WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/L/765 
28 July 2009 
 (09-3662) 
 Original:   English 
  
 
MEETING OF APEC MINISTERS RESPONSIBLE FOR TRADE 
 
Statement of the Chair
 
 
Singapore, 21 - 22 July 2009  
 
Communication from Singapore 
 
  The following communication, dated 27 July 2009, is being circulated at the request of the 
Delegation of Singapore. 
 
_______________ 
 
  We, APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade (MRT), met in Singapore from 21 to 22 July 
under the chairmanship of H.E. Lim Hng Kiang, Minister for Trade and Industry, Singapore.  
  We welcomed the participation in the meeti ng of the Director General of the World Trade 
Organisation (WTO) Mr Pascal Lamy, the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC), the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council, the Association of South-East Asian Nations, the Pacific Islands 
Forum, and the APEC Secretariat.  
  We condemn in the strongest possible terms th e terrorist attacks in Indonesia on 17 July and 
express our deepest condolences and solidarity to the victims and their families and to the people and 
Government of Indonesia.   
 We consider terrorist acts in all forms and ma nifestations a profound threat to the peace and 
security of APEC, as well as a challenge to APEC’s  goals of free and open trade and investment. We 
express our full confidence in Indonesia’s ability to  weather any possible adverse effects of these 
attacks.  
 The world is experiencing its worst recession since the Great Depression. For 2009, the IMF 
has forecast that the world economy will contract by 1.4% and that half of the 21 APEC economies 
will experience GDP contraction. Although there ha ve been some recent signs of the global economy 
stabilising, the situation remains uncertain, and si gnificant risks to economic and financial stability 
persist. We remain committed to working together  to overcome the current economic crisis and to 
prepare for recovery in a manner that is consistent  with APEC’s vision of free and open trade and 
investment. We will seek to ensure that the benefits  of globalisation are spread more widely across 
our societies and that our growth strategies ar e consistent with sustainable development.  
 
Addressing the Economic Crisis:  Facilitating Trade Finance 
  Earlier this year, the World Bank estimated that  10-15% of the decline in world trade was due 
to difficulties related to trade financing. Facilitatin g trade finance is therefore an important policy WT/L/765 
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  measure to support the recovery of global trad e and the global economy. Recognising that trade 
finance is an issue that spans both the trading and financial sectors of the economy, our senior 
officials have been meeting their counterparts from Finance Ministries from early this year to take stock of the trade finance situation and to en sure that APEC has an effective response. 
 
 We note that the trade finance situation has generally improved since then but bears watching 
as global credit conditions remain tighter than us ual. We welcome the progress of the Asia-Pacific 
Trade Insurance Network, including the establishment of additional bilateral re-insurance agreements 
among some APEC member economies since our Leaders' meeting in Lima. We encourage Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) to accelerate the implementation of their trade finance 
programmes in the region. We welcome the shari ng of experience among AP EC economies to help 
strengthen their capabilities in this area.  
Positioning for Recovery 
 
Fostering Inclusive Growth 
 
 Trade and investment liberalisation has led to a significant expansion of prosperity and 
reduction in poverty in the APEC economies over the last few decades. We therefore reaffirm our 
commitment to achieving the Bogor Goals of free and open trade and investment in the region, despite 
the challenges posed by the economic crisis. We r ecognise, however, that not all segments of our 
societies have benefited from econom ic integration and that trade and investment liberalisation can 
impose a considerable adjustment burden on our ec onomies. The economic crisis has amplified these 
effects, translating into increased protectionist pressures.    To address the negative effects of the crisis, APEC economies have committed a total of 
US$1.78 trillion in stimulus packages since September 2008.  Going forward, while continuing to 
harness the benefits of globalisati on and innovation, we will give greater focus to ensuring that 
economic growth is more inclusive and that its be nefits are spread more widely. We will use the 
economic crisis as an opportunity to restructure our economies to make them more resilient and 
adaptable to the challenges posed by globalisation and to strengthen social resilience so that our 
people and businesses can better ride economic downt urns. Flexible labour markets, adaptable 
workforces, well-designed social safety nets, in vestment in education and training, and an 
environment where innovation and entrepreneur ship can flourish will help deter calls for 
protectionism and strengthen the consensus for trade and investment liberalisation.    With this in mind, we will seek to ensure that our measures to address the crisis will not 
contain protectionist elements or have negative e ffects on trade and investment, but instead aim to 
accelerate economic restructuring that will position our economies for recovery and to strengthen 
social resilience in a way that provides security while rewarding e ffort. To that end, we welcome 
APEC’s ongoing work in these areas, including th e Human Resources Development Working Group’s 
initiative to boost the effectiveness of economies' so cial safety nets and labour market systems to 
ameliorate the impact of the gl obal economic crisis on their people . We have instructed our senior 
officials to explore the concept of “inclusive growth” in close consultation with relevant bodies 
including the Economic Committee (EC), to map existing APEC activities that support inclusive 
growth, highlight areas where APEC can do more, and report to us at the 2009 APEC Ministerial 
Meeting (AMM) with priority areas for a strategy to be developed in 2010. 
 
