translate to gains felt by the wider population.
“We can no longer see trade and investment just from one angle,” he said.
Multilateral gatherings between officials from different government portfolios have been ongoing since Feb 3. Most notably, the APEC Health Working Group met just days after the outbreak of the new coronavirus. It was an opportunity for APEC officials to coordinate with key infectious disease experts and with representatives from the World Health Organisation.
The two-day APEC Senior Officials Meeting (SOM1) begins tomorrow.
Malaysia is expected to host about 16,000 delegates throughout APEC 2020, which runs until the year's end.
This is the second time Malaysia has hosted the forum in 22 years. SOM1, which began earlier this month kicked off a series of events in five cities nationwide.
It will culminate in the final event involving all 21 leaders from its member economies in November, which will be a platform for them to deliver a consensus declaration on critical issues and launch the new Post-2020 Vision of APEC.
Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad holds the distinction of being the first world leader who has hosted APEC twice.
APEC is an inter-governmental forum for 21 member economies in the Pacific Rim that promotes free trade throughout the Asia-Pacific region.