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SOM Steering Committee on Economic and Technical Cooperation

  

APEC economies engage in economic and technical co-operation to attain sustainable growth and equitable development in the Asia-Pacific region, to reduce economic disparities among APEC economies and to improve economic and social wellbeing.

The Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM) Steering Committee on Economic and Technical Cooperation (SCE) coordinates and manages APEC's economic and technical cooperation (ECOTECH) agenda, which is outlined in the Osaka Action Agenda. In 1996, an APEC Framework for Strengthening Economic Cooperation and Development was adopted to guide members in implementing the Osaka Action Agenda.

The objectives of the SCE are:
  • To strengthen implementation of APEC's ECOTECH activities by prioritising in accordance with Leaders' and Ministers' commitments, coordinating and providing oversight of the work of APEC fora.
  • To provide policy guidance on ways to contribute to APEC's ECOTECH goals.
  • To coordinate ECOTECH objectives and priorities between the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting and Ministerial Meetings.
An updated list of ECOTECH priorities were endorsed by the SCE in 2006:
  • Developing human capital
  • Developing stable and efficient markets through structural reform
  • Strengthening economic infrastructure
  • Facilitating technology flows and harnessing technologies for the future
  • Safeguarding the quality of life through environmentally sound growth
  • Developing and strengthening the dynamism of small and medium enterprises
  • Integration into the global economy
  • Human security and counter-terrorism capacity building
  • Promoting the development of knowledge-based economies
  • Addressing the social dimensions of globalisation.

The SCE was first established as the SOM Sub-Committee for Economic and Technical Cooperation (ESC) in 1998. In 2002, this was elevated to the SOM Committee on Economic and Technical Cooperation. In 2005, as part of the ongoing APEC reform process, the ESC was strengthened and transformed into the SOM Steering Committee on ECOTECH (SCE). The Terms of Reference for the SCE were endorsed by SOM in March 2006.

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Achievements
In 2008, APEC working groups and task forces undertook 91 ECOTECH-related projects. These included 77 APEC-funded projects and 14 self-funded projects initiated and implemented by individual economies and/or groups of economies. The APEC-funded projects focused on: human security (22%); developing human capital (20%); environmentally sound growth (21%); small and medium enterprises (6%); and integration into the global economy (8%). Details of these projects in action can be found in the 2008 Senior Officials' Report on Economic and Technical Cooperation.

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Current Activities
During 2009, the SCE will continue to focus on reforming its policy agenda with the aim of developing a forward-looking, comprehensive workplan for APEC capacity building activities. For this purpose, SCE will (a) strengthen the Policy Criteria used to guide the assessment and approval of project proposals; (b) identify gaps in and needs for capacity building activities in APEC; (c) strengthen APEC?s engagement with the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) and other multilateral organisations.

The SCE is also overseeing independent assessments of the following APEC fora: the Anti-Corruption Taskforce, the Energy Working Group, the Transportation Working Group, the Agricultural Technical Cooperation Working Group , the High Level Policy Dialogue on Agricultural Biotechnology, the Human Resources Development Working Group, the Industrial Science and Technology Working Group and the Telecommunications and Information Working Group.


APEC's Economic and Technical Cooperation (ECOTECH) - Key Contacts
Chair
Mr Kenji HIRAMATSU
Deputy Director-General
Economic Affairs Bureau and APEC Senior Official
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
2-2-1 Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda-ku
Tokyo 100-8919,
Japan
Tel: (81-3) 5501 8342
Fax: (81-3) 5501 8340
Email: apec.japan@oregano.ocn.ne.jp

APEC Secretariat
SCE Chair Assistant
Ms Tran Bao Ngoc
Director (Program)
E-mail: tbn@apec.org

SCE Fora Coordinator
Ms Monica Ochoa
Director (Program)
E-mail: mop@apec.org

Reviewed on: 25 March 2009