APEC Voices of the FuturePort Moresby, Papua New Guinea
12 - 18 November 2018
A Special Report on the APEC Voices of the Future 2018 held in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

Background
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) was formed
in 1989 as a regional platform in which Heads of the 21 APEC
Member Economies could meet and discuss free trade andeconomic cooperation along the Pacific Rim, in the midstof rapid regional growth brought about by the expansionof international trade. Over the years, the region had
experienced increased globalization, which was accelerated byadvancements in technology, faster movement of information
flow, and the emergence of new challenges in areas such as
climate change, food security and natural resources.
Papua New Guinea was very honored to host the APEC
Economic Leaders Week in November 2018 for the first timesince APEC was formed. The APEC Economic Leaders’ Week
was attended by Heads of the 21 APEC Member Economies
from Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong,
Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New
Zealand, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Chinese
Taipei, Thailand, the United States and the Host Economy
Papua New Guinea.

H.E. Peter O’Neill, Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea gracing theOpening Ceremony of the APEC 2018 CEO Summit on board the
P&O Cruise Liner, The Pacific Explorer at Port Moresby.

“The APEC Voices of the Future has grown from amere 30 young leaders in 1998, to more than 150
young leaders today. This bears testament to thevision of each successive host over the years who
have supported the programme.”
H.E. Peter O’Neill CMG, MP
Prime Minister of Papua New Guniea
In conjunction with the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week 2018,
the APEC CEO Summit and ABAC Meeting, the APEC Voicesof the Future 2018 was held concurrently in Port Moresby, thecapital of Papua New Guinea. The topic for APEC Voices of
the Future 2018 was in line with the theme of APEC 2018,“Harnessing Inclusive Opportunities, Embracing the Digital
Future”. This addressed harnessing technology for a better
future and the role of youth in their own home economies tosupport digital innovation.

APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting 2018 hosted by H.E. Peter O’Neill,
Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea at the APEC Haus, Port Moresby.

Leaders from the 21 APEC Member Economies gathering for the official group photograph during the APEC Leaders’ Week 2018 in Port
Moresby, Papua New Guinea.

APEC Voices of the Future 2018 Opening Ceremony
The Opening Ceremony of the APEC Voices of the Future 2018
was held on 13 November 2018 at the University of Papua New
Guinea in Port Moresby. The Opening Ceremony was graced
by H.E. The Honorable Justin W. Tkatchenko, PNG Minister
for APEC 2018. In his welcome address, Mr James Soh, CoChair, APEC Voices Leadership Council welcomed the youth
delegates and educators to Port Moresby, where many of themhad travelled great distances to attend the event. To many, thismega event was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and Mr Sohencouraged them to seize this chance to understand the workof regional groups and the workings of the APEC community.
H.E. Justin W. Tkatchenko, Minister for APEC addressing at theOpening Ceremony of the APEC Voices 2018 Youth Summit at the
University of Papua New Guinea.

Mr James Soh, Co-Chair, APEC Voices Leadership Council delivering
the Welcome Speech at the Opening Ceremony of the APEC Voices2018 Youth Summit.

Mr Andrew G. Barry, Managing Director, ExxonMobil PNG
Limited encouraged the delegates to explore various
opportunities in the resource-rich economy of Papua New
Guinea. ExxonMobil was honoured to welcome and host thedelegates when they visited the ExxonMobil LNG Plant at
Caution Bay.

Mr Andrew Barry, Managing Director, ExxonMobil PNG welcoming thedelegates at the Opening Ceremony.

Mr David Toua, Chair, APEC Business Advisory Council
2018 encouraged the youth delegates to engage and explore
opportunities with key business leaders and captains ofindustries who represented their economies at the APEC
Summit. He encouraged them to interact, explore business
opportunities and discuss relevant issues with leaders fromthe Asia-Pacific region.
Minister Tkatchenko extended a warm welcome to the APEC
Voices delegates and educators from 15 APEC Member
Economies to Papua New Guinea, and congratulated themomentous occasion of the 20th Anniversary of the APEC
Voices of the Future program. The Minister encouraged the
young leaders to fully utilize the platform, engage with APEC andBusiness Leaders, extend their network with fellow delegates,
and work together to create a more vibrant and dynamic AsiaPacific region. He also encouraged the delegates to explore
the rich culture and traditions of Papua New Guinea.

