WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/L/739 
27 November 2008 
 
 (08-5823) 
 Original:   English 
  
 
TWENTIETH APEC MINISTERIAL MEETING 
Lima, Peru  
19-20 November 2008 
 
 
 The following communication, dated 24 N ovember 2008, has been received from the 
Delegation of Peru with the request that it be circulated to Members. 
 
_______________ 
 
 
Joint Statement 
 
We, the APEC Ministers
1, met on 19-20 November in Lima to participate in the 20th Asia-
Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministerial M eeting. The meeting was co-chaired by José 
Antonio García-Belaúnde, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Peru, and Mercedes Araoz, Minister of 
Foreign Trade and Tourism of Peru. We welcomed the participation in the meeting of the APEC 
Business Advisory Council (ABAC), the APEC S ecretariat and the APEC Official Observers.2 
Under the APEC 2008 theme of "A New Commi tment to Asia-Pacific Development", we 
discussed the major economic, human security, envi ronmental, and social challenges facing the 
region. We reviewed progress made this year on AP EC's key priorities and considered how we can 
continue to work together to create greater prosperity, security and stability in the region. 
We met during the most difficult set of economic conditions we have seen since APEC was 
created in 1989. All APEC economies are being affect ed by the global financial crisis and we are 
likely to experience a significant fall in the high ra tes of regional growth seen over the past decade. 
Volatile commodity and food prices have impacted on current accounts and put pressure on inflation. 
Our commitment is to strengthen regional coopera tion through APEC to address the challenging 
financial and economic outlook, c ontinue to promote free and open trade and investment, support 
structural economic reforms, improve human security, and ensure that all members of our economies 
have the training and opportunities n ecessary to benefit from globalisation. 
Global Financial Crisis 
Ensuring a rapid, coordinated and effective res ponse to the current global financial crisis is 
the highest priority for APEC economies and will be the focus of attention when APEC Economic 
Leaders meet later this week. APEC Finance Mi nisters met earlier this month to discuss a common 
approach to the turmoil seen in credit markets a nd to the slowdown in global economic growth. APEC 
                                                      
1 Australia; Brunei Darussalam; Canada; Chile; the People's Republic of China; Hong Kong, China; 
Indonesia; Japan; the Republic of Korea; Malaysia ; Mexico; New Zealand; Pa pua New Guinea; Peru; the 
Philippines; Russia; Singapore; Chinese Taipei; Thaila nd; the United States of America; and Viet Nam. 
2 The Pacific Economic Cooperation Council and the Secretariat of the Association of South-East 
Asian Nations. 
 WT/L/739 
Page 2  
 
  economies will remain in close cont act to ensure that responses being put in place to address these 
challenges are consistent and effective. A PEC economies are committed to implementing all 
necessary measures to bolster the real economy and boost investment and cons umption levels in the 
region. We recognized the importance of ensuring th at Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) 
are able to access finance to continue to trade a nd expand their businesses. We welcomed efforts by 
our Export Credit Agencies to collaborate and work t ogether in supporting trade and investment in the 
region. We also noted the work done by relevant dom estic authorities to increa se transparency in, and 
cooperation between, commodity futures markets. 
We will stand firm against any protectionist sentim ent arising out of this crisis and maintain 
the process of reform and trade and investment liberal ization and facilitation. In this way, we will play 
our full part in promoting recovery, growth an d development. We will maintain open trade and 
investment policies to support the other financia l and economic policy responses taken to date. We 
recommended that Leaders strongly support the G20 Washington Declaration and reinforce the 
commitment to refrain from raising new barriers to trade and investment. 
Support for the WTO and the multilateral trading system 
APEC economies have been some of the bigg est beneficiaries of the open, rules-based 
multilateral trading system under the World Trad e Organization (WTO). The APEC Ministers 
Responsible for Trade (MRT) Meeting provided stro ng support this year for a prompt and successful 
conclusion to the WTO Doha Development Agenda  (DDA) negotiations. We welcomed the progress 
achieved in Geneva, including during the Ministerial meeting in July. We agreed that the real progress 
made to date in the negot iations should not be lost. 
To give effect to the call by G20 Leaders to  finalise modalities by the end of the year, we, 
APEC Ministers, will step up our engagement with our partners as needed to urgently advance the 
negotiations, including being prepared to participate in a meeting in Geneva. We have instructed our 
senior officials to be available in Geneva this  weekend to undertake e xpeditiously the required 
preparatory work and we call on other WTO member s to participate. We urge all our partners, 
including through their groups, to show flexibility and make contributions toward an ambitious and 
balanced outcome, and we will do the same. We believe  this is more urgent in light of the global 
financial crisis. A strong agreement would demonstr ate the ability of the international community to 
work together to bolster a deteriorating global economy. 
We confirmed our support for the participati on of the Russian Federation in the WTO and 
welcomed the progress in its accession negotiations. 
The APEC Regional Economic Integration Agenda 
We finalized and submitted a progress report to Leaders on steps taken this year to strengthen 
economic integration in the Asia-Pacific Region. We  are pleased to report that a significant number of 
the 53 agreed actions contained in the 2007 Report endorsed by Leaders in Sydney have been 
completed, and progress has been made on a large portion of those items s till pending. In order to 
continue to build upon the success that we achieved in 2008, we have proposed  a concrete agenda for 
regional economic integration for 2009 and beyond that will acceler ate APEC's efforts in this 
important and rapidly evolving area. 
Progress towards the Bogor Goals 
We reaffirmed our commitment to the Bogor Goals as a key organizing principle and driving 
force for APEC. Reinforcing and strengthening  our commitment to free and open trade and 
investment would promote economic growth in the current difficult economic environment. We also 
reaffirmed the importance of APEC's Individual Action Plans (IAPs) as a driver for reaching the  WT/L/739 
 Page 3 
 
