APEC working groups discuss cooperation orientations in 2017

More than 390 representatives from the APEC working groups were brought together in Nha Trang in the south-central coastal province of Khanh Hoa on February 18, to map out cooperation plans for 2017.

Meeting of Anti-Corruption and Transparency Working Group (Credit: VNA)

The meetings were the start of a series of activities as part of the first Senior Officials’ Meeting of APEC (SOM-1), which is scheduled to run until March 3.

The groups include the Human Resources Development Working Group (HRDWG), Emergency Preparedness Working Group (EPWG), Anti-Corruption and Transparency Working Group (ACTWG), Policy Partnership on Science, Technology and Innovation (PPSTI), Intellectual Property Rights Experts Group (IPEG), Experts Group on Illegal Logging and Associated Trade (EGILAT), Chemical Dialogue (CD) and Business Mobility Group (BMG).

 

Participants proposed new measures to boost cooperation in training young regional scientists, promoting technology transfers and application to reduce the risk of natural disasters and facilitate the mobility of entrepreneurs and promote the legal trade of timber products and strengthen the connectivity of regional supply chains for sustainable growth.

 

They also shared experience in developing human resources in intellectual property and increasing public engagement in corruption prevention.

 

Chief of the Vietnamese Government Inspectorate Phan Van Sau addressed a workshop on enhancing the involvement of society in preventing and combating corruption, during which he highlighted Vietnam’s positive changes in the field.

 

Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Tran Quoc Khanh attended a meeting on increasing the competitiveness, innovation and connectivity of the PPSTI, while Deputy Director of the General Department of Irrigation under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development Tran Quang Hoai chaired a meeting of the EPWG.

 

Other Vietnamese ministries and agencies proactively contributed their initiatives, including the development of a creative and innovative business ecosystem in the APEC member economies.

 

In the days to come, the panels will continue discussing collaboration priorities for this year.

 

Established in 1989, APEC now comprises 21 economies, namely Australia; Brunei Darussalam; Canada; Chile; the People’s Republic of China; Hong Kong, China; Indonesia; Japan; the Republic of Korea; Malaysia; Mexico; New Zealand; Papua New Guinea; Peru; the Philippines; Russia; Singapore; Chinese Taipei; Thailand; the United States; and Viet Nam.

 

Vietnam joined APEC in 1998, and hosted APEC in 2006.

 

(Source: NDO)