Promoting Sustainable Growth 
 
 Climate change induced by human activities is one of the biggest challenges confronting the 
world. Taking into account different domestic circum stances and in accordance with the principle of 
common but differentiated responsibilities and resp ective capabilities, we support the ongoing United  WT/L/765 
 Page 3 
 
 
  Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change  (UNFCCC) negotiations to reach an agreed 
outcome for full, effective and sustained im plementation of the UNFCCC through long-term 
cooperative action, now, up to and beyond 2012. We will seek to ensure that economic growth is 
consistent with environmental sustainability. At the same time, efforts to address climate change must 
be consistent with keeping global trade and invest ment open and free, without raising new barriers to 
trade and investment. We note the upcoming AP EC Conference on Sustainable Development in 
Mining, which will contribute to efforts to achieve sustainable growth in the region. 
  APEC can make an important contribution to  the success of the Copenhagen Conference by 
exploring ways to reduce barriers to trade and inv estment in environmental goods and services (EGS), 
in particular those goods and services that contribute to the success of our climate change efforts. We 
welcome the progress made in the EGS Work pr ogramme. This includes the EGS Information 
Exchange (EGSIE); the Survey of Major Impedime nts and Market Drivers to the Development of 
Trade in Environmental Goods in the Region; a study on Good Regulatory Practices for Goods and Services Necessary for Climate Cha nge Mitigation and Adaptation; and capacity-building workshops 
on EGS. 
  We instruct officials to finalise the EGS work programme for consideration by AMM 2009 in order to: promote the awareness of EGS; enhanc e the capacities of APEC economies, especially 
developing economies, to develop the EGS sector; and contribute towards the negotiations in the 
WTO Doha Round on EGS. 
 
Supporting the Multilateral Trading System  
 
 We reaffirm our determination to uphold and strengthen the rules-based multilateral trading 
system. To this end, we reject all forms of protectionism and commit to take the necessary steps to 
keep our markets open for trade and investment and sustain economic recovery. 
 
 Resisting Protectionism 
 
 We welcome the latest initiatives to resist protectionism, such as the Declaration by the 
leaders of the Group of Twenty in London (2 April 2009) reaffirmed by the G8 Leaders’ Declaration 
(8 July 2009) as well as actions taken in the WTO on "Possible further action by WTO Members in 
response to the Financial Crisis" (WT/GC/W/604; 22 May 2009). We agree to  extend until 2010, and 
beyond if necessary, the commitment made by AP EC Leaders in November 2008 to refrain from 
raising new barriers to investment or to trade in  goods and services, imposing new export restrictions, 
or implementing WTO inconsistent measures in all areas, including those that stimulate exports. We 
will minimise any negative impact on trade and i nvestment of our domestic  policy actions, including 
fiscal policy and action in support of the financia l sector. We will not retreat into financial 
protectionism, particularly measures that constrai n worldwide capital flows, especially to developing 
countries. We reiterate the need to resist other forms of protectionism that impede competition and 
market efficiency. We will promptly notify the WTO of any measures that fall short of these commitments. We call on other economies outside APEC to share our commitment.  
 
 We will also work with our partners to st rengthen the WTO's capabilities to undertake regular 
monitoring of such measures in an objective and comprehensive manner.  
 