 
  Bogor Goals and commended the measures carried out by individual economies to liberalize and 
facilitate trade and investment. We welcomed the SOM Chair's 2008 IAP Summary Report and the 
successful completion of the six 2008 IAP peer revi ews (Canada, Chile, Mexico, Peru, Singapore and 
United States). We also welcomed efforts to enhance the peer review process through the active 
engagement of the APEC Business Advisory  Council (ABAC), the Committee on Trade and 
Investment (CTI) and relevant subfora, which c ontribute to greater transparency in the activities 
undertaken by member economies. 
Exploring a Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP) 
We made significant progress this year in exam ining the options and prospects for an FTAAP 
through a range of practical and incremental step s. We noted the development of a preliminary 
inventory of issues relevant to an FTAAP that w ould need to be addressed as part of a possible 
preparatory process. We welcomed the Study on Identifying Convergences and Divergences in 
APEC's Regional Trade Agreement (RTAs) and Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) which provides a 
useful tool for further examining the possible devel opment of an FTAAP. We also noted the results of 
a study on the existing analytical work relevant to a possible FTAAP and its recommendation for additional work in this area. Additionally, we also have explored the concepts of enlarging, docking, 
and merging FTAs in the APEC region. 
We shared the view that an FTAAP should complement and support the other elements of the 
Regional Economic Integration Agenda, especially th e achievement of the Bogor Goals. An FTAAP 
should also help address the complexity created by the current array of FTAs and RTAs in the region. 
An FTAAP should be WTO consistent and promote gr eater regional economic integration than that 
currently achieved through the multilateral system. An FTAAP has implications for APEC´s existing 
processes and would require additional capacity- building. The existing analysis on an FTAAP 
suggests that it could generate economic gains in  the region and promote global free trade. We 
instructed officials to undertake further analys is on the likely economic impact, benefits and 
challenges of an FTAAP next year. 
Supporting Structural Reform 
We discussed the results of the Structural Re form Ministerial Meeting held in Melbourne 
earlier this year and agreed to the fundamental im portance of tackling 'behind-the-border barriers' to 
trade and investment in the creation of well-perfo rming, resilient and robus t economies that enhance 
consumer welfare. We discussed the political challe nges and benefits of structural reform and how 
regulatory reform frameworks facilitate structural re form. We agreed that structural economic reform 
is now an important element of APEC's agenda, inte grating the three pillars of trade and investment 
liberalisation, business facilitation, and economic  and technical assistance and cooperation. We 
welcomed the decision to initiate a process of voluntary reviews or self reviews of member 
economies' institutional frameworks that support stru ctural reform. We also supported the provision 
of practical assistance to member economies to successfully undertake structural reform. 
We welcomed the Economic Committee's effort s to intensify the ongoing work under the five 
priority areas of the Leaders' Agenda to Implem ent Structural Reform (LAISR). LAISR addresses 
issues related to the responsibility of govern ments for the transparent development and 
implementation of legislation in order to effectivel y regulate business in the interests of the citizens. 
We noted the Committee's work to promote good co rporate governance, including by affirming the 
"OECD Principles of Corporate Governance" and wo rking on a plan to ensure APEC's continued 
implementation of the Principles in the Asia-Pacif ic context. We endorsed the 2008 APEC Economic 
Policy Report and welcomed its focus on competition policy. 
 WT/L/739 
Page 4  
 
