Task Force for Emergency Preparedness Meeting
24 April 2008
Ha Noi, Viet Nam
"Preparing for Emergencies through Public-Private
Partnerships"
Remarks by Ambassador Juan Carlos Capuñay
Executive Director
APEC Secretariat, Singapore
Let me take this opportunity to thank the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of
Vietnam and the Asia and Pacific Office of the International Strategy for
Disaster Reduction of the United Nations for inviting me to address the Task
Force for Emergency Preparedness meeting. I was fortunate to be part of the team
of Senior Officials who called for the APEC Strategy on Response to and
Preparedness for Natural Disasters and Emergencies in 2004 when I was Chair
of APEC's Senior Officials' Committee on Economic and Technical Cooperation.
At the time, we agreed then that APEC should bring to bear its strengths in
broad regional cooperation and its ability to engage the private sector and
international institutions in policy-making in order to better prepare the
region for emergencies and natural disasters.
In recognizing the risks and challenges to people and economies, Leaders
agreed in 2007 on the need to "further strengthen APEC's efforts to build
community resilience and preparedness for emergencies and natural disasters."
Over the last few years APEC economies have faced several significant
shocks. Threats to human security have affected both travel and trade. At
the same time, health problems and natural disasters including tsunamis and
hurricanes have had regional impacts.
But in spite of these adverse factors, APEC's regional economy is quite
robust and is capable of bouncing back even following quite significant
challenges.
Peru's priorities are APEC's priorities. In addition to pursuing its
traditional objectives, Peru has placed emphasis on addressing the social
dimensions of the APEC agenda. This year's theme, "A New Commitment to
Asia-Pacific Development" represents how sustainable development can be achieved
through partnerships between government, international institutions and the
private sector.
Engaging the private sector to develop these partnerships is a key priority
for APEC in 2008. In addition to increasing cooperation with business, APEC also
emphasizes the importance of forming links with international organizations and
specialist regional bodies, as long as value is added to the process.
In all sectors, APEC is building stronger relationships between member
economies and the business community. This is providing business with the
ability to actively participate with input to the process of developing
government policy development.
APEC values this input since small and medium-sized enterprises represent 80
percent of the regional industrial infrastructure and employs 60 percent of the
Asia-Pacific population yet only account for 30-35 percent of intra-regional
exports. Were a disruption in business to occur as a result of an outbreak, the
regional economy could come to a stand-still. One of APEC's core activities
includes assisting developing economies and their SMEs to compete more
effectively in an increasingly globalized world.
Because the private sector has a large stake in effectively preparing for and
responding to natural disasters, we believed that APEC could use its position to
formalize a lasting partnership with that sector.
There are plenty of examples from which to choose. The cooperation with APEC's
Counter-Terrorism Task Force develops recommendations in cooperation with the
private sector for Leaders' consideration. The High Level Policy Dialogue on
Agricultural Biotechnology provides a platform for government officials and the
business community to address a potentially contentious issue in a
non-threatening environment.
With respect to cooperation with international institutions, I would like to
highlight the contribution of the UN's International Strategy for Disaster
Reduction (ISDR). Just as APEC focuses on awareness-raising activities in
disaster risk reduction, advocacy through policy formulation, the dissemination
of guidelines, and promoting the establishment of unilateral
platforms for disaster risk reduction. The ISDR also places an emphasis on
enhancing networking and partnership-building to contribute to an effective
culture of safety and protection of all communities in the Asia and Pacific
Islands region.
Working together allows APEC to build on its core strength while avoiding
replication of activities that are already being carried out by other
institutions.
Already, APEC has a broad mechanism for building these comprehensive
relationships. Whether seeking input on the private sector's needs or on ways it
can cooperate, APEC covers a multitude of sectors and bring broad experience to
the table. Dependent on global supply chains, private sector operations are no
longer protected by borders. Should a disaster occur in one economy, a company's
profits could be impacted as a result. Listening to what support business needs
in the face of regional disasters will put you in a better position to respond
to their needs.
Regional business health is highly vulnerable to the economic damage caused
by natural disasters. Terrorism has the same devastating effect and APEC has
chosen to engage the private sector to address the issue.
Businesses in the region have a wealth of operational knowledge that has to
be taken into account when protecting regional trade. Through its annual STAR
(Secure Trade in the APEC Region) Conference, APEC provides an open forum for
business to provide input to regional security.
Covering areas such as aviation security, maritime security, the safe
movement of passengers and terrorist financing, STAR Conferences have produced
recommendations that have been adopted by APEC Leaders and Ministers. Bringing
together representatives of economies, including law enforcement agencies, with
representatives of businesses from around the region, these recommendations have
not only improved security but have also resulted in commercial efficiency gains
as businesses increase their use of high-technology security practices.
It is important to mention that in order to formalize its relationship with
the business community, the High Level Policy Dialogue on Agricultural
Biotechnology established a Private Sector Day to learn about their concerns
over the development and implementation of national regulatory frameworks; the
impacts of climate change on agriculture; development of new varieties specific
to economy needs and public perception of agricultural biotech in APEC
economies.
In this respect, just this past February in Lima representatives of
agricultural business, the public sector and academia gathered together, under
the theme of "The Benefits of Adopting Modern Agricultural Biotechnology,"
to learn more about the recent studies and developments underway in the biotech
industry and the agricultural sector, throughout the Asia Pacific region.
In closing, there are several key messages for you to keep in mind during
your discussions this week.
First, solutions are better found through cooperation. A multilateral
approach widens the net for cooperation and quick resolution to regional
challenges.
Second, APEC's guiding principles have created a forum that encourages, not
only participation from the private sector, but the development of lasting
public-private partnerships.
And third, building strong relationships with the private sector and regional
bodies will help to prepare the Asia-Pacific region for unforeseen disasters and
mitigate the impacts to the economy.
I encourage your active participation in the formation of these
relationships.
