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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