  Strengthening financial markets 
We noted efforts by APEC Finance Ministers dur ing the year to strengthen financial markets 
in the region.  Finance Ministers and officials ex amined strategies to strengthen and deepen capital 
markets, including implementing a new policy initiativ e to support the development of a diversified 
and sound institutional investor base.  This will he lp economies to form better policy approaches for 
removing restrictions or prescriptive investment rules th at hamper investor participation.  It will also 
help economies improve their regulatory framework  and enforcement processes to encourage better 
corporate governance, disclosure and transparency in  financial markets.  We welcomed the agreement 
by Finance Ministers to support greater integration in the area of public-private partnerships (PPPs) 
which can be used to meet th e infrastructure investment requi rements of APEC economies. We 
acknowledged the important role played by the Asia-Pacific Finance a nd Development Centre 
(AFDC) in capacity building, information sharing and promoting regional cooperation in the region. 
APEC Trade and Investment Liberalisation and Facilitation 
We welcomed APEC's work on Trade and Inv estment Liberalization and Facilitation (TILF), 
which moves us closer to achieving the Bogor Goal s and strengthening regional  economic integration. 
We endorsed the 2008 CTI Annual Report to Mini sters on APEC's TILF activities and noted below 
the progress made in these areas: 
Supporting regional economic in tegration through RTAs/FTAs 
Many APEC members have continued to pursue RTAs and FTAs as part of an overall trade 
and investment liberalization strategy. APEC conti nues to maintain an active role in promoting high-
quality, consistent, and comprehensive RTAs/FTAs to  strengthen economic integration in the region 
and achieve the Bogor Goals. A key aspect of this effort has been the development of model measures 
for RTA/FTA chapters as capacity building tool s and non-binding references to assist APEC 
economies in their efforts to promote high-quality,  consistent, and comprehensive RTAs/FTAs. We 
agreed on a new model measure on safeguards, resulting in a set of model measures for 15 chapters. The majority of economies agreed to model measures on investment; anti-dumping; subsidies and countervailing measures; trade in services; and la bour cooperation. We urge economies to make 
efforts to bridge differences over the next year. Th is work will provide an important reference to 
economies in future negotiations. 
We are pleased that APEC continues to engage  the private sector on the complexity resulting 
from the increasing number of RTAs/FTAs in the region, particularly in relation to preferential rules 
of origin (ROO). In that light, we instructed offici als to continue their work  to examine approaches to 
preferential rules of origin on a sectoral basis in 2009. 
Facilitating business activity through an ex panded trade and investment facilitation agenda 
We welcomed the progress made on APEC's work  on trade facilitation, and reaffirmed its 
importance for the business community, especially in the areas of customs procedures, standards and 
conformance, e-commerce and mobility of business pe ople. We instructed officials to intensify the 
implementation of the second Trade Facilitation Action Plan (TFAP II) to reduce trade transaction costs by an additional 5 percent by 2010. We noted progress on developing Key Performance 
Indicators (KPIs) and reporting methodologies to measure progress on collective actions and 
pathfinder initiatives for the implementation of TFAPII. 
We welcomed the inclusion of trade logisti cs issues in the trade facilitation agenda and 
instructed officials to make this a focus in 2009.  We instructed officials to develop new trade 
facilitation and trade logistics initiatives. We also  instructed officials to work towards the  WT/L/739 
 Page 5 
 
 
  implementation of international trade "Single Win dows" across APEC using recognized international 
instruments and standards to enhance interoperability of trade systems. 
We recognized that the alignment of domestic standards with the relevant international 
standards, where appropriate, makes an important c ontribution to trade facilitation in the APEC region 
and encouraged further work on this issue. 
We welcomed the announcements by the People' s Republic of China and Singapore to join 
the APEC Data Privacy Pathfinder, bringing the tota l number of participating economies to sixteen. 
We commended the full implementation of the APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) scheme by Mexico. We also welcomed Canada as a transitional member of the ABTC scheme and the progress 
made by the United States as an ABTC transitional member. 
Investment liberalization and facilitation plays an essential role in fostering economic growth 
and sustainable development in the region. We r eaffirmed the need to improve the investment 
environment in the region. We noted the three in itial priority areas for implementing the Investment 
Facilitation Action Plan (IFAP) for 2008-2010: e-transparency, reducing investor risk, and simplifying business regulation. We instructed offi cials to develop an implementation plan for the 
IFAP, including KPIs and reporting methodologies for endorsement by Ministers Responsible for 
Trade at their meeting in 2009. We welcomed the c ontinued work by officials on a study of bilateral 
investment agreements and core-investment-related elements of existing FTAs in the region. We expect this work to continue in 2009 and form  the basis for a set of principles for investment 
agreements. 
Intellectual Property Rights and the Digital Economy 
A robust Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) sy stem is an important tool for technological, 
economic and social development. We reaffirmed the importance of a comprehensive and balanced 
intellectual property system that provides for and protects the incentives that encourage creativity and 
innovation, and provides the tools for successful mana gement and exploitation of IPR. These efforts 
are central to fostering the development of knowledge-based economies, expanding investment 
opportunities, and promoting economic growth. 
We recognized the importance of taking further steps to stop the proliferation of counterfeit 
and pirated goods through intern ational cooperation and information sharing among IPR agencies, 
right-owners, enforcement authorities, and the private sectors. In this regard, we encouraged officials 
to continue the implementation of the IPR Guid elines adopted under the 2005 Anti-counterfeiting and 
Piracy Initiative, and continue wo rk to address satellite and cable signal theft in the region as outlined 
in the 2007 AMM statement next year. 
We reaffirmed the importance of ongoing inte rnational discussions, especially in the WTO, 
including the relationship between the TRIPS Agreement and the UN Convention on Biological 
Diversity, regarding genetic resources, and the pr otection of traditional knowledge and folklore. We 
will continue to promote work on awareness rais ing and advancing shared objectives regarding these 
issues. 
We welcomed progress on the APEC Coope ration Initiative on Patent Acquisition 
Procedures, including the agreement on the conten ts of the Survey on Examination Cooperation 
Practices among APEC economies. We welcomed the continued work in APEC on enhancing 
education on IPR to assist Small and Medium-Siz ed Enterprises (SMEs) in better protecting their 
rights. 
We welcomed the continuation of APEC's work to promote trade and the digital economy that 
support sustained economic growth and development. We endorsed the APEC Digital Prosperity WT/L/739 
Page 6  
 
