THE TWELFTH APEC MINISTERIAL MEETING
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, BRUNEI DARUSSALAM
12-13 NOVEMBER 2000
JOINT STATEMENT
Introduction
- Ministers from Australia; Brunei Darussalam; Canada; Chile; the People's
Republic of China; Hong Kong, China; Indonesia; Japan; the Republic of Korea;
Malaysia; Mexico; New Zealand; Peru; the Republic of the Philippines; Russia;
Singapore; Chinese Taipei; Thailand; the United States of America; and Viet
Nam participated in the Twelfth Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministerial
Meeting in Bandar Seri Begawan on 12-13 November 2000. The APEC Secretariat
was present. The Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretariat,
the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council and the Pacific Island Forum attended
as observers.
- The meeting was Chaired by the Honourable Abdul Rahman Taib, Minister of
Industry and Primary Resources, of Brunei Darussalam, and Her Royal Highness
Princess Masna, Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, of Brunei Darussalam.
The main theme for APEC 2000, Delivering to the Community, signified
the need for sustaining economic growth to raise incomes and reduce poverty
in the region. Thus, the agenda of the meeting was organised in accordance
with the three themes:
- Theme 1: Building Stronger Foundations,
- Theme 2: Creating New Opportunities, and
- Theme 3: Making APEC Matter More
- Global and regional macroeconomic conditions have boosted the confidence
for better prospects and economic outlook for the APEC region. However, economies
should continue to reform and restructure in enhancing the sustainability
of growth. The full realisation of the potential of economic growth depends
on close cooperation between government and business, as well as among economies
in harnessing vast opportunities presented by globalisation and APEC's commitment
towards the open trading system. This potential for a huge increase in prosperity
would require continuous efforts in strengthening the APEC cooperation agenda
that would enable developing economies to participate more meaningfully in
the globalised economy. In spite of the many achievements by APEC, much remains
to be done. Against this backdrop of new opportunities and challenges, APEC
Ministers met to discuss and advance regional economic cooperation for common
prosperity in the APEC region.
Building Stronger Foundations
- Ministers reaffirmed their commitments to the Bogor goal of free and open
trade and investment. After a decade of progress, Ministers considered that
the years ahead offered APEC economies wide ranging opportunities for further
growth that must be seized. However, there would be many challenges and APEC
needed to explore more creative and efficient ways to prepare each of its
members as they move towards the Bogor goal. APEC's shared goal of economic
prosperity and social improvement would be made possible through building
upon the solid foundations which APEC economies had laid over the last decade
and through continued cooperation in building capacity. Such efforts would
help economies realise their growth potential and transform that into higher
living standards. It would also enhance APEC's ability to play a stronger
leadership role in international fora and act as a force for growth in international
markets.
Trade and Investment Liberalisation and Facilitation(TILF)
Individual Action Plans
- Ministers reaffirmed APEC's unique approach in advancing liberalisation
and facilitation goals through the process of individual and collective actions.
- Ministers commended the e-IAP initiative as an effective response to calls
by business to make Individual Action Plans (IAPs) more transparent, specific
and comprehensive. Ministers welcomed the work undertaken to improve the IAP
mechanism through its transformation into an electronic medium to improve
their usefulness and accessibility for the business community and policy makers.
Ministers endorsed these landmark developments including the proposed 2000
IAP Format Guidelines for the new e-IAPs and concluded that the new format
made the IAP system a more effective mechanism to reflect and encourage progress
towards the Bogor Goals. Ministers expressed their appreciation for Microsoft
Corporation's sponsorship of and contribution to the e-IAP system. This development
together with the streamlining of the reporting requirements would enable
the business community to plan with more certainty and benefit more quickly
from the liberalisation, facilitation and deregulation processes which APEC
economies were undertaking to improve the business environment. Ministers
recognised that the e-IAP system could be further refined based on experience
with using the system and requested officials to report its progress to the
Ministers Responsible for Trade (MRT) Meeting in 2001.
- Ministers were encouraged by the improvements in IAPs submitted by economies
in 2000 and by the firm commitment demonstrated by economies to progressively
and continuously improve their individual plans to reach Bogor goals. Ministers
commended those economies that had made use of the new electronic format this
year and agreed for all members to use the new e-IAP system for their 2001
IAP submissions.
- Ministers reiterated their support for the on-going process of peer reviews
by which economies demonstrate their commitment
s to further improve
their individual plans and provided an additional opportunity for members
to conduct close consultations on how this would be done. Guided by the Osaka
Action Agenda (OAA) principles, Ministers endorsed a set of recommendations
to improve the rigour and profile of the peer review process which called
for regular, focused and manageable peer reviews without compromising their
voluntary nature. Ministers commended China, Indonesia, Mexico, Peru, Singapore,
Chinese Taipei and Thailand for submitting their IAPs for peer reviews this
year and welcomed the offer from Canada and Russia to do so in 2001. Ministers
also took note of the participation of business in some of these peer reviews
and welcomed this invitation on a voluntary basis in the peer review process.