 Reviewing Commitments to Open Markets  
 
 To add substance to our Leaders’ undertaking in Lima last year, we have reviewed trade, fiscal and monetary measures undertaken by APEC  economies, based on reports from the WTO and 
ABAC. Recognising that even measures that may be considered to be WTO consistent can have a 
significant protectionist effect, we pledge to ex ercise utmost restraint. Where such measures are WT/L/765 
Page 4  
 
  implemented, they should be promptly rectified. We  agree that policy responses to the crisis should be 
designed to minimise distortion to trade and investment flows.    We undertake to continue regular reviews of our commitment to free trade and open markets. 
The APEC Secretariat will work closely with the WTO, ABAC, and other relevant bodies in 
compiling relevant information. We encourage bu siness leaders, through ABAC, to continue to 
provide assessments of the impact on their business of trade and investment measures taken by APEC 
members in response to the economic crisis. We believe that concluding the Doha Round would 
contribute significantly to economic recovery, dem onstrate the benefits of the multilateral trading 
system, and provide valuable insurance against the threat of protectionism. 
 
 Advancing the DDA  
 
 We are encouraged by the fresh momentum a nd clear commitment shown in recent weeks by 
all parties to conclude the DDA. We call for an ambitious and balanced conclusion to the DDA in 
2010, consistent with its mandate , building on the good progress already made, including with regard 
to modalities. To do so, we will accelerate effort s to advance into the endgame negotiations in 
Agriculture and NAMA, and advance in parallel the Services, Rules, Trade Facilitation and all other 
remaining issues in the DDA in the second half of th is year. We encourage greater engagement in all 
settings to expedite and support the Geneva-based pr ocess. We call for senior officials to meet in 
Geneva to explore immediately all possible avenues for direct engagement within the WTO, so that 
progress can be made prior to the Pittsburgh Su mmit in September 2009. We will further review 
progress on the DDA at our meeting in November.  
Supporting the WTO  
  We will step up our cooperation with the WTO. We have instructed the APEC Secretariat to 
identify recommendations on possible areas, includi ng the Aid for Trade agenda. We welcome the 
convening of the Seventh Session of the WTO Mini sterial Conference in Geneva from 30 November 
to 2 December 2009 to review and restate the im portance of the rules-based multilateral trading 
system. We expect that the coming Conference w ill further strengthen the WTO as an institution, and 
safeguard and promote further trade liberalisation.    Reaffirming Commitment to Bogor Goals  
 We reaffirm APEC’s commitment to achieve  the Bogor Goals and look forward to the 
assessment of industrialised member economies’  achievement of the Bogor Goals in 2010. 
 
 We recognise the importance of the Individua l Action Plans (IAPs) and the IAP Peer Review 
process as a means for economies to track their pr ogress towards the Bogor Goals. We welcome the 
successful conclusion of the IAP Peer Reviews of  Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua 
New Guinea, Philippines, the Russian Federation,  Thailand and Viet Nam, and the successful 
completion of the third cycle of IAP P eer Reviews which commenced in 2007.  
 Accelerating Regional Economic Integration  
 
 Against the backdrop of the economic crisis, we  pledge to accelerate APEC’s efforts to 
strengthen regional economic integration. This is the best stimulus we can provide to sustain growth 
in the Asia-Pacific region over the long-term. Furt her integration of our economies will help to 
increase trade, improve investor confidence, re duce business costs, spur innovation and position our 
economies for recovery. To that end, we welcome progress that has been made towards achieving the 
goals set out in the 2009 APEC Regional Economic In tegration Agenda agreed by Leaders in Lima,  WT/L/765 
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  Peru, including work to accelerate trade liberalisation “at the border” ; improve the business 
environment “behind the border” ; and enhance physical connectivity “across the border” . 
 INTEGRATION “AT THE BORDER”  
  Building Towards a Possible Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific 
 
 We continue to examine building blocks to wards a possible Free Trade Area of the Asia-
Pacific (FTAAP) as a long-term prospect. Work is continuing on an analysis of the likely economic 
impact of an FTAAP. We are expanding the Stud y on Identifying Convergences and Divergences in 
APEC’s Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs) and Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) to include an 
additional 12 agreements and to provide analysis  on electronic commerce provisions. A preliminary 
inventory of issues that would n eed to be addressed as part of a preparatory process for a possible 
FTAAP has been developed. We have instructed sen ior officials to accelerate their work in these areas 
and we look forward to their progress report at the end of the year. 
 