  Checklist, which provides critical assistance to ec onomies in advancing the use and development of 
information and communications technologies as a m eans to increase economic efficiencies, promote 
transparency, encourage competition, and spur innova tion. We instructed officials to build upon the 
Digital Prosperity Checklist by engaging in furthe r work to promote trade and the digital economy in 
2009. 
We reaffirmed the importance of the role th at the Information Technology Agreement (ITA) 
has played in promoting trade, investment, and ec onomic growth in APEC economies over the last 10 
years. We expressed concern about products covere d by the ITA that may no longer be receiving duty 
free treatment because of their technological innova tions. We expressed further concerns that these 
recent developments will undermine the ITA, and agreed  to work together to ensure that the integrity 
of the ITA is maintained. 
Environmental Goods and Services 
We acknowledged the importance of continued resear ch and development, and application, of 
environmental goods and services for achieving the region's environmental and sustainable 
development priorities. We welcomed the progress made  in APEC in this area in 2008. We welcomed 
the Environmental Goods and Services (EGS) Framew ork to advance work on EGS as a basis for the 
development of a concrete EGS work program to be  delivered to Ministers Responsible for Trade at 
their meeting in 2009. We also support continued ef forts to promote the exchange of information in 
this important sector. 
We have reviewed progress in the World Trad e Organization (WTO) negotiations to increase 
market access for environmental goods  and services, and we reaffirmed that an open global trade and 
investment system is central to our clean deve lopment objectives and market opening in the WTO 
would help to advance our climate and energy security goals. 
Private Sector Engagement 
We supported the ongoing work of APEC's i ndustry dialogues to promote public-private 
dialogue on key challenges facing the automotive, ch emical and life-sciences sectors. We commended 
the work of the Automotive Dialogue, including its continuing work to simplify rules of origin 
methodologies for automotive products in bilatera l and regional free trade agreements. We also 
welcomed the Automotive Dialogue's collaboration w ith the Energy Working Group's Biofuels Task 
Force to develop a work plan to examine issues rela ted to biofuel resources, fuel flexible vehicles and 
infrastructure, and biofuel economics and trade. 
We commended the work of the Chemical Dialogue , including its continuing efforts to clarify 
aspects of the EU's REACH regulation, harmonize chemical labeling rules, and rationalize rules of 
origin. We also welcomed the Chemical Dialogue's efforts to inform other intergovernmental bodies 
that consider chemical regulation, including through the agreed guidelines for regulatory best practices in chemicals. 
Recognizing the importance of enabling trade and investment in health innovation, we 
endorsed the Life Science Innovation Forum (LSIF) Enablers of Investment Checklist as a voluntary 
guidance tool for economies. We commended the rigorous economic analysis of the returns on 
investment in health innovation in response to our call last year for this study, and recommend the 
establishment of a small group of economies to meet and respond to the findings. Recalling our commitment to promoting regulatory reform a nd harmonization, we welcomed and endorsed the 
establishment of the APEC LSIF Harmonization Centre in Seoul as a key step forward. 
We welcomed the valuable contribution that  the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) 
made this year on key elements of the APEC age nda including on the global financial crisis, the WTO  WT/L/739 
 Page 7 
 
 
  DDA negotiations, the regional econom ic integration agenda, CSR, SME development, and the high 
food prices we have seen in the region. We enc ouraged continued dialogue between APEC, the 
business community and other stakeholders involve d in regional trade and investment issues. 
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) 
A strong commitment to voluntary CSR practice is an integral part of sound long term 
business strategy. Private organisations have a responsibility to pursue economic, social, and 
environmental objectives to the benefit of all stak eholders that may be affected by their business 
operations. There is a strong level of CSR activity and interest through-out the region. CSR has been 
developing at different speeds and in different di rections within all A PEC economies over recent 
years reflecting different development stages, loca l factors, distinct business cultures and economic 
structures. Voluntary CSR activities should take account of different domestic economic, social and cultural contexts of member economies. The public sector can promote the development of CSR by 
establishing clear incentives or developing broad goals to integrate CSR activities with broader 
sustainable development strategies. We encourag e companies in the region to take account of 
economic, social and environmental cons iderations in their business operations. 
We welcomed the development of CSR initiatives to promote a greater level of awareness and 
application of CSR principles in the region accord ing to company size and activity. We support these 
efforts (including through ABAC) in promoting CS R awareness and capability in both the public and 
private sectors. We also noted the efforts of A PEC Tourism Ministers in promoting the need for 
responsible tourism in the region and the work of SME Ministers in highlighting the importance of CSR in the SME business community. We recommende d that Leaders highlight the importance of 
promoting CSR in the region. 
Sectoral Issues and APEC Ministerial Meetings 
We welcomed the outcomes of the 5th APEC T ourism Ministers Meeting held in Lima in 
April 2008 including the adoption of the Pachacam ac Declaration on Responsible Tourism in the 
Asia-Pacific Region. Ministers reaffirmed members' commitment to ensure sustainable growth in the 
tourism industry in order to generate income  and employment and reduce poverty in local 
communities. Ministers also agreed to promote th e conservation and preservation of our environment, 
including social and cultura l aspects when travelling. 
APEC Ministers responsible for the Telecomm unications and Informa tion Industry met in 
Bangkok, Thailand in April 2008. Ministers were pleased that the Leaders' Brunei Goal of Tripling 
Internet Access within the Asia-Pacific region set in 2000 had been achieved. We welcomed the 
commitment made by Ministers to continue effort s to expand the reach of communications networks 
by setting an ambitious goal of achieving universal access to broadband by 2015. We also welcomed the completion of the "Guide for Implementing WTO GATS Article VI - Domestic Regulation as 
applicable to the Telecommunications Sector". 
Ministers welcomed the outcomes of the APEC Education Ministers Meeting in Lima in June 
2008 under the theme 21st Century Competencies and Skills for All. APEC's education work in 
Human Resource Development (HRD) is focused on achieving quality education for all and ensuring 
the APEC workforce has the skills to succeed in the international economy. Ministers welcomed the 
research-based focus of the APEC Education Ministerial on the priority areas of mathematics and 
science, career and technical education, learning each other's languages, and information technology 
and systemic reform. We were encouraged by effo rts within APEC to engage youth in the region and 
develop their skills on key issues related to sustai nable development. We r ecognized APEC Education 
Ministers for having the foresight to adopt the A PEC Wiki as a collaborative platform for creating a 
common educational knowledge base. We supported the recommendation of Education Ministers to 
facilitate international exchanges, working towa rds increased reciprocal exchanges of talented WT/L/739 
Page 8  
 