Mr David Toua, Chair, APEC Business Advisory Council 2018
addressing the delegates at the APEC Voices 2018 Youth Summit.

The Opening Ceremony concluded with Mr Soh presenting
the newly published APEC Voices 20th Anniversary
Commemorative Book which provided a historical
documentation of the APEC Voices journey from 1998 in
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
to Guest-of-Honor, H.E. Minister Tkatchenko and key partners
before a group photo session at the University of Papua New
Guinea.

APEC Voices 2018 officials and delegates from the 15 APEC Member Economies at the APEC Voices 2018 Opening Ceremony
held at the University of Papua New Guinea.

APEC Voices of the Future 2018 Youth Forum
The APEC Voices 2018 Youth Forum commenced with brief
remarks by Dr Jessica Hennessey, Associate Professor,
Department of Economics, Furman University, USA who
served as the Youth Forum Moderator. The Plenary Session
began with a presentation from one representative of each
APEC Member Economy on the topic: Harnessing Inclusive
Opportunities, Embracing the Digital Future and the role ofyouth in their home economy. The presentations were indepth and reflected some of the challenges of the respective
economies. Each economy had been experiencing different
challenges as they were in different stages of development.
The issues raised set the agenda for the break-up group
discussion in the second half of the Youth Forum.
Dr Jessica Hennessey, Associate Professor of Furman University,
USA, moderating the APEC Voices of the Future 2018 Youth Forum.

The delegates were divided into four main groups, and eachgroup was assigned to discuss and tackle issues related tovarious topics, namely: Harnessing Technology for a Better
Future, the Role of Education in Preparing our Youth for the
Future, Digital Innovation: Opportunities and Challenges for ourYoung People and Harnessing Inclusiveness: Challenges andOpportunities. The delegates then disbursed to various partsof the campus for their deliberations.
Another group was specially selected by their economies
to work on the APEC Youth Declaration 2018. The main
framework was agreed upon and the group responsible for
the Youth Declaration waited anxiously for the input of the
break-up group, with the hope that the declaration would bea fair representative of the APEC Voices delegates 2018.
The educators played a crucial role in facilitating the group
discussions, but avoided influencing the outcome of the
discussions.
Team from APEC Voices New Zealand presenting their Economy
Report at the APEC Voices 2018 Youth Summit.

The group presentations were of high standards with muchin-depth discussion, and the delegates articulated themselves
well during the question-and-answer sessions. To tackle theissue of inclusivity, one group suggested coming up with APEC
key performance indicators for each APEC economy so that
the APEC Leaders would be able to better identify gaps andproduce targeted solutions. Delegates also recognized theimportance of education and that some economies do nothave equal access to education. They hence proposed an
APEC Youth Fund that could benefit and provide struggling
economies with necessary resources for an improved
education system for young people. The representatives
worked vigorously through the night on board the cruise ship
to finish the tasks assigned.

Intense discussion among the APEC Voices 2018 delegates on
issues concerning young people in their respective APEC Members
Economies.

Group presentation from the APEC Voices 2018 delegates on theirdeliberation at the APEC Voices 2018 Youth Summit.

Group presentation on their discussion at the APEC Voices 2018
Youth Summit.

Visitation to ExxonMobil LNG Site and Port Moresby Nature ParkAPEC Voices 2018 delegates visiting the ExxonMobil LNG Plant at Caution Bay on the South Coast of PNG’s Central Province.

The APEC Voices delegates and educators deserved a good
break after their intense discussion at the Youth Forum 2018 on
the 3rd day of the APEC Summit. The first order of the day wasa specially arranged trip to the ExxonMobil PNG LNG Plant
which is located 20 kilometers northwest of Port Moresby, atCaution Bay on the South Coast of PNG’s Central Province.
The LNG Plant was operating by receiving natural gas from theHides Gas Conditioning Plant through a 700-kilometre pipeline.
The ExxonMobil PNG LNG Plant superintendent, Mr Scott R.
Buechler and his team provided the delegates with an elaborate
briefing of the two LNG process trains, LNG storage tanks,marine loading terminal, LNG plant facilities and amenities
etc. The visit to the PNG LNG Plant was the first for all thedelegates, and they were very grateful for this opportunity.

