The First Senior Official Meeting (SOM I) themed “"Towards a Dynamic Community for Sustainable Development and Prosperity" concluded on March 3 in Hanoi, state media reported.
During the first formal event of the APEC year around 1500 participants from 21 member countries, including three hundred from Vietnam, agreed to ratify 7 priorities for 2006 raised by the host country Vietnam.
The priorities aim to boost trade and investment cooperation among member markets, increase the competitiveness of medium and small sized enterprises, speed up members' integration capacity through projects of cooperation in human resource development, information technology and telecommunications, and promote partnership. The initiative also calls for strengthening human security, pushing up the fight against corruption, increasing transparency, and consolidating association among member markets through cooperation in tourism and culture, and launching APEC reforms towards a more dynamic and efficient community.
Representatives reaffirmed to conclude the Doha negotiations by late 2006 and to release a special statement on the Doha round at an APEC trade ministerial meeting scheduled for June this year.
Besides, the SOM approved a Working Agenda in 2006 for APEC's Committee on Trade and Investment (CTI), in which it puts priority on implementing the Busan Road Map towards the Bogor Goals.
New regulations and working programs in 2006 for the SOM Steering Committee on Ecotech (SCE), including measures to enhance projects to help APEC's developing economies in building capacity, developing human resources, and improving medium and small enterprises, to name a few.
Regarding human security, participants committed to enhance cooperation in fighting and preparing to respond to natural disasters and pandemics through enhancing working plans and projects from APEC-related groups. All other member economies supported Vietnam's proposal to hold a ministerial meeting on bird flu in the central city of Danang this May.
The conference welcomed active measures put forward by APEC to enhance public-private partnerships, ensure trade security in the region, and consider and research proposals relating to security, particularly on anti-terrorism measures.
Significantly, the conference raised voice to support Vietnam’s bid to join the World Trade Organization calling for remaining trade partners, the US, Mexico, Republic of Dominica, Honduras to quickly end the negotiation process with Vietnam.
Earlier from February 20-28, Vietnam organized 38 conferences and seminars of committees, sub-committees and some other group of APEC initially discussing the agenda for the formal SOM I. Investment, VNA
Vietnamese