  students, graduates and researchers. We welcomed  China's initiative to host the 5th APEC Human 
Resource Development Ministerial Meeting in 201 0 and welcomed the development of the APEC 
Strategic Plan for English and Other Languages. 
We welcomed the outcomes of the Small and Medi um Enterprises Ministerial Meeting held in 
Peru in August which adopted the "Joint Minister ial Statement on Sustainable Local Development to 
Foster SME Growth". Ministers discussed polici es designed to support SME development and reduce 
poverty within local communities across a range of  areas such as Corporate Social Responsibility 
(CSR), regional economic integra tion and innovation management. Ministers endorsed the new four-
year SME Working Group Strategic Plan 2009-2012 th at will guide its work in six priority areas: 
business environment, building management capab ility and promoting entrepreneurship; market 
access and internationalization; in novation; financing; and raising awareness of sustainable business 
practices. We also welcomed the revised work pl an to accelerate activities under the Private Sector 
Development (Ease of Doing Business) Agenda ai med at improving the business environment in 
APEC economies. 
We recognised the importance of improved m obility and economic pros perity through the 
development of safer, more secure and efficient tr ansportation systems. We noted the work of the 
Transportation Working Group (TPTWG) and welcomed the inauguration of the APEC Port Services 
Network (APSN). We encouraged active partic ipation by member economies in facilitating 
cooperation and communication among ports and related sectors in th e region through the APSN. We 
welcomed the formation of an Aviation Emissions  Task Force and recognized the importance of 
strengthening cooperation between APEC economies to  promote and optimise efficient air travel. We 
welcomed the continued cooperation between the TP TWG and the Energy Working Group to identify 
energy efficient policies and practices, includi ng the use of alternative transport fuels. 
We noted the work of the Mining Task Force on promoting sustainable development in the 
mining sector and its intention to analyze best prac tices in attracting investment in the mining sector. 
We welcomed the work of the Marine R esource Conservation Working Group (MRCWG) 
and the Fisheries Working Group (FWG) in addressi ng the challenges and priorities identified in the 
Bali Plan of Action stock-take initiative, includi ng implementation of ecosystem-based management 
approaches and the need to enhance our understanding of the impact of climate change on marine 
ecosystems. We recognized that a number of intern ational initiatives are underway that are aimed at 
combating illegal, unreported and unregulated fishin g and ensuring a sustainable supply of seafood in 
our markets. We also welcomed the advances on capacity building initiatives completed in 2008, 
towards the conservation and management of our ma rine and coastal resources. We recognized that 
marine pollution is threatening the economic opportunities of coastal communities and we look 
forward to work cooperatively on this pressing issue. We encouraged the FWG and MRCWG to 
develop programs to assess the r eadiness and needs of APEC economies to deliver on these and other 
emerging international priorities in preparation for the Ocean Related Ministerial Meeting to be held 
in Peru in 2010. 
We noted that gender discrimination has been est imated to cost economies in the Asia-Pacific 
region around US$80 billion a year. We reaffirmed  our commitment to strengthen the capacity of 
APEC's members so that gender considerations are integrated into trade and economic policies. We 
also reaffirmed our commitment to the goal of gende r integration into APEC processes, the increased 
involvement of women in APEC at all levels of decision making and the elimination of barriers to 
women's full participation in the global economy and society. 
Improving Food Security in the Asia-Pacific 
The recent volatility in food prices presents serious  challenges, particularly for the poorest 
and most vulnerable in the Asia-Pacific region a nd around the world. This situation threatens to  WT/L/739 
 Page 9 
 