After the visit to the ExxonMobil LNG Plant, the delegatesproceeded to the Port Moresby Nature Park for lunch, awayfrom the hustle and bustle of the Port Moresby city area. Upon
their arrival, the delegates were greeted with song and dance by
the tribes donned in traditional tribal outfits. The Port Moresby
Nature Park is Papua New Guinea’s leading botanical andnative zoological park and garden, which showcased the bestof PNG’s flora and fauna. The park has been home to over 250
native animals, including birds of paradise, tree-kangaroos,cassowaries, wallabies, snakes, crocodiles, hornbills andmultiple parrot species.

“APEC Voices of the Future is an important platformthat allows young leaders from the 21 APEC Member
Economies to engage government and businessleaders on cross-cutting issues relevant to APEC.”
Dr Alan Bollard
Executive Director, APEC Secretariat

APEC Voices delegates visiting the Port Moresby Nature Park, awayfrom the hustle and bustle of the Port Moresby city area.

APEC Voices delegates learning the traditional cultural dance at thePort Moresby Nature Park.

During their stay in Port Moresby, delegates also visited the
National Museum and Art Gallery showcasing artifacts from 19
provinces of Papua New Guinea, with collections that dated as
far back as 1800. The delegates saw the best of PNG as they
explored SME stalls at the International Convention Centre,
where many local arts and crafts were on display, showcasing
the rich tribal culture of Papua New Guinea.

Visiting the National Museum and Art Gallery of Papua New Guinea
was a rare treat for the APEC Voices delegates.

APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC)
The APEC Voices attended a special dialogue session withmembers of the APEC Business Advisory Council at theLamana Hotel. The meeting provided an opportunity for
the APEC Voices delegates to meet the respective ABAC
Members from their economies. The ABAC Members werekeen to learn what the youth delegates had experienced overthe last few days, and their views on APEC and issues thatconcerned them. These informal discussions were usefulfor business leaders to gain insights into the views of theseyoung delegates and leaders of tomorrow.
Mr James Soh, Co-Chair, APEC Voices Leadership Council, presenting
the APEC Voices 20th Anniversary Book to Mr Richard von Appen,
President of Ultramar and ABAC Chile 2019 Chair at the ABAC
Meeting in Port Moresby.

Mr Antonio I Basilio, Director, ABAC Secretariat, interacting with the
APEC Voices 2018 delegates at the ABAC Meeting in Port Moresby.

Mr Ho Meng Kit, Chief Executive Officer of the Singapore Business
Federation and ABAC Singapore Member, meeting the APEC Voices2018 delegates.

Dialogue Session with Yao Chen,
Chinese Actress and Philanthropist
APEC Voices delegates attended a sharing session by Yao
Chen, a Chinese actress and philanthropist. In 2014, Time
had named her as one of the most influential people on theTime 100 list. She was also listed by Forbes as the 83rd mostpowerful woman in the world. Several Western media outlets
have even nicknamed her as “China’s answer to Angelina
Jolie.” She shared her UN refugee work with the APEC Voicesdelegates and how she had been making a difference tocreate an impact for the community in China. She encouraged
the young delegates to have a positive attitude and contribute
their best for their communities.
Ms Yao Chen, a renowned Chinese actress and philanthropist
sharing her UN refugee work with the APEC Voices delegateson board The P&O Cruise Liner Pacific Jewel at Port Moresby.

Ms Yao Chen with APEC Voices delegates at the APECCEO Summit 2018.
APEC Voices 2018 officials and delegates with Ms Yao Chen, Guest Speaker at the
Dialogue Session.

APEC CEO Summit 2018 Cultural Night and Dinner
The APEC CEO Summit 2018 Cultural Night and Dinner A World of Astounding Diversity was held at the wharf area
where delegates were welcomed by various tribal groups intraditional tribal costumes. The party arrived with delicious
traditional food and drinks and delegates enjoyed the peacefulseafront ambience with concerts and performances.

APEC Voices delegates with tribal members at the Cultural
Night and Dinner event.

APEC Voices delegates networking with business leaders at the APECCEO Reception on board The Pacific Explorer.
A night of fun and enjoyment for the APEC Voices delegates at
the APEC CEO Summit Cultural Night Dinner event.

Youth delegates and their educators were invited to attend the
Welcome Reception held on board the Pacific Explorer hosted
by Mr Isikeli Taureka, Chairman of the APEC CEO Summit
2018. The youth delegates could move freely at the reception,and interacted with CEOs and the business community who
attended the APEC CEO Summit. It was a night to remember
and both CEOs and young people had a good time interacting
during the reception.
A night of interaction and networking amongst the APEC Voicesdelegates and business leaders on board The Pacific Explorer.