Making Rules of Origins More Business Friendly 
 
 The APEC business community has stated that with the proliferation of RTAs/FTAs in the 
region, a high level of divergence has emerged among the preferential rules of origin (ROOs) and 
related documentation requirements and procedures contained in these agreements. They have also 
cited these differences as contributors to the leve l of compliance costs associated with these 
agreements. In some cases, preferential tariff rates are not enough to offset such  costs, resulting in the 
under-utilisation of RTAs/FTAs. We therefore welcome the work APEC has undertaken to simplify and harmonise documents and procedures relating to ROOs, and encourage officials to explore self-
certification on a pathfinder basis.    
Improving Customs Transparency to Facilitate Trade 
 
 We recognised that the lack of publicly av ailable, accurate, and up-to-date tariff and 
preferential rules of origin (ROOs) information in the APEC region makes it difficult for economies 
to take full advantage of the significant amount of tr ade liberalisation that has occurred in the region 
in recent years. In order to ensure that busin ess has access to basic information on tariffs and 
preferential ROOs, we endorse the APEC Transpar ency Initiative on Tariffs and ROOs, and have 
instructed officials to provide up-to-date and accurate  tariff and ROOs information, in English, and in 
a prominent and central location on their respective economy websites, for public access by MRT 2010, and to develop the APEC Website on Tari ff and ROOs (Web TR) by AMM 2010. We have 
instructed officials to explore ways to expand this initiative, including through the publication of 
additional customs-related information. 
 
Facilitating Cross-Border Trade in Services 
 
 Our Leaders instructed us in 2008 to undertake initiatives designed to promote greater 
convergences among economies in key areas of APEC’s trade and investment agenda, including in the 
area of services. The services sector has become th e largest sector in many of the APEC economies. 
We therefore note the work begun under the APEC Se rvices Initiative and instruct officials to make 
further progress to promote convergences in this area by AMM 2009.   
 INTEGRATION “BEHIND THE BORDER”  
 WT/L/765 
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  Improving Ease of Doing Business  
 
 Structural reforms that reduce “behind the bor der” regulatory barriers play a key role in 
facilitating regional trade and investment flows. APEC economies have, since 2004, made a total of 
64 sets of regulatory reforms that have reduced th e burden faced by businesses, as measured by the 
World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business indicators. In  the current economic climate, it is even more 
important for APEC to focus on regulatory reforms th at will make it easier, faster, and cheaper to start 
and operate businesses in the APEC region. We have  identified the following priority areas from the 
World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business indicators, na mely Starting a Business, Getting Credit, Trading 
Across Borders, Enforcing Contracts and Dealing w ith Permits. We instruct officials to develop 
APEC-wide targets in these areas, and to consid er capacity-building programmes to assist APEC 
economies in achieving these targets, by AMM 2009.  
Facilitating Investment 
  The economic downturn has seen foreign direct  investment levels in APEC economies fall 
sharply in 2008 and early 2009. We urge economies to intensify their efforts to improve their investment climates by implementing actions to  promote greater transparency, reduce investor 
uncertainty, and simplify business regulations. In this regard, we welcome the good progress made in 
developing key performance indicators for the Investment Facilitation Action Plan (IFAP), and look forward to the completion of this work by AMM 2009. We welcome the progress made in identifying 
specific priority actions to be implemented under IF AP and the work to identify immediate capacity 
building needs to assist economies with IFAP implementation.   
Supporting Infrastructure Development 
  The development of adequate infrastructure is  critical for attracting investments. Public-
Private Partnerships (PPP) have emerged as a useful  approach to infrastructure development in the 
APEC region. In this regard, we  recognise an initiative to discuss common principles and to formulate 
guidelines on PPP under the Finance Ministers’ process that would further contribute to infrastructure development in the APEC region. Effective PPPs will encourage the crucial participation of the 
private sector in important infrastructure projects.  
Strengthening Intellectual Property Rights 
 
 We reaffirm the importance of comprehensive and balanced intellectual property systems for 
the sustainability and promotion of knowledge-base d activities and investments. We recognise the 
desirability of taking comprehensive and strategic a pproaches to building a global IP infrastructure for 
the promotion of innovation, including human resource development, cooperation in patent 
examination, and development of IT-based netw ork among IP agencies. We also recognise the 
importance of building capacities in this area. We  welcome the increased coordination between APEC 
sub-foras on intellectual property-related work, and regular business dialogues with ABAC. We 
welcome the progress achieved in patent coopera tion, including the work done on the APEC 
Cooperation Initiative on Patent Ac quisition Procedures. We note th e efforts to advance work on 
exploring ways to address satellite and cable signal theft. We will take concrete steps to stop the 
proliferation of counterfeit and pirated goods through cooperative efforts such as the APEC Anti-
Counterfeiting and Piracy Initiative and related capac ity-building activities, and information sharing 
between IPR authorities and stakeholders. 
 