 
  undermine our fight against poverty and exacerbate economic and social problems in the region, 
particularly as instability in financial markets thr eatens to reduce economic growth across the region. 
We commended the work that APEC has undertaken in the area of food and agriculture, and endorsed 
the comprehensive work plan put forth by officials to further refine and strengthen APEC's food 
security agenda in a broad range of areas. 
We agreed on the need to bui ld upon the 2008 MRT statemen t in addressing the need to 
achieve substantial improvements in market access and reductions in market-distorting measures in 
global agricultural trade, noting in this regard the importance of an ambitious and balanced conclusion 
to the WTO DDA negotiations. We recognized the importance of technological development and 
dissemination to meeting food security challenges. We agreed that APEC should work to bolster conditions conducive to investment and advances in agricultural research and development, and help 
economies take advantage of new agricultural t echnologies and methods, including voluntary efforts 
to help member economies benefit from the potential of agricultural biotechnology. We also directed 
APEC to increase cooperation to foster cond itions for the expeditious development and 
commercialization of next generati on biofuels made from non-food materials, including examination 
of key economic, environmental and other issues impacting the emergence of this technology. 
We urged APEC to increase technical assistance and capacity building in other areas that will 
foster agricultural sector growth, noting with approval the work of APEC in promoting the 
development of well-functioning ma rkets, regulatory institutions, and best practices in the agricultural 
sector. This includes cooperation to develop and en courage best practices for making food storage, 
transportation and distribution systems more efficien t, and to promote best practices for sustainable 
use of land, water, and other resources. We enc ouraged relevant APEC fora to explore potential 
cooperation in sharing innovations and best practices in agricultural higher education. 
We encouraged increased support to food aid progr ams and stressed the n eed to ensure that 
they are managed in a way that does not distort markets or reduce the incentives for local production, 
while ensuring that the neediest r eceive the assistance they require. We also supported examination of 
carefully targeted social safety nets that help those most vulnerable to high food prices, but do not 
block the transmission of price signals to agricultu ral producers. We recognized the active and long-
standing role of the ABAC in raising the importa nce of food and agriculture issues on the APEC 
agenda, including their 1998 proposal for an APEC Food System. We urge c ontinued engagement and 
cooperation between the public and private sectors on food security. 
We welcomed efforts at the global level to address food security, and urge APEC to open 
channels for dialogue and coordination with other mu ltilateral bodies that are working on this issue. 
We recognized the efforts of the United Nations, including the development of a Comprehensive 
Framework for Action by the U.N. High Level Task Force on Global Food Security. We also recognized efforts by the World Bank and the G8 Experts Group on Food and Agriculture. 
Economic and Technical Cooperation (ECOTECH) - A strategic approach to capacity building 
We reinforced the importance of a strategic,  goal-orientated and multi-year approach to 
capacity-building that assists APEC economies achieve the Bogor Goals.  We endorsed the strategies 
for enhancing APEC's engagement with other multila teral organisations and development of similar 
strategies with the private sector next year, and agr eed that twinning was a useful model for fora to 
explore.  We welcomed the progress made on strengthening the SOM Steering Committee on 
Economic and Technical Cooperation's (SCE) policy agenda and efforts to assess capacity building activities. 
We welcomed the mandate renewals of the Task Force for Emergency Preparedness and 
Counter-Terrorism Task Force, noted the comple tion of the independent reviews of the Tourism 
Working Group, Gender Focal Point Network a nd MRCWG, and the 77 APEC-funded economic and WT/L/739 
Page 10  
 
  technical cooperation projects in 2008. We noted the SCE instruction to its subfora to undertake a 
stock take of their capacity building activities to pr ovide a clear picture of capacity building underway 
and to serve as a basis for a forward-looking work plan on ECOTECH. We welcomed the voluntary financial contributions of US$500,000 from Russi a and US$500,000 from Hong Kong, China to the 
APEC Support Fund. We recognized the progress of the APEC Digital Opportunity Centre (ADOC) 
and welcomed the launch of an extended effort amon g concerned economies to bridge digital divides. 
Anti-Corruption and Transparency 
We reiterated our commitment to fighting corrup tion in the region. We agreed to further 
strengthen international cooperation to combat co rruption and money laundering in accordance with 
the Financial Action Task Force standards. Inte rnational legal cooperation is essential in the 
prevention, investigation, prosecution and punishment  of serious corruption and financial crimes as 
well as the recovery and return of proceeds of co rruption. We encouraged all economies to work 
together to promote greater accountability and addr ess the governance challenges related to officials 
who abuse their power. 
We commended efforts undertaken by member  economies to develop comprehensive anti-
corruption strategies including efforts to restore pub lic trust, ensure government and market integrity. 
We are also committed to dismantle transnationa l illicit networks and protect our economies against 
abuse of our financial system by corrupt individu als and organized criminal  groups through financial 
intelligence and law enforcement cooperation related to corrupt payments and illicit financial flows. 
We welcomed the implementation of a pilot progra m by Australia, Chile, Thailand and Viet Nam in 
2009 to introduce the APEC Code of Conduct fo r Business to SMEs. We endorsed the Lima Anti-
corruption Declaration on Financial Markets Integr ity and the APEC Guidelines for Public-Private 
Actions against Corruption. We reiterated our st rong support for those member economies yet to 
ratify and implement effectively the United Nations  Convention against Corruption to do so, where 
appropriate. 
Enhancing Human Security 
Terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction continue to challenge APEC's 
vision of free, open and prosperous economies wher e human security is ensured and we reaffirmed 
our commitments to meet these challenges. We agre ed that APEC member economies must do all that 
they can to prevent the devastating human and econom ic costs of terrorism, proliferation of weapons 
of mass destruction and their means of delivery, natural disasters, communicable diseases, climate change and unsafe food and products. Preventing such  disruptions to our economies, and recovering 
quickly when they do occur, is central to prot ecting our citizens and achieving sustained economic 
growth and prosperity. 
Counter Terrorism and Secure Trade 
Terrorism continues to menace the prosperity , security and fundamental values that APEC 
economies hold dear. We re-affirmed our commitm ent to secure the region's economic, trade, 
investment and financial systems from terrorist attack  and/or abuse by proliferators, and noted that 
business had a significant interest in mitigating the risks. We welcomed the renewal of the Counter-
Terrorism Task Force's mandate. This will allow APEC  to continue its important work in areas such 
as halting terrorist financing, boosting aviation, la nd, and maritime security, preventing attacks on 
food supply chains, and supporting trade recovery following an attack. We are particularly 
appreciative of the efforts of the CTTF in devel oping a Trade Recovery Programme and welcomed 
the initiative of a group of member economies led by Singapore to conduct a TRP pilot exercise in 
2009.  WT/L/739 
 Page 11 
 