- Ministers acknowledged the importance of strengthening the foundation of
APEC and of forging closer relationships with business and the community at
large in their effort to achieve economic growth and equitable development
through trade and economic cooperation. They agreed it was imperative for
APEC to continually build upon its successes and ensure that its work remained
relevant in order to face the emerging global challenges and take up new opportunities
in the coming century. Ministers reaffirmed the decision made at the MRT Meeting
in Darwin to adopt a comprehensive approach in reviewing and building upon
the OAA guidelines. Ministers acknowledged the initial work undertaken thus
far and instructed officials to finalise the work, taking into account the
views of ABAC, and submit their recommendations to the MRT Meeting in 2001.
Collective Action Plans, including Early Voluntary Sectoral Liberalisation
and Trade Facilitation
- Ministers approved and endorsed the annual report of the Committee on Trade
and Investment (CTI) and its recommendations. They noted the enhancement of
Collective Action Plans (CAPs) and considered that the increased transparency
of trade and investment policies would provide greater certainty and predictability
for the business community and would result in lower transaction costs for
business. Ministers endorsed and highlighted some key outcomes in 2000 which
include:
- Expansion of the CAPs to intensify work on non-tariff measures (NTMs),
- Principles and Features of Good Practice for Technical Regulations and
Information Notes, and
- Broadening of the CAPs to include "paperless trading" for
customs procedures; and
- Completion of the APEC Policy Framework for work on services.
- Ministers approved the priority areas proposed by the CTI for 2001 and called
on officials to explore new ways of enhancing the effectiveness of the work
programs. Ministers stressed the importance of working closely with the business
community, including ABAC, in this process to ensure that APEC's work remained
dynamic and relevant.
- Taking into account the importance of ensuring stable investment flows into
APEC region, Ministers welcomed Russia's offer to host the Third Investment
Mart and Seventh Investment Symposium in Vladivostok in 2002.
Early Voluntary Sectoral Liberalisation
- Ministers noted the many activities under the EVSL initiative, including
a wide- range of surveys and sectoral seminars/workshops to progress the work
on non-tariff measures (NTMs), facilitation and ECOTECH. In particular, Ministers
welcomed the consolidation of the NTMs work programme and tasked the CTI to
further develop additional collective actions on NTMs by the next Ministerial
Meeting. Ministers also called on the relevant APEC fora to consider appropriate
ECOTECH programmes to assist in this process.
- Ministers also welcomed progress made in 2000 in the APEC Auto Dialogue,
and encouraged further such progress at the next Dialogue in Thailand. Ministers
welcomed the initiative to establish a Chemical Dialogue comprising government
and industry representatives. Such public-private sector dialogues were important
for improving the mutual understanding of key imperatives for the development
of future policy and for enhancing the competitiveness of the industry.
Trade Facilitation
- Ministers reviewed recent APEC advances in improving trade and investment
facilitation and agreed that this had immediate benefits for business and
was taking APEC economies toward the goal of free and open trade and investment.
Ministers noted the accomplishments in the work on the rapid exchange of information
and increased transparency in testing and certification requirements in the
region, APEC Business Travel Card, launch of the BizAPEC.com website,
APEC: Getting Results for Business and the 2000 SCCP Blueprint:
Meeting the Challenges of Modern Business Environment . Ministers requested
APEC fora to continue this work and explore new areas and ways of taking it
forward because of the direct benefit it has in reducing transactions costs
for business and consumers.
- Ministers agreed that trade facilitation must remain a priority issue. They
welcomed initial work on developing a set of non-binding principles on trade
facilitation and instructed officials to complete this work and report it
for the consideration of Ministers Responsible for Trade in June 2001. Ministers
noted that the work on the non-binding principles on trade facilitation could
also be a useful contribution to the WTO. Ministers recognised the outcome
of an APEC Workshop on Trade Facilitation in the Asia-Pacific and instructed
officials to consider Canada's proposals on trade facilitation in the next
year's process.
Strengthening the Multilateral Trading System
- Ministers expressed their firm commitment to open regionalism and strong
support for the primacy of the multilateral trading system. They agreed that
the system should respond to the needs of the globalised economy of the 21
st Century and that trade liberalisation under WTO rules is a dynamic
force for accelerating growth and development. Ministers also agreed that
better communication of the importance of the WTO in fostering growth in the
global economy would broaden support for further trade liberalisation.
- Ministers reiterated their commitment to building the capacity of developing
economies to implement WTO agreements and to more fully participate in the
multilateral trading system. They endorsed the strategic APEC plan as a basis
for concerted action to enhance capacity for full participation in the WTO
and agreed on the importance of implementation as early as possible. They
welcomed the fact that this strategic plan was tailored to offer specific
programmes to respond to individual needs. They also decided that both developed
and developing members would prioritize as appropriate the plan in the developmental
programmes, and that priority should be given in allocating the APEC TILF
fund to finance possible programmes in accordance with the established TILF
approval process. Ministers also decided that members would pursue collaboration
with relevant international organizations such as the World Bank and the Asian
Development Bank in implementing this plan.
