What APEC does

APEC works towards the Bogor Goals by focussing on cooperation in three specific areas:

Trade and investment liberalisation

APEC members have given strong support to negotiations in the World Trade Organisation to reduce trade barriers. APEC members have also cut tariffs unilaterally and through free trade agreements.

All APEC economies are required to prepare ‘Individual Action Plans’ (IAPs) which record actions taken to meet the Bogor Goals. These IAPs contain valuable information on each economy’s regulatory regimes covering issues such as tariffs, non-tariff measures, services, investment, standards, customs, intellectual property rights, mobility of business people etc.

• Information on the Bogor Goals

Business facilitation

Business facilitation enables firms to trade more efficiently by reducing transaction costs caused by unnecessary procedures and red tape.

APEC’s approach to business facilitation includes improved customs procedures, transparency of trade information, international alignment of standards, mutual recognition of certain qualifications, streamlined procedures for business travel, and an enhanced environment for e-commerce.

APEC members reduced trade facilitation costs by five percent between 2002 and 2006 and are aiming for another five percent cut by 2010.

Groups of APEC members break new ground with ‘pathfinder’ initiatives. For example, New Zealand has co-led a pathfinder project to encourage the use of electronic quarantine certificates to replace paper-based systems.

Economic and technical cooperation (ECOTECH)

ECOTECH initiatives focus on training and other measures to improve policy capacity, particularly in developing members. Work is underway across a wide range of sectors, including science, energy and human resource development.

 

Human security

In addition to these activities, APEC has recently established a cooperative security agenda in recognition of the fact that a secure and safe environment is a pre-condition for economic growth and prosperity.

This agenda has helped members respond to:

• health risks such as those posed by SARs and the risk from an avian influenza pandemic
• direct security risks arising from terrorist attacks such as the September 11 attacks in New York and Washington and other, more recent, terrorist activity
• concerns regarding energy security
• non-man-made risks arising from natural disasters such as the 26 December 2004 tsunami which seriously affected a number of APEC economies
  

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