Foreign and trade ministers of the 21 member economies discussed measures to boost APEC cooperation in coping with challenges to inclusive growth. They stressed that the forum must implement concrete programmes and projects and work together to maintain regional peace, stability, prosperity and development.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh stressed that APEC should focus on enhancing collaboration in climate change response, disaster risk mitigation, energy and food security, agricultural cooperation, environmental protection, urbanization, and human resources development (consider shortening list). Member countries must also pay more attention to vulnerable groups, like women, disabled persons, and the elderly.
"APEC should focus on boosting economic collaboration to improve the capacity of emerging countries in the region. APEC member countries must collaborate more in the education and medical sectors, and implement projects to support vulnerable groups of people." - Pham Binh Minh, Deputy Prime Minister - Foreign Minister.
The APEC forum is one of the leading multilateral cooperation mechanisms in the region, Vietnam joined APEC in November 1998, and will once again host APEC meetings in 2017.