- Ministers reaffirmed their strong commitment to the launch of a new round
of multilateral trade negotiations at the earliest opportunity. They agreed
that the successful and expeditious launch of a new round requires an agenda
that is balanced and sufficiently broad-based to respond to the interests
and concerns of all WTO members. With this in mind, they called on delegations
in Geneva to agree on an agenda in 2001 and urged all WTO members to muster
the political will and exercise flexibility. Ministers also commended the
confidence-building measures adopted in the WTO, including those on market
access for least-developed countries and those addressing concerns over aspects
of the implementation of WTO agreements. They committed to seriously address
all issues relating to implementation.
- Ministers reaffirmed that the concerns of developing economies should be
addressed through enhanced attention to the effective implementation of special
and differential treatment and ongoing support for capacity building and technical
assistance, so as to facilitate their ability to participate fully in the
WTO.
- Ministers welcomed the commencement in Geneva of the mandated negotiations
on agriculture and services. Acknowledging the agreement reached by Ministers
in Auckland last year concerning the negotiations on agriculture and services,
they encouraged meaningful progress in these areas.
- Ministers noted APEC's expertise in the areas of services and supported
efforts to use that expertise to add impetus to the negotiations. They agreed
on the importance to business of continuing to advance trade facilitation
measures, including through the work of WTO services bodies. Ministers also
recognized the contribution economic and technical cooperation could make
to the WTO services negotiations.
- Ministers urged all WTO members to contribute positively to the WTO preparatory
work on industrial tariffs and other related areas, as part of the preparation
for a new round, without prejudice to the overall agenda for negotiations.
- Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to the APEC-wide moratorium on the
imposition of customs duties on electronic transmissions until the next WTO
Ministerial Conference. They acknowledged the importance of avoiding unnecessary
measures restricting the use and development of electronic commerce and called
for the establishment of an ad hoc analytical taskforce in the WTO
that would examine how WTO rules are relevant to the evolution of electronic
commerce.
- Ministers noted the outcomes of the seminar that has been held in Peru to
aid mutual understanding of investment and competition policy and welcomed
the seminar to be held in the Philippines in November. They also noted APEC's
existing analytical work on these issues.
- Ministers also welcomed the offer by China to host a seminar on the implementation
of TRIMS in September 2001.
- Ministers welcomed the substantial progress that had been made in the WTO
accession negotiations for China and urged the rapid completion of its accession
negotiations. They also reiterated support for rapid accession to the WTO
by Chinese Taipei and the advancement of the accession processes for Russia
and Vietnam. Ministers supported an agreement that all acceding economies
will participate in some capacity in a new round of WTO negotiations.
- Ministers noted the progress that has been made in compiling a database
on existing sub-regional trade agreements and bilateral investment treaties.
- Ministers agreed that sub-regional and bilateral trade agreements should
serve as building blocks for multilateral liberalisation in the WTO. They
considered it essential that the existing and emerging sub-regional and bilateral
trade agreements be consistent with WTO rules and disciplines. They believed
that these agreements should be in line with APEC architecture and supportive
of APEC goals and principles.
Open Economies Delivering to People: APEC's Decade of Progress
- Ministers endorsed the report Open Economies Delivering to People: APEC's
Decade of Progress prepared by Australia for the APEC Economic Leaders
Meeting. The report concluded that by adopting open economic policies, combined
with measures to improve international competitiveness and strengthen economic
governance, APEC economies had achieved not only strong economic growth, but
also substantial improvements in the lives of the people of the region. Ministers
took particular note of the substantial inroads in alleviating poverty and
creating large number of jobs during the past decade of open economic policies
in the APEC region. Ministers also acknowledged that managing economic change
required structural adjustment strategies including, where appropriate, the
development of social safety nets.
- Ministers concluded that the continued pursuit of open economic policies
was essential to meet the aspirations of the people of the region and that
APEC was well placed to help its members pursue open economic policies. Ministers
therefore instructed officials to intensify work in relevant fora to assist
economies pursue open economic policies, including with respect to institutional
capacity-building and adopting strategies to manage change.
Strengthening the Functioning of Markets
- Ministers welcomed the significant contribution that APEC was making towards
strengthening the functioning of markets in the region. They recognised that
strong markets were a necessary complement to trade and investment liberalisation
and facilitation in the pursuit of sustained economic growth. They also noted
that the advent of the new economy had only served to underscore the importance
of efficient, competitive and dynamic markets.
- Ministers commended the progress report on the APEC Road Map on Strengthening
Markets . The report was able to bring into focus APEC's substantial collective
and individual efforts in addressing important market fundamentals. Further
to these efforts and the elements of the Road Map that were identified
in Auckland, Ministers endorsed:
- the Cooperative Initiative on Regulatory Reform being organised
jointly with the OECD and aimed at building the capacities of economies
to implement the APEC Principles to Enhance Competition and Regulatory
Reform.