APEC CEO Summit 2018
“Inclusion in the Age of Disruption: Charting A Common Future”
The APEC CEO Summit was one of the highlights of the APEC
Voices program in Port Moresby. The Opening of the APECCEO Summit was held on board the Pacific Explorer on 16
November 2018 and was graced by H.E. Mr Peter O’Neill, Prime
Minister of Papua New Guinea under very tight security. Key
business leaders such as Patrick Pouyanne, Chairman and
CEO of Total, Scott Price, Chief Strategy and Transformation
Officer of UPS, Neil Chapman, Senior Vice-President of
ExxonMobil took turns to address the APEC CEO Summit on thefirst day, on topics such as “Trade and Globalisation, the Futureof Globalisation: Is a New Approach required?”, “Expanding
Opportunities and Creating an Ecosystem for MSME Growthand Opportunity”, “Resource Industry Development” and“Should We Fear Disruption?” These dialogue sessions weremoderated by well-known media personalities like Tian Wei,
Host of CGTN, Charlie Campbell, East Asia Correspondent,
Time and Haidi Stroud-Watts, Anchor, Bloomberg.

APEC CEO Summit 2018 held at the auditorium on board the Cruise
Liner The Pacific Explorer.

APEC CEO Summit 2018
APEC Economic Leaders who addressed the final day of the
APEC CEO Summit on 17 November 2018 were H.E. Mahathir
Bin Mohamad, Prime Minister of Malaysia, H.E. Carrie Lam,
Chief Executive of Hong Kong, H.E. Scott Morrison, Prime
Minister of Australia, H.E. Dmitry Medvedev, Prime Minister ofRussia, H.E. Xi Jinping, President of China and H.E. Michael
Pence, Vice-President of the United States.
H.E. Mahathir Bin Mohamad, Prime Minister of Malaysia,
spoke about the dark side of disruption, how policies should
ensure that no one is left behind in the age of disruption,and highlighted retraining programmes, scholarships for
professional and postgraduate studies, and technology-related
programmes for youth to tackle technological disruption
and job displacement. H.E. Carrie Lam spoke about theimportance of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering andMath) education, women in the workforce, and how youth andstartups would play a larger role in the future workforce. H.E.
Scott Morrison, Prime Minister of Australia, emphasized theimportance of free trade and on APEC’s future role in the region
as a practical forum for creating an ecosystem for business.
H.E. Dmitry Medvedev, Prime Minister of Russia, focusedon the importance of having a robust transport infrastructure
and logistics chain to facilitate trade across our region.
H.E. Xi Jinping, President of China praised openness andcooperation between APEC economies, and warned against
the rising trend of protectionism and unilateralism. He denied
that the Belt and Road Initiative contained hidden geopoliticalmotivations, but rather, was “an open platform for cooperation.”
H.E. Michael Pence, Vice-President of the United States spokeon the importance of trade in the region and on promoting
civil society. He criticized China’s global infrastructure drive,and remarked that the US would not back down from its tradedispute with China, and might even double its tariffs until China“changes its ways.” Vice-President Pence also reaffirmed
the US’ commitment to the Indo-Pacific and confidence in acooperative future with Asia-Pacific economies.

H.E. Sebastian Pinera, President of Chile addressing the APEC CEO
Summit 2018 on board the Cruise Liner The Pacific Explorer.

APEC Voices officials and Japanese APEC Voices delegates with H.E.
Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan and Mrs Akie Abe.

“I have a personal attachment to the APEC Voices
Program because I launched it in 1998 in Malaysia.
Since then, APEC Voices of the Future program has
not looked back, going from strength to strength, andhere we are today, celebrating its 20th Anniversary.”
H.E. Dr Mahathir Bin Mohamad
Prime Minister of Malaysia

Mr James Soh, Co-Chair, APEC Voices Leadership Council and the
APEC Voices 2018 Organising Committee with H.E. Dr Mahathir Bin
Mohamad, Prime Minister of Malaysia. With Prime Minister Mahathir
are H.E. Dato Saifuddin Abdullah, Minister of Foreign Affairs and H.E.
Datuk Darell Leiking, Minister of International Trade and industry.

APEC Voices delegates from Canada with H.E. Justin Trudeau, Prime
Minister of Canada.

