APEC’s Agenda In 2022 | Scoop News

Issued by the Informal APEC Senior Officials’
Meeting

Phuket, Thailand, 3 December
2021

“We need to rethink our approach and adopt
a future growth model that creates a paradigm shift and
addresses the inherent inequalities and imbalances that
render our economies vulnerable,” said Permanent Secretary
of Foreign Affairs, Thani Thongphakdi, 2022 Chair of the APEC
Senior Officials who are meeting in Phuket this
week to agree on priorities for 2022.

This comes just
three weeks after APEC Leaders agreed
to policy actions designed to respond to
COVID-19 and commitments
in accelerating economic recovery and achieving sustainable
and inclusive growth, including further actions
in tackling climate change, empowering groups with untapped
economic potential, supporting the region’s micro, small
and medium enterprises and addressing the digital
divide.

Chairing the meeting on Friday, Thani assured
APEC member economies that there will be continuity from New
Zealand’s priority areas to Thailand’s hosting year,
with a focus on charting a post-COVID-19 future for the
Asia-Pacific region.

“As we move forward from the
health and economic crisis, we need to promote long-term
growth that is resilient, inclusive, balanced and
sustainable,” said Thani. “In this regard, there are
opportunities to be derived from economic models like the
bio-circular-green economy to place APEC on this desired
growth trajectory.”

Revealing APEC’s focus for
2022, Thani announced the theme, “Open. Connect.
Balance.”

“Together, we hope to make APEC open
to all opportunities, connected in all dimensions, and
balanced in all aspects,” he stated. “Our priority is to
facilitate open trade and investment and to advance regional
economic integration including the Free Trade Area of the
Asia-Pacific or FTAAP in the post-COVID
context.”

“We also seek to restore safe and
seamless cross-border travel in the immediate future, while
enhancing business mobility in a more inclusive manner in
the long term,” explained Thani. “To truly facilitate
trade and investment, the region must be reconnected
again.”

Driven by the bio-circular-green economy
concept, APEC is committed to advancing its sustainability
and green growth agenda by scaling up and accelerating
actions through existing work streams and building on past
progress.

Thailand aims to host a fully physical APEC
2022, acknowledging the remaining threats of COVID but
ensuring members that vigorous consideration to public
health measures will be taken to ensure the safety and
security of all meeting participants, as well as local staff
and communities.

“What makes APEC unique as the
premier economic forum is its role as an incubator of ideas
and its ability to deliver practical and innovative
solutions that respond to our people’s needs and
challenges,” he concluded. “We look forward to working
closely with member economies and all our stakeholders to
deliver a successful APEC 2022 that is relevant and
addresses today’s key challenges in the
region.

Thailand will chair APEC throughout 2022. The
First APEC Senior Officials’ Meeting and related technical
meetings will take place on 8 to 27 February 2022 in
Pattaya, about 150km southeast of
Bangkok.

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