 
  We applauded the Task Force's work on pos t-blast scene management, cyber-terrorism, 
public-private sector partnerships and protecting cr itical energy infrastructure, as well as its annual 
stocktaking of capacity building needs in the region.  We applaud the work of Transportation Ministers 
as they foster an environment for the secure transit of passengers and cargo. 
We reiterated the urgent need for the full impl ementation, where applicable, of UN counter-
terrorism measures and existing in ternational standards, including the Financial Action Task Force 
(FATF) Special Recommendations (SR) on Terrorist Fi nancing. We committed to bolstering efforts to 
implement all of the FATF Special Recommendations, most particularly SR VI, VIII and IX to 
combat terrorist exploitation and abuse of altern ative remittances, non-profit organizations, and cash 
couriers used to finance terrorism, and welcomed  training and capacity build ing workshops in this 
regard. We welcomed the decision by the FATF to fu rther study the issue of proliferation finance. 
We welcomed efforts to secure trade in the re gion, including the outcomes of the sixth Secure 
Trade in the Asia Pacific Region (STAR) Confer ence which was held in Lima this year, and 
encouraged officials to seek genuine cooperatio n with the private sector. We welcomed the 
implementation of a food defense pilot program in Peru, which will help prot ect food production and 
trade from a deliberate act of contamination and look forward to pilot projects in one or two more APEC economies to continue development of A PEC-wide capacity. Ongoing efforts in APEC to 
improve security in the region's airports, ports and la nd transport networks, to test communications, to 
create a regional movement alert system, and to pr omote consistent security measures were strongly 
supported. We identified cargo security as an ar ea for further capacity building. The safety and 
security of the sea lanes around the world are critical  to regional and global trade. We fully supported 
the ongoing efforts of the international community in  the fight against piracy and armed robbery at 
sea. 
We reaffirmed our commitment to dismantling terrorist groups, preventing the proliferation of 
weapons of mass destruction and their delivery sy stems, countering extremist ideologies that support 
violence, and curtailing terrorist use of the intern et. Terrorism is a profound threat to the people, 
cultures, and faiths of the Asia Pacific Region. We condemned all terrorist acts as criminal and 
unjustifiable, particularly the repugnant act s of suicide bombing and hostage taking. 
Emergency Preparedness 
Tragic natural disasters around the region in 20 08, including the devastating earthquake in 
China's Sichuan province in May that left nearly  90,000 dead or missing, underlined the importance 
of building community and business resilience to natural disasters and other emergencies and 
reinforced the importance of public-private partne rships. We welcomed the outcomes of the bi-annual 
stock take of emergency preparedness best pract ice and capacity building needs, and endorsed the 
concept of holding Emergency Management CEOs Seminars annually to 2013. We welcomed the 
Workshop on Large Scale Disaster Recovery hoste d by Chinese Taipei in September 2008 and Viet 
Nam's offer to host the third seminar in 2009. 
We welcomed the adoption of the Strategy of the Task Force for Emergency Preparedness on 
disaster risk reduction and emergency preparedn ess and response and the adoption of the APEC 
Principles on Disaster Response and Coordination. We also welcomed the best practices and practical recommendations collectively developed in the Wo rkshop on Large Scale Disaster Recovery hosted 
by Chinese Taipei. We further welcomed the Task  Force's proposal to conduct multi-year projects 
designed with the aim of facilitating and accelerati ng the recovery of disaster affected areas of 
member economies; integrating disaster education in to school curricular; and the Gender Focal Point 
Network's efforts on gender integration in disaster  management. We recommended to Leaders that 
they discuss the region's disaster preparedness a nd management architecture to increase focus on 
disaster risk reduction and building domestic di saster management capabilities, and improve WT/L/739 
Page 12  
 
