Through the efforts of host economy Chile’s government, 2019 has been a banner year for APEC. In the run up to a series of meetings this fall that include Asia-Pacific’s finance, trade and foreign ministers and a gathering of region’s top political leaders, the Chilean government’s abilities to navigate the positions of APEC’s diverse membership will be tested further.
Chile’s ability to achieve results in APEC became clear at the Ministers Responsible for Trade meeting in late May of this year where all APEC members signed on to the trade ministers’ communique for the first since 2015. Under Chile’s leadership, APEC has also made progress on the digital economy. At the Third Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM III), held in Puerto Varas, Chile last August, economies agreed on APEC’s approach for addressing digital economy issues by finalizing the terms of reference for the new Digital Economy Steering Group and launching a pathfinder initiative to promote digital trade.
This year Chile has also made a concerted effort to deliver on its theme of “people-centered APEC.” During Second Senior Officials’ meeting, held in the coast city of Viña del Mar, government officials participated in a beach clean up organized by Ocean Conservancy, an NGO that has partnered with APEC to address ocean plastic pollution. During 2019, APEC working group meetings held in Chile have drawn numerous experts on issues from food security to anti-corruption. The government has taken advantage of their presence by creating opportunities for these visitors to meet with local organizations to share their expertise.
Although there are just a few months left in the year, there are still several important events to come in which the spirit of consensus is likely to continue. The Women’s Economic Forum takes place September 30th and October 5th where a major outcome is likely to be the the adoption of the Roadmap on Women and Inclusive Growth. This is followed by the Finance Ministers meeting in Santiago, where discussions will focus on the development and implantation of strategies that enhance financial resilience against natural disasters.
Chile’s hosting of APEC concludes with the APEC Leaders’ Summit in November. Leaders will likely focus on finding common ground on Chile’s four main policy areas; Digital Society, Integration 4.0, Women, Sustainable Growth, and SMEs and Inclusive Growth.
