APEC Second Senior Officials’ Meeting pushes for digital sharing information platform amongst the deliverables 

By ANIS FARHANAH MALEK
anisfarhanah@dagangnews.com

KUALA LUMPUR 30 Sept. - One of the key outcomes that Virtual Second Senior Officials’ Meeting (VSOM2) must deliver is the establishment of the APEC COVID-19 LIVE, a digital information sharing platform. 

Given the fact that the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting (AELM) will now take place two weeks in advance, the senior officials of the region must embrace the spirit of cooperation and collaboration in concretising the deliverables.

Chair of SOM, Hairil Yahri Yaacob said,  there are only 53 more days to go to the AELM, and there are a number of deliverables yet to be completed. 

“As I have explained in my email correspondences, my team and I have already undertaken a prioritisation exercise to identify the critical deliverables for this year. Given the unique situation that we are presently in, we have to be pragmatic and practical as to what can or cannot be achieved.

“One of the key outcomes that we must deliver is the establishment of the APEC COVID-19 LIVE, a digital information sharing platform. We have been instructed by our Ministers’ Responsible for Trade (MRT) to prioritise work on this front. 

“Therefore, I must stress that it is of utmost importance for us to collectively come to an agreement on this proposal, and ensure that the digital platform is materialised before the AELM,” said him in his opening remarks at VSOM2. 

In addition to the COVID-19 LIVE, there are also other key deliverables and outcome documents that have been included in the agenda. 

These are the establishment of Sub-fund for APEC Cooperation on Combating COVID-19 and Economic Recovery, the APEC Internet and Digital Economy Roadmap (AIDER) Work Programme, final assessment on Bogor Goals, APEC Connectivity Blueprint Mid-term Review and the final assessment of APEC Strategy for Strengthening Quality Growth. 

Apart from that, Hairil added, they will no longer be convening SOM3, instead will proceed ahead with the Concluding Senior Officials’ Meeting (CSOM) in November. 

“It is this level of commitment that has ensured the dynamism and robustness of APEC, an institution with a central role in the regional trade and investment architecture. 

“As such, we are left with very little time to arrive at substantive outcomes before we tie up the loose ends at the CSOM,” said him. - DagangNews.com