Meeting in Arequipa —a UNESCO world heritage site— senior officials from Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) members are breaking new ground by empowering vulnerable populations and fostering greater economic inclusion across the region.
"Our overarching theme of 'Empower. Include. Grow' calls for better integration of the inclusivity pillar in APEC's core agenda," said Ambassador Carlos Vasquez, Chair of APEC Senior Officials' Meeting in 2024.
"Although APEC has seen a significant amount of progress in this area, there is still a lot of work to do if we want to make our work more relevant for a huge segment of society," he added.
According to Vasquez, "this collective endeavor has begun to yield results sooner than expected, with the recent adoption of the Arequipa Goals, a significant milestone in our journey towards empowerment, inclusion, and growth within the APEC community."
It closely aligns with Peru's overarching theme of APEC 2024 as these goals reaffirm the bloc's commitment to promoting equality and inclusion, particularly for people with disabilities.
"Ninety percent of people with disabilities are in the informal sector and 50 percent of them don't receive basic education. Capacity building and education goals are key elements already adopted in our 2024 deliverables," Ambassador Vasquez explained.
Meeting
against the backdrop of looming uncertainties stemming from trade protectionism, persistent inflationary pressures and geopolitical tensions, senior officials directed their focus towards addressing these challenges head on.
"From trade and investment facilitation to harnessing the transformative power of innovation and digitalization, and from advancing sustainable development to ensuring resilient growth, our agenda reflects a holistic approach to fostering inclusive and sustainable economic progress," he added.
Addressing informality is high on the agenda with Peru as the host of APEC 2024 putting forward a roadmap that promotes the transition to formal and global economy through capacity building and skill development.
"Now, we are looking beyond that—there are parts of society that are not included in the formal economy, but they are contributing to economic growth. So, if we want to really be inclusive, we need to find a way of bringing these informal actors into the formal sector," she added.
The Second APEC Senior Officials' Meeting concluded on Thursday.
It sets the tone for the APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting in Arequipa on May 17-18 to push forward greater inclusivity through trade in the region.