The Closing Ceremony of the APEC CEO Summit was
followed by a Warm Welcome to the APEC CEO Summit 2019
to be held in Santiago, Chile. H.E. Sebastian Pinera, Presidentof Chile and Jean-Paul Luksic, Chairman, APEC CEO Summit
2019 sent their warmest invitation to delegates to attend the
APEC CEO Summit in 2019 in Chile. The APEC CEO Summit
ended with a Closing Lunch held on board the Pacific Explorer.

Singapore’s APEC Voices delegates with H.E. Dr Mohd Maliki Bin
Osman, Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Defence
and Mayor of South East District and Dr Tan Wu Meng, Senior
Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Industry.

APEC Voices of the Future Closing Ceremony cum Cultural Night
The APEC Voices delegates gathered at the Dome on board
the Pacific Jewel to show their appreciation to the APEC Voices2018 organisers from Singapore and host economy Papua
New Guinea. The spirit was on board high and everyone wasthankful for this opportunity of a lifetime, to be part of the APEC
Voices 2018 program in Port Moresby despite facing many
challenges and uncertainties. It was a meaningful learning
experience and even as they returned to their respective
economies, they would continue to remember the bonds thatthey have forged, the lessons learnt, and would be ready toserve and contribute not just in the Asia-Pacific region but
around the world.
Youth Representatives from the APEC Member Economies
took turns to come forward and sign the APEC Voices 2018
Youth Declaration witnessed by Mr James Soh, Co-Chair,
APEC Voices Leadership Council. The signed declaration
would be handed over to the Heads of APEC Member
Economies by the APEC Voices Secretariat. In his closing
address, Mr Soh thanked each youth leader and educator for
their kind understanding, patience and good spirits when facedwith challenges during the week. He highlighted that the mostimportant thing was that as youth leaders and educators, they
had prevailed and emerged stronger as a family of the APEC
Voices of the Future.
“We are confident that we will continue to build on
the solid foundation laid by our pioneers to further
enhance our joint partnership and collaboration while
contributing to the wider youth sector in the AsiaPacific region and beyond.”
James Soh BBM PBM MBE
Co-Chair, APEC Voices Leadership Council

APEC Voices delegates celebrating the success of the program in Port
Moresby during the APEC Voices Closing Ceremony on board The
Pacific Jewel.

APEC Voices Youth Representatives signing the APEC Voices 2018
Youth Declaration witnessed by Mr James Soh, Co-Chair, APEC
Voices Leadership Council.

Sincere Appreciation and Gratitude
The APEC Voices Leadership Council and the APEC Voices
Secretariat in Singapore would like to thank the host Economy,
Papua New Guinea, especially H.E. Peter O’Neill, Prime
Minister of Papua New Guinea, H.E. Justin W. Tkatchenko,
Minister for APEC 2018 for their support to the APEC Voices
program 2018 in Papua New Guinea during the APEC
Economic Leaders’ Week. Dr Alan Bollard, Executive Director,
APEC Secretariat, Ambassador Ivan Pomaleu, OBE, 2018
APEC SOM Chair, Mr David Toua, ABAC 2018 Chair, APEC2018 Papua New Guinea Co-ordination Authority, APEC
Business Advisory Council, APEC PNG security personnel for
providing security for the APEC Voices delegates, ExxonMobil
PNG for the partnership and generous support, and the PNG
media for their coverage of the APEC Voices 2018 program.
The APEC Voices Leadership Council would also like toexpress our sincere gratitude and heartfelt thanks to the APEC
Voices 2018 Working Committee co-chaired by Ms Aileen
Yap, Deputy Executive Director, National Youth Achievement
Award Council of Singapore and Ms Helena Dickson of the
APEC 2018 Papua New Guinea Co-ordination Authority,
executives and staff of ExxonMobil PNG for their support andcontributions, and officers and staff of the Pacific Jewel for theirassistance during our stay. We would like to thank the National
Youth Achievement Award Council of Singapore for theirleadership, support and contributions in ensuring the APEC
Voices of the Future 2018 in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
was a success.

Supported by:This special report is compiled and published by
APEC Voices of the Future Secretariat
c/o National Youth Achievement Award Council, Singapore
151 Lorong Chuan, #06-01B (Lobby A) New Tech Park, Singapore 556741
Tel: (65) 6733 6753 Fax: (65) 6733 6754 Email: nyaac@singnet.com.sg Website: www.apecvoices.org