Behind the Scenes - Delivering a Successful APEC Viet Nam 2006
The meetings covered issues such as trade and investment liberalization, business facilitation, economic and technical cooperation, tourism and cultural exchange, anti-corruption, and human security, including counter-terrorism.
For Vice Minister Le Cong Phung, the Chair of the 2006 Senior Officials' Meetings, SOM I was the first major test of the infrastructure that is being developed to serve the APEC process during the Viet Nam year.
"Preparations for these events took months before they were actually held and we're glad that our efforts were successful," Mr. Phung said after the conclusion of the meeting.
"With around 1,200 foreign delegates, 300 Vietnamese participants and 200 correspondents and television crews, the first APEC 2006 Senior Officials' Meeting and related meetings can be viewed as the largest APEC event ever held in Ha Noi."
"With regard to substance, the meetings produced positive results for APEC. We agreed on the priorities, the reform framework and the need to set up a Group of Friends of the Chair to study the action plan for carrying out the Busan Roadmap which aims to improve trade facilitation measures, enhance capacity building, and support the multilateral trading system."
In 2006 the challenge of progressing the current round of the World Trade Organization is set to be an important issue for APEC after leaders agreed last November to pursue the successful completion of the Doha Development Agenda.
Mr. Phung said APEC 2006 will also give all member economies an opportunity to intensify cooperation on human security issues. As part of this commitment to human security, Viet Nam will host the Ministerial Meeting on Avian Influenza in April in Da Nang.
The success of the first Senior Officials' Meeting has served to enhance the APEC Viet Nam Task Force's preparedness for the second round of meetings which will be held in Ho Chi Minh City in May and conclude with the Meeting of APEC Ministers' Responsible for Trade (MRT) on June 1-2.
With a core team of over 20 staff that is managed by Ambassador Nguyen Thanh Chau, the Task Force and the SOM Chair's Office provide support that enables the SOM Chair to carry out his work.
"Going beyond our expectations, the team should be commended for their extraordinary dedication and effort. We should also mention the valuable support from member economies and the APEC Secretariat in Singapore. As one of the newest members to APEC, Viet Nam is eager to learn from our APEC colleagues and we appreciate their guidance and support," said Mr. Phung.
While the Task Force is now making preparations for the second Senior Officials' Meeting, the SOM Chair's Office is clearly focusing on implementing the directives made during the February meetings.
"At the conclusion of SOM I, I promised to give APEC member economies a long list of intercessional work items to work on."
"As we want to see even a much more effective APEC, as the host, we will try our best to work closely with other members to turn words into action. We are determined to make APEC more outcome-based and action-oriented."
Mr. Phung said that ultimately Viet Nam's success as host will be judged on outcomes. "The world is watching APEC to see how we will implement the Busan Roadmap. This is a very comprehensive document covering key areas of action toward the Bogor goals of free and open trade and investment. Moving in this direction will help APEC realize its vision of a dynamic community for sustainable development and prosperity for the people in the region. I hope that things will move fast so that we can report positive progress when we meet in Ho Chi Minh City in May for SOM II and MRT. We look forward to welcoming delegates."
APEC member economies are now preparing for the Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting in Ho Chi Minh City at the beginning of June. As MRT host, Mr. Phung said that Vietnam will work hard with members to make positive contributions to advancing the WTO DDA negotiations.
"APEC members are considering producing a stand-alone MRT statement on the WTO DDA and inviting Mr. Pascal Lamy, the WTO's Director General, to attend the meeting."
"We hope these efforts will create fresh impetus for the successful conclusion of the WTO DDA with ambitious and balanced outcomes, and ultimately contribute to the success of the APEC 2006 hosted by Viet Nam."