- the Cooperation Framework for Strengthening Economic Legal Infrastructure
, which will initially focus on the areas of corporate law, competition
policy as well as capacity and institutional building to develop good
regulatory systems. The APEC Symposium on Strengthening Economic Legal
Infrastructure held in Jakarta in July 2000 and co-organised by Indonesia,
Japan and Australia provided the genesis for the Framework.
- the Cooperation Program in the area of SME and New Business
Support based on the Evolving Cooperation Initiative, following two
workshops held in Tokyo and Taipei in September 2000.
- the proposal to invite the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC)
to develop ideas which APEC may consider furthering its work on improving
economic and corporate governance in the region. In doing so Ministers
commended the progress in the APEC Finance Ministers' Initiative on
Corporate Governance and noted that future proposals should take into
account the ongoing work in that forum.
- Ministers also commended the progress APEC had made in implementing specific
elements of the Road Map. Of particular note were the efforts being made to
develop seamless and safe transportation systems, which were of importance
for trade and the provision of basic services in the region. As such, Ministers
welcomed the progress in implementing the recommendations for more competitive
air services on a voluntary basis, including the proposals on widening and
deepening the measures within APEC as well as a plurilateral arrangement among
five like-minded economies to liberalise air services. Other initiatives included
the seminar on Strengthening Human Resources Development for Structural
Reform held in September 2000, hosted jointly by Japan and Brunei Darussalam
on the issue of Aligning Human Resources Development with Advancing Industrial
Structure and the APEC Workshop on Public Sector Management , organised
by New Zealand and held in Singapore in May 2000, which provided a useful
forum to exchange views and experiences on improving public sector effectiveness.
- Ministers noted that increasingly APEC's work on strengthening markets needs
to address the challenges of building relevant market infrastructure and institutions
as well as strengthening human capacity. Ministers therefore instructed officials
to report further progress on the Road Map in 2001, concentrating on these
challenges and taking into account the new initiatives and proposals.
Economic and ECOTECH issues
SOM Sub-Committee on Economic and Technical Cooperation (ESC)
- Ministers endorsed the SOM report on ECOTECH and its recommendations and
conclusions. In advancing the APEC ECOTECH Agenda, Ministers stressed that
ECOTECH projects should be more focused and properly prioritised. Ministers
instructed the ESC in 2001 to develop further the Joint Activities/Dialogue
sections of the OAA guidelines, building upon the review of the implementation
of such guidelines. In re-affirming the importance of ECOTECH in achieving
the Bogor Goals, Ministers called for a more focused and intensified action
agenda. In this regard, Ministers instructed officials to consider the possibility
of establishing IAPs on ECOTECH.
- Recognising the need to improve project coordination, Ministers welcomed
the establishment of the ECOTECH Clearing House and endorsed the revision
to the ECOTECH Weighting Matrix. Ministers encouraged APEC fora to
use the Clearing House electronic notice board facility to coordinate ECOTECH
projects. Ministers also called for widening the participation in the ECOTECH
projects and emphasised that the ESC should assume a more important role in
APEC. In this regard, they instructed officials and APEC fora to communicate
and publicise the benefits that APEC projects have brought to the quality
of life of the people in the region, citing the publication on Making APEC
Matter More to People Through ECOTECH as an example.
- Ministers welcomed a report on the Regional Integration for Sustainable
Economies (RISE), and committed to seek greater private sector involvement,
as it would continue in China and Indonesia, and expand to cities in other
economies.
- Ministers welcomed the efforts to revitalise the APEC Education Foundation
and urged economies to participate actively in the Foundation.
Economic Committee (EC)
- Ministers endorsed the Economic Committee's Report to Ministers for 2000
and noted the outcomes from the symposia organised by the EC for its research
projects . They also welcomed the EC's report on the Impacts of
Higher Oil Prices on APEC Economies and instructed the EC to continue
to study this issue and to include the findings in the 2001 APEC Economic
Outlook .
- Ministers endorsed the 2000 APEC Economic Outlook . The report confirmed
that the Asian crisis has been contained and that economic recovery was more
prevalent in the APEC region. Ministers also endorsed the APEC Economies
beyond the Asian Crisis report, which highlighted the major challenges
of the new economy. Ministers further endorsed the Towards Knowledge-Based
Economies in APEC report and its recommendations to establish a Knowledge
Clearing House , to produce a menu of Igniting Policies for triggering
the transition to KBE, and to include KBE Status Indicators in the
APEC Economic Outlook. Ministers instructed the EC to identify recommendations
that can be implemented through collective action and develop detailed plans
of implementation in cooperation with APEC Secretariat and report to Ministers
in their next meeting.