  coordination and coherence in keeping with th e Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015: Building 
the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters. 
Health 
We agreed that there was a strong nexus betw een health, economic development and security. 
We welcomed the adoption of the Health Workin g Group's Terms of Reference and Medium Term 
Work plan, and endorsed aspirations and efforts to strengthen the region's capacity - particularly in 
developing economies - to plan, prepare for, and respond to public health emergencies and address 
public health challenges. We welcomed efforts to prevent and mitigate the potential impacts of avian 
and human influenza pandemics, vector-borne diseases and HIV/AIDS, and to share advances in health information technology. We supported work on the impact of animal and environmental health 
on human health and have agreed to continue to  examine this area to build regional capacity to 
respond to infectious diseases. We reaffirmed our  support for World Health Organization (WHO) 
processes and agreed that APEC's activities should support and complement WHO efforts. 
Food and other Product Safety 
We expressed our strong support for the APEC Food Safety Cooperation Forum (FSCF) and 
commended the work it has undertaken to strengthe n the capacity of member economies. We noted 
the concerns that consumers have about access to safe and affordable foods, and encouraged APEC 
officials to further pursue harmonised standards a nd risk based regulatory approaches. We endorsed 
the establishment of the FSCF's Partnership Traini ng Institute Network (FSCF PTIN) for food safety 
as a vehicle to enlist leadership and support from th e private sector and academic experts in this 
important function, and instructed officials to re port on the initial FSCF PTIN activities and outcomes 
of the second FSCF in 2009. The APEC FSCF  PTIN w ill leverage academic and industry expertise 
and resources to develop a  network of training institutes and trainers around the region to build capacity  in the use of international best practi ces in food safety for regulators,  manufacturers and 
producers and thus better assure the safety of th e food supply  chain in the APEC  region. 
We also reaffirmed our commitment to deepen  cooperation on product safety. We recognized 
the importance of improving current standards and prac tices in this area, and direct officials to take 
steps in this regard, including by undertaking work to ensure the safety of toys in 2009. 
Climate Change 
We recommended Leaders to issue a strong statem ent in support of the international climate 
change processes. 
We welcomed the establishment of the Asia -Pacific Network for Sustainable Forest 
Management and Rehabilitation (A PFNet) and appreciate China's ongoing financial support for this 
initiative. We will continue to work together to  reduce emissions from deforestation and forest 
degradation in the region and take appropriate measures to combat illegal logging while addressing 
the underlying economic and social drivers. We re cognized the value of conservation, sustainable 
management of forests and enhancement of forest  carbon stocks for carbon sequestration in the global 
response to climate change. 
We expressed our support for cooperation and cap acity building for climate change mitigation 
and adaptation, including those that promote development transfer and deployment of clean 
technologies and appreciate the United States' fina ncial support for the Clean Technology Fund and 
also appreciate the financial support by Australia, Japan and the United States for the Climate 
Investment Funds. 
We also recognized the role oceans play in regulating the earth's climate as well as the 
significant impact climate change is having on ou r oceans and their resources. We support additional  WT/L/739 
 Page 13 
 
 
  and coordinated efforts to bette r understand vulnerabilities and devel op adaptation strategies. Given 
this additional challenge, it is imperative that we ta ke substantial and concre te actions, as outlined in 
the Bali Plan of Action, for the sustainable use of marine resources and for the protection of the 
marine environment. We called on Ocean-related Ministers to undertake work to advance these 
objectives in preparation for their meeting in Peru in 2010. 
Energy Security and Sustainability 
We noted the importance of free and open trade in energy for ensuring that regional 
economies have adequate, reliable and affordable access to energy supplies. To promote cross-border 
energy trade and investment, renewable energy sour ces, and the development and deployment of low-
emission and alternate energy technologies and pr oducts, we encouraged APEC members to respond 
to the outcomes of the APEC Energy Trade and Investment Study and Roundtable. We also welcomed the implementation of the voluntary APEC Peer Review on Energy Efficiency and 
encouraged APEC economies to consider partic ipation and continue to seek greater energy 
efficiencies which promote energy security, ec onomic competitiveness and minimize environmental 
impacts.  
APEC Institutional Reform and Administrative Issues 
We reaffirmed our commitment to APEC ins titutional reform to more effectively and 
efficiently embrace 21st century opportunities a nd overcome challenges. We  approved a range of 
project management reforms, including an empha sis on longer-term, more strategic and better 
coordinated capacity-building projects and planning.  We devolved project approvals to the Senior 
Officials Meeting (SOM) and the Budget and Management Committee (BMC), and endorsed a 
proposal for a transition to a system of quarterly project approval sessions from 2010 and quicker funds disbursement.  We instructed officials to  review APEC's project assessment, ranking and 
evaluation systems and the possible devolution of  project management responsibilities to member 
economies to ensure funding of high quality project s that facilitate achievement of APEC goals.   
We endorsed the SOM proposal to appoint an Execu tive Director for a fixed-term and instruct 
officials to commence the selection process and fina lise the appointment during 2009. We welcomed 
the proposed changes to APEC's meeting schedul e as part of an ongoing process to improve 
efficiency and reduce costs. We welcomed the establishment of the APEC Policy Support Unit and 
noted that the current work program will add analyti cal capacity to our trade, investment, structural 
reform and related ECOTECH activities. We we lcomed the establishment of the U.S.-APEC 
Technical Assistance and Training Facility in Singapo re, a flexible mechanism for the United States 
to provide capacity building assist ance to the APEC Secretariat and APEC member economies, and 
support for APEC's project ma nagement reform agenda. 
We endorsed the 2008 SOM Report on APEC's work program including the 
recommendations contained therein, and noted the 2008 Annual Report of the APEC Secretariat 
Executive Director. We approved the 2009 APEC B udget and supported exploring a mechanism to 
reduce the Secretariat's exchange rate risk. We we lcomed preparations for APEC 2009 in Singapore. 
 
__________