Aligning Standards and Improving Conformance  
 
 Enhanced dialogue among regulators, greater alig nment with relevant international standards 
and conformity assessment procedures will help to  expand trade flows, reduce business costs, and  WT/L/765 
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  integrate supply networks in the APEC region. Multi ple testing, inspections and certifications should 
be minimised to the extent possible. We welc ome the planned study on practices of member 
economies in helping businesses, particularly SMEs, overcome technical barriers to trade, and the 
implementation of the APEC Pathfinder on APEC  Electrical and Electronic Equipment Mutual 
Recognition Arrangement. We also welcome APEC’s  work to strengthen consumer product safety 
standards and practices in the region, including toy safety, without creating unnecessary impediments 
to trade. We have instructed officials to deve lop a strategy to sustain business engagement in 
standards and conformance activities in APEC. In  this regard, we welc ome the upcoming APEC 
seminar on engaging businesses in standards devel opment, conformity assessment, and technical 
regulations.  
 
INTEGRATION “ACROSS THE BORDER” 
 
Measuring Improvements in Trade Facilitation 
  Our Leaders have set as a goal for APEC’s S econd Trade Facilitation Action Plan (TFAP II) a 
reduction in trade transaction costs by a fu rther 5% between 2007-2010. We welcome the 
development of key performance indicators for TFAP II and have instructed officials to work out how 
achievement of these indicators will translate in to tangible cost reductions for businesses. We look 
forward to receiving the TFAP II progress report at AMM 2009 with the assistance of a consultant funded by Hong Kong, China, and managed by the APEC Policy Support Unit (PSU). 
 Enhancing Transport and Logistics Connectivity 
 
 The opportunities provided by trade and investment  liberalisation can only be fully realised if 
there are efficient linkages or “connectivity” across the entire supply chain. Good connectivity 
requires reliable trade infrastructure, healthy compe tition in logistics services, efficient cross-border 
air, land, sea, and multi-modal transport networks, and a regulatory environment that facilitates the 
flow of goods across supply chains. We welc ome the initiatives underway to help identify 
chokepoints in trade logistics and set priorities fo r improving supply chain connectivity in APEC. In 
particular, we applaud the strong collaboration among the public, private, and academic sectors at the 
Supply-Chain Connectivity Symposium organised by Australia and Singapore in May 2009. We have 
instructed officials to review their logistics polic ies with a view to helping to meet the needs of 
regional supply chains, and to work closely with ABAC, the EC, the Committee on Trade and 
Investment (CTI), and the Transportation Work ing Group (TPTWG) to develop a framework to 
address the chokepoints, for consideration at AMM 2009. To help monitor progress in enhancing logistics networks in the APEC region, we have as ked our officials to explore the use of appropriate 
measurement tools.    
 
Securing Regional Trade 
 
 We support the ongoing efforts of the United Na tions and the international community to 
combat piracy and armed robbery at sea and encour age further concerted efforts to fight piracy. We 
welcome APEC Transport Ministers’ instruction to  the TPTWG to cooperate with the International 
Maritime Organisation (IMO) on efforts to study the potential threats that small boats pose to 
maritime security.  
 Building Trade Recovery Capabilities 
 
 We welcome and support the findings and r ecommendations of the APEC Trade Recovery 
Programme (TRP) Pilot Exercise. The exercise de monstrated the actions and processes that would 
help economies to minimise the impact of a disruptio n to the supply chain and to facilitate the quick 
recovery of trade in the event of a terrorist a ttack. We recognised the need to build communication WT/L/765 
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  mechanisms to activate and execute the APEC TR P and the importance for economies to establish 
Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) programmes, as advocated by the World Customs Organisation (WCO). We also note that we c ould build trusted relationships based on the 
internationally recognised concepts that the APEC TRP incorporates, and  recognise these AEO 
programmes to gain mutual benefits to facilitate trade recovery. The findings and recommendations of 
the APEC TRP Pilot Exercise will provide economies with  useful processes to facilitate the 
resumption of trade expeditiously and smoothe n processes such as customs and border controls. 
  