New Initiative on Human Capacity Building
- The emergence of the new economy has created a new dimension for human capacity
building. In this regard, Ministers reaffirmed the importance of human capacity
building and instructed senior officials to prepare a human capacity building
strategy that would define the objectives, priorities and principles for APEC
to respond to the challenges of the new environment.
- To support this process Ministers agreed that a special coordinating group
of HRD representatives led by the ESC be established to share information
towards improving the coordination and efficacy of APEC's human capacity building
efforts as recommended by SOM. In particular, Ministers endorsed the recommendation
to improve the reporting and public outreach of APEC's efforts in human capacity
building by tasking the Coordinating Group to prepare annually a report on
Human Capacity Building to Leaders and Ministers. Ministers welcome Brunei's
offer to provide assistance for the publication of the first annual report.
- Ministers acknowledge the significance of accelerating the adoption of information
and communication technology (ICT) across the APEC fora in order to take advantage
of the new opportunities and contributions it brings to delivery of education
and training as well as in other aspects of capacity building. The work on
human capacity building in the APEC region can be strengthened and be made
more effective through the development of mechanisms to enhance partnerships
among all stakeholders including business and workers. In this regard, Ministers
encouraged APEC working groups to engage relevant non-government representatives
and instructed officials to seek appropriate ways to engage them. Ministers
welcomed the efforts by Brunei Darussalam and China to advance this initiative.
APEC Forum on Shared Prosperity and Harmony
- Ministers welcomed the successful hosting of the APEC Forum on Shared
Prosperity and Harmony held in Korea in 31 March – 1 April 2000.
Among others, the Forum discussed measures to avoid recurrence of economic
crisis and to bridge the economic and social disparity among economies. Ministers
also welcomed the initiatives arising from the Forum and instructed officials
and relevant fora to review them for implementation, as appropriate.
Sectoral Ministerial Meetings
- Ministers welcomed the outcomes from the 2 nd APEC Education
Ministers Meeting (AEM) held in Singapore in April 2000. They agreed that
economies should consider the key strategies recommended by the AEM in the
development of education systems. Namely, the strategies identified were:
(a) importance of IT as a core competency for learning and teaching in the
future, (b) enhancement of the quality of teaching and teacher development,
(c) cultivation of sound education management and exchanges in education within
APEC, and (d) to promote a culture of active engagement among APEC economies
in education to forge deeper understanding within the Asia-Pacific community
and energise and enrich their continuing efforts for improving education at
local and regional levels. Ministers instructed officials to develop an overall
workplan in these strategic areas and that the Education Network of the HRDWG
would coordinate implementation of the workplan. Ministers noted the decision
of the AEM to meet once in every five years. Ministers also noted the progress
on the initiative by Australia and New Zealand to identify measures affecting
trade and investment in education services in the Asia Pacific region, and
instructed officials to finalise the initiative this year including identifying
potential areas for cooperation and to report to the MRT Meeting in 2001.
- Ministers welcomed the outcomes from the Meeting of Ministers of Telecommunication
and Information Industry (TELMIN) held in Cancun, Mexico in May 2000, in particular
the adoption of the Cancun Declaration . Ministers noted the commitments
on advancing the Asia Pacific Information Infrastructure (APII), Asia Pacific
Information Society (APIS) and on implementation of the Reference Framework
for Action in E-Commerce. Ministers also noted the role of TELMIN in promoting
pro-competitive environment and cooperation with the business sector in broad
areas.
- Ministers acknowledged that SMEs were important for sustaining economic
recovery and that APEC should respond to their needs in supporting the foundations
for growth and creating new opportunities. They welcomed the outcomes from
the SME Ministers Meeting held in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam in
June 2000 and encouraged APEC fora to advance the interests of SMEs in the
areas of HRD, ICT, financing, and strategic alliances. In this context, Ministers
instructed officials and relevant fora to develop work programme in these
specified areas, and joint with private sector in enhancing SMEs development.
Ministers encouraged economies to consider opening up some of their domestic
training programmes to participants from APEC economies on a voluntary basis
and to include a list of trainers that are available for conducting training
across the APEC region. Ministers acknowledged the New Business Partnership
Initiative that facilitates commercial linkages between American SMEs and
qualified business partners from interested APEC economies, and requested
the US further develop the programme during 2001 and report to the SME Ministerial
in Shanghai.
- Ministers noted the outcomes from the first Tourism Ministerial Meeting
in Seoul in July 2000 including the adoption of the Seoul Declaration on
APEC Tourism Charter . In this respect, Ministers instructed officials
to develop collective commitment for promoting tourism in the APEC region
and report progress in 2001. Ministers also welcomed the deliverables on Environmentally
Sustainable Tourism , Establishment of a Tourism Information Network
, and Tourism Satellite Account , and instructed the Tourism Working
Group to take actions to implement them.
- Ministers welcomed the message from APEC Energy Ministers in the Declaration
from their San Diego meeting on the central importance of energy to sustainable
development and welcomed their commitment to a new implementation strategy.
Ministers also noted the risks posed by oil market volatility to economic
development and called for appropriate measures to promote greater long-term
market stability in the mutual interests of consumers and producers. In this
regard Ministers welcomed efforts by member economies this year to balance
oil markets.
- Ministers noted the report of the Senior Officials and in view of the importance
of strengthening energy security in member economies, including achieving
greater equilibrium between supply and demand, directed the Energy Working
Group to continue its programs to improve the functioning of energy markets;
energy efficiency and conservation; diversification of energy resources; renewable
energy development and deployment; and explore the potential for alternative
transport fuels, to alleviate pressure on the oil market. Ministers also noted
the new initiative to develop and share information, on a voluntary basis,
on the role that stocks could play as an option to respond to oil market disruptions.
- In ensuring overall effectiveness of the APEC process, Ministers requested
officials to undertake a review on the implementation of initiatives that
were endorsed in APEC Sectoral Ministerial Meetings.
Creating New Opportunities
- The revolution in ICT has transformed the ways of doing business in the
region. This new economy presents both developed and developing APEC economies
with many new and exciting opportunities for increasing economic growth. APEC
has an important and expanding role as a catalyst for the necessary policy
frameworks that would enable all APEC economies to maximize the potential
benefits of these new opportunities.
New Economy
- The world economy is experiencing a trade and technological revolution
with rapid growth in the Internet, thriving e-commerce and many other changes
that are transforming the way business and trade is conducted. The efficiencies
from the ICT revolution present many opportunities for both developed and
developing economies to achieve higher growth and realise better standards
of living without igniting inflation. However, as discussed in the two EC's
reports, Towards Knowledge-Based Economies in APEC and APEC Economies
beyond the Asian Crisis , to fulfill much of these potential benefits
would require an appropriate policy framework that encourages: strengthening
the functioning of markets; openness to trade and investment; innovation and
new enterprises; sound macroeconomic policy; education and lifelong learning;
and the enabling role of information and telecommunications infrastructure.
Ministers recognised the importance to the new economy of innovation in the
software industry. In this context, they agreed that APEC should promote strong
asset management practices to ensure legal and proper use of software and
other IP assets by users. Ministers also requested officials to examine ways
to enhance interaction among IT professionals, using existing APEC fora.
- Ministers acknowledged that a digital divide could further widen social
and economic disparities across the APEC region, and underlined the importance
of ensuring that everyone in the APEC region has access to the opportunities
presented by ICT networks. Ministers therefore called for improvement in access
to affordable technology. The new economy is primarily driven by the business
sector, therefore APEC needs to strengthen its relationship with the business
community in ensuring that APEC's work remains relevant. In this regard, Ministers
called for a public-private partnership to create digital opportunities and
spread the benefits of the new economy throughout all segments of society.
Ministers reaffirmed the vital linkages between education and maximisation
of the potential of the new economy, stressing that as the region moves ahead
no person should be left behind. As part of the efforts to reduce the digital
divide, Ministers also reaffirmed the importance for all children in the region
to have access to basic education.
- Ministers welcomed the conclusions reached at the two APEC symposia on
venture capital, which were the follow-ups of the endorsed proposal on Economic
Revitalisation through Start-Up Companies and Venture Capital, held in
Chinese Taipei this year and encouraged further work in this area. Ministers
instructed officials to coordinate and package the various APEC initiatives
that concerned with the new economy for the benefit of synergy. The following
initiatives were endorsed by Ministers:
- the US proposal on Readiness Evaluation Action Partnership,
- Chinese Taipei's proposal on Transforming the Digital Divide into a Digital
Opportunity, of which the phase I will be implemented in 2001
- Viet Nam's proposal to develop an APEC Guide to Enact Legal Framework
for Electronic Commerce,
- Korea's proposal on Cyber Education Cooperation,
- Brunei's proposal on Human Capacity Building in APEC- Meeting the needs
of the 21 st Century.
- Singapore's proposal on Use of Information Technology in a Learning Society,
- Malaysia's proposal on a Network of Skills Development Centers, and
- the EC's project on KBE.
Electronic Commerce (e-commerce)
- E-Commerce is an important element for creating new opportunities that would
benefit the communities in the APEC region. In welcoming the ongoing work
on e-Commerce, Ministers emphasized the need to make progress in various other
aspects such as capacity building, consumer protection, network security,
favourable and compatible legal framework, and in the role of e-commerce in
trade facilitation to gain full benefit from e-commerce.
- In pursuing capacity building and helping SMEs to adopt e-commerce, Ministers
endorsed a proposal on APEC-Wide Action Plan to Support Use of Electronic
Commerce by SMEs . They also endorsed a symposium on APEC High-level
Symposium on E-Commerce and Paperless Trading by China and Australia.