Strengthening Digital Economy and Information Networks 
  Information and Communication Technologies (IC Ts) are key enablers of economic growth, 
and we welcome APEC's continuing work to assist economies’ efforts to develop ICTs, including ICT 
infrastructure, to further facilitate trade in the re gion. To this end, we reaffirm our commitment to 
continue efforts to expand the reach of communi cations networks by setting an ambitious goal of 
achieving universal access to broadband by 2015.  We welcome the work to examine how elements of 
the Digital Prosperity Checklist – which provid es critical assistance to economies in advancing the 
use and development of ICTs – can contribute to reinvigorated trade flows and broad-based economic 
recovery. We have instructed officials to expa nd on this work by looking at ways to facilitate 
implementation of the Checklist among APEC eco nomies. We welcome the continued progress in 
implementing the APEC cross-border privacy rules to  facilitate transfers of information across the 
region. We welcome the progress of the second ph ase of the APEC Digital Opportunity Centre 
(ADOC 2.0) Project and encourage continued cooperation and joint e fforts between public and private 
sectors among concerned economies to contribute toward  the reduction of the digital divide in APEC. 
We welcome the 2
nd APEC Cyber Terrorism Seminar to be  held in Seoul in November 2009. 
 
Enhancing Human Security  
 
 Dealing with the Influ enza A/H1N1 Outbreak 
 
 The current H1N1 outbreak has become a globa l pandemic. We welcome Mexico’s update on 
the main outcomes of the High Level Meeting on L essons Learnt from the Influenza A/H1N1 held 
earlier this month in Cancun. APEC  must continue its efforts to enhance cooperation and coordination 
on health security issues within th e region, in a way that does not unduly impact trade and other 
economic activity. Cognisant of the APEC Acti on Plan on Prevention and Response to Avian and 
Influenza Pandemics endorsed by Leaders in 2006,  we encourage all APEC economies to work 
individually and cooperatively to implement the ac tion plan. We also welcome APEC's work to 
examine the opportunities for health informatio n technology to improve infectious disease 
surveillance in the region. We welcome the APEC  Health Working Group's consideration of the 
impact of the H1N1 outbreak on APEC economies, and how APEC can cooperate to minimise the 
impact of future outbreaks on trade and invest ment, during its August meeting. We note ongoing 
APEC and regional pandemic preparedness initiativ es (such as the activities of the APEC Emerging 
Infectious Diseases Network and workshops to educ ate small and medium enterprises on how to best 
plan and prepare for pandemics) and call for furt her such initiatives that will help enhance the 
capabilities of our economies to mitigate the eff ects of similar threats in the future.  
 
Enhancing Cooperation Against Terrorism 
 
 We note the significant role of the Counter  Terrorism Task Force (CTTF) in further 
improving the environment for safer trade and invest ment in the APEC region. To counter terrorism, 
we reaffirm the importance of our initiatives in the field of trade security, aviation security and 
countering terrorism financing, and in this rega rd, encourage all the economies to update their 
respective Counter Terrorism Action Plans among othe rs on a voluntary basis. We also welcome the 
work on the Symposium on “Optimise the Use of Audits and Investigation to Strengthen Aviation  WT/L/765 
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  Security”, the workshop on “Detecting and Deterri ng Cash Couriers and Bulk Cash Smugglers”, and 
the workshop on “Improving Regulation of the Non-Profit Organisation Sector” among others. 
 
Enhancing Food Security  
  Food security continues to be a priority for A PEC, given that food prices remain higher than 
historical levels and that more than one-third of the undernourished world population resides in APEC 
economies. We welcome ongoing, as well as new, prac tical and tangible work to address both current 
and longer-term food security challenges in the re gion. We commend the progress made by officials 
on developing an implementation path for the f ood security workplan, endorsed at the 2008 AMM, 
and look forward to a report identifying concrete st eps to move forward the work to improve food 
security in the APEC region, at the 2009 AMM.  
 