Ministers commended the progress made in the APEC E-Commerce Readiness
Initiative and acknowledged that 20 economies are participating in the
initiative using the APEC Electronic Commerce Readiness Guide . Ministers
encouraged all economies to make use of the results of Readiness Assessments
to guide future policies and plan further work to enhance e-commerce readiness
in their respective economies. Ministers also commended the efforts by the
PECC in bringing together all interested parties to develop a comprehensive
approach for training and education needs in e-commerce.
- Recognizing the need to improve consumers' trust and confidence in e-commerce,
Ministers endorsed a work programme leading to favourable as well as compatible
legal and regulatory frameworks for consumer protection, electronic transactions
documents and signatures across APEC. In this regard, Ministers welcomed work
on legal framework for e-commerce and further workshops on e-government, authentication
and network security, and current business models.
- As e-commerce is becoming a mainstream activity across many sub-fora, Ministers
urged the need for better coordination and collaboration. In this regard,
Ministers instructed officials to work together with the Secretariat in updating
the inventory on e-commerce activities and consider widening the scope of
APEC's e-commerce work programme taking into account the relevant recommendations
by the Electronic Commerce Steering Group (ECSG). Ministers also urged economies
to promote participation of private sector in establishing interconnection
and interoperation among the existing Electronic-Data-Interchange (EDI) systems
respectively in each economy.
Making APEC Matter More
- Ministers welcomed the efforts in 2000 to provide focus on the tangible
benefits that were accruing to the people of the region. Through the overall
theme , Delivering to the Community , APEC has ensured that its work
program is more relevant and meaningful to its stakeholders.
Interaction with the Community
APEC Public Outreach/Communicating the Benefits of Trade Liberalisation
- Communicating the role of APEC and the benefits of trade liberalisation
remains a key collective and individual task. Conscious of wider public interest
in the work of APEC, Ministers also endorsed the establishment of an Ad-Hoc
Study Group of Officials on APEC Interaction to consider how best to benefit
from the interests, expertise and insight of our communities and requested
Brunei Darussalam to lead the group. Recognising the importance of outreach
activities, Ministers also noted the SOM's recommendations to Ministers for
APEC to develop effective communication and outreach strategy with the assistance
of an independent expert.
- Recognising that close liaison with the private sector and other groups
remains an important tool for achieving outcomes that are meaningful to our
communities, particularly to business, Ministers instructed officials to enhance
interaction of APEC with the business community and other relevant stakeholders,
where appropriate, as exemplified by the hosting of the SME Business Forum
and E-Trade Fair parallel to the SME Ministerial in Bandar Seri
Begawan.
BizAPEC.com
- In view of the vast potential of E-commerce to promote and facilitate trade
in the APEC region, Ministers welcomed and commended the development of the
biz APEC. com website, under the initiative of the Improved
APEC Internet Services for Business and instructed officials and economies
to publicise, maintain and update the website.
Dialogue with APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC)
- Ministers welcomed the ABAC Report to Leaders, Facing Globalisation the
APEC Way, and its two major themes stressing the need to stay on track
with the Trade and Investment Liberalisation and Facilitation agenda and the
importance to be placed on giving substance to capacity building. Ministers
also noted ABAC's emphasis on building stronger financial systems at the regional
as well as national levels and agreed on the importance of sectoral government-business
dialogue, as exemplified by the APEC Automotive Dialogue and the newly launched
Chemical Dialogue. Ministers welcomed ABAC's overall emphasis on outreach.
Ministers appreciated ABAC's continued support and encouragement, and instructed
officials to review the implementation of ABAC's recommendations including
the submissions this year.
Social Impact of the Crisis
- Ministers reiterated the importance of supporting the poor and vulnerable
segments of the communities that were affected by the crisis and by the process
of economic restructuring. In this respect, Ministers endorsed a proposal
on the Revitalisation of Social Safety Net Activities in APEC by Korea
and Thailand. They also agreed to establish an Ad-hoc Task Force on Strengthening
APEC Social Safety Net for reviewing APEC's activities on social safety and
forward recommendations to Ministers in 2001.
- Ministers noted the further work by various APEC fora to strengthen social
safety nets and to reduce the adverse impacts of the Asian crisis. This includes
the establishment of the Australian-Thailand Social Protection Facility
that focuses on providing capacity building assistance for the development
of social policy and programme delivery. Ministers also noted the successful
hosting of the Third Regional Forum on Pension Fund Reform held in
Thailand in March 2000. The forum deliberated on the integration of social
security, pension and provident funds as well as supervisory and regulatory
matters. Ministers also welcomed the synthesis, submitted by Canada, of the
report The Poor at Risk's Economic Crisis in Southeast Asia.
Framework for Integration of Women
- Ministers also recognised the significant contribution of women to economic
development in the APEC region, particularly in the SME sector and endorsed
the first SOM report on Implementation of Framework for the Integration
of Women in APEC noting the significant progress in the implementation
of the Framework. Ministers commended the Gender Information Sessions held
in several APEC fora and instructed other APEC fora that have not held a Session
to request one. In view of the fact that further work was needed to enhance
women's participation in the APEC process, Ministers tasked APEC fora and
encouraged economies to fully implement all the recommendations of the SOM
and more broadly to implement the Framework .
Youth
- Ministers recognised the importance of youth as stakeholders in APEC and
encouraged further promotion of their involvement by networking and strengthening
their relationship through APEC activities. Ministers noted the Bangkok
APEC Youth Statement, a key outcome from the forum APEC Youth Networking:
Youth Preparation for the APEC Society in the Next Millennium, held in
Bangkok in July 2000. Ministers noted the outcomes of the APEC Conference
on Eliminating the Worst Forms of Child Labor and Providing Educational Opportunities
for Youth held in Bangkok in October 2000, which included the recognition
that child labour limited access to basic education. Ministers also noted
the success of the 2 nd APEC Youth Science Festival and
welcomed the APEC Youth Festival that would be held in China in mid
2001. Ministers welcomed the successful hosting of the First APEC Youth Skills
Camp in September 2000 in Ulsan, Korea. They also welcomed the Town Hall
Session with APEC Young Entrepreneurs, held in Bandar Seri Begawan in
June 2000 and a similar Session that would be held during the Leaders'
Meeting in November. Ministers further welcomed the first APEC Young Artists'
Exhibition that would be held during the APEC Business Summit and Canada's
initiative to develop the APEC Site for Kids - A Youth Outreach Initiative.
APEC Food System (AFS)
- Ministers welcomed and endorsed the SOM report on the implementation of
the AFS. They reaffirmed 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 encouraged economies and tasked fora to give priority to implementing
the AFS recommendations through intensified activities in their areas of responsibility,
and to provide reports annually on progress in implementation of the AFS recommendations.
Biotechnology
- In recognition of the huge potential of biotechnology to contribute to food
security through increased production, and to the development of sustainable
farming practices, Ministers stressed the continuing importance of transparent
and science-based approaches to risk assessments and risk management in the
introduction and use of biotechnology products. Ministers recognised the importance
of safe introduction and use of biotechnology products, and agreed that the
development and application of biotechnology should take into consideration
WTO rules, as well as consumers' interests in food safety and environmental
quality. Ministers instructed the Agricultural Technical Cooperation Experts
Group (ATCEG) to implement further technical cooperation programmes in biotechnology,
including capacity building and exchange of information and to report on progress
at the MRT Meeting in 2001. Ministers also encouraged close cooperation with
other international fora and voluntary bodies, as appropriate, to enhance
consumers' awareness on the benefits and risks of biotechnology products to
facilitate the realisation of the potential benefits of this technology.
Other Issues
Management Issues
Management Review
- Ministers endorsed the SOM Chair's Report on the Review of APEC's Management
Process and all its recommendations, particularly the Criteria for the
Establishment of New APEC Fora, the Mechanism for Delivering for Developing
Greater Links Among APEC Fora and their work programmes . Ministers
also noted the achievement of the 3-year management review process, led by
Brunei Darussalam, New Zealand and Malaysia, including implementation of measures
endorsed during the process. Ministers also noted the conclusion of the three-year
management review process. They further noted the SOM's decisions to improve
the management process and requested the SOM to continue streamlining APEC
process on an ongoing basis.
- Ministers noted the renaming of the Infrastructure Workshop (IWS) as Group
on Economic Infrastructure (GEI). They also agreed to rename the ATCEG as
Agricultural Technical Cooperation Working Group (ATCWG), and the PLGSME as
Small & Medium Enterprises Working Group (SMEWG).
2001 Budget
- Ministers endorsed the SOM Chair's Report on Budget Issues and approved
the 2001 budget of US$7,661,920 and contribution of US$ 3,338,000 from member
economies to the APEC Central Fund.
- Ministers delegated authority to the Budget and Management Committee (BMC)
to approve for immediate implementation of, but subject to satisfying the
usual criteria and bearing in mind the need to maintain long-term budget sustainability,
urgent projects that have not been submitted to Ministers/Officials for inclusion
in the annual operational budget, and to make use of the uncommitted reserves
accrued after June/July for urgent projects under the Operational Account.
APEC Secretariat
- Ministers endorsed the report of the Executive Director of the APEC Secretariat
and welcomed the Secretariat's offer to work with the BMC on the APEC budget
cycle, and appreciated the work and assistance of the Executive Director,
Ambassador Serbini Ali and his staff.
Statement by Observers
- Ministers noted the statements by the ASEAN Secretariat, PECC and Pacific
Island Forum.
APEC 2001
- Ministers thanked China for the briefing on preparations for the 13 th
APEC Ministerial Meeting and the Ninth APEC Economic Leaders Meeting
in China on October 2001.
Future Meetings
Ministers thanked Mexico for the update on preparations for the 14 th
Ministerial Meeting in 2002. Thailand will host the Ministerial Meeting
in 2003, to be followed by Chile in 2004 and Korea in 2005.
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