Ensuring Food Safety 
 
 We welcome work on food safety to protect c onsumers and facilitate trade, including the 
Food Safety Cooperation Forum’s ongoing efforts to  build robust food safety systems so as to 
accelerate progress towards harmonisation of food st andards with international standards, the 
establishment of the Food Safety Cooperation Foru m's Partnership Training Institute Network for 
capacity building as well as the planned workshop on Hot Topics in Risk Analysis later this month.   Engaging the Business Community 
 
 We reinforce the importance of continue d cooperation between APEC and the business 
community to ensure that small and medium en terprises (SMEs), including those led by women 
entrepreneurs, are able to both contribute to and benefit from free trade in the Asia-Pacific region. 
 APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) 
 
 We reaffirm the valuable role of ABAC in  providing advice on how to improve the business 
environment in the Asia-Pacific region. ABAC has se nt two letters to our Leaders, calling for actions 
to resist protectionism and making recommendati ons on addressing the immediate challenges posed 
by the economic crisis. We note ABAC's recommend ations to conclude the WTO Doha Development 
Agenda, accelerate regional economic integrati on, support the developm ent of SMEs, enhance 
supply-chain connectivity, address energy security, and promote trade in EGS.  
 
Automotive Dialogue 
 
 We welcome the report and recommendations of the 11
th APEC Automotive Dialogue (AD) 
and, in particular, the AD’s strong support for th e commitment made by APEC Leaders in November 
2008 to refrain from raising new barriers to in vestment or trade in goods and services, or 
implementing WTO inconsistent measures, particularly in the automotive sector.   WT/L/765 
Page 10  
 
  Chemical Dialogue  
 
 We welcome the efforts and contributions of the Chemical Dialogue (CD) to enhance 
effectiveness, efficiency, and compatibility of re gulatory regimes to assi st economies, chemical 
producers, and downstream users in the sound manage ment of chemicals. We encourage the CD to 
continue to share information on best practices in  chemicals regulation and the implementation of the 
Globally Harmonised System of Classification a nd Labelling of Chemicals (GHS), and to build 
capacity in these areas as a contribution to the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals 
Management (SAICM). We look forward to the ongoing contribution by the Chemical Dialogue to simplify and harmonise ROOs in this sector. 
 
Life Sciences Innovation Forum 
 
 We commend the advanced work done by the Life Sciences Innovation Forum (LSIF) on regulatory harmonisation, including the establishm ent of the APEC Regulatory Harmonisation 
Steering Committee (RHSC) and the 15 June launc h in Seoul of the APEC LSIF Harmonisation 
Centre (AHC) to advance multi-year regulatory cap acity building initiatives. We note the long-term 
efforts to harmonise medical device regulatory re gimes in the APEC region. We note the progress on 
the LSIF’s action plan on measures to combat c ounterfeiting of medical pr oducts. We welcome the 
LSIF’s new focus on ways to leverage new technol ogies, including health information technologies, 
which can drive innovative investment and trade in life sciences products and services. 
 
Strengthening APEC 
 
 We are fully committed to maintaining APEC’s  status as the premier forum for advancing 
free and open trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific.   
 
Enhancing Economic and Technical Cooperation 
 
 We reaffirm our commitment to the Manila  Framework which serves as the basis for the 
implementation of economic and technical cooperation activities outlined in the Osaka Action 
Agenda, and welcome contributions from economi es to APEC’s capacity building programmes.  
 
 Strengthening the APEC Secretariat 
 
 We will ensure that the APEC  Secretariat is well-equipped to meet the growing demands of 
APEC member economies by strengthening the opera tional and institutional capacities of the APEC 
Secretariat. We welcome the merit-based selection pr ocess for the first Executive Director for a fixed 
term (FT-ED). A FT-ED will provide added mome ntum to APEC’s strategic agenda. We commend 
the efforts to improve the fiscal sustainability of th e Secretariat, to develop a strategic framework for 
economic and technical cooperation, and to reform pr oject management to better enable the delivery 
of high quality capacity building projects that di rectly address APEC priorities and the needs of 
APEC’s developing economies. The APEC Policy Su pport Unit (PSU) has provided strong analytical 
support to the members. We commend the revitalised  communications strategy  to enhance APEC's 
outreach to our stakeholders to position APEC as a key forum in the region.  
 
__________