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Annex A - Advancing the Promotion of Cross-border Education Cooperation

Education is a significant driver of innovative growth, contributing to higher quality jobs and economic productivity. Cross-border education cooperation will strengthen regional ties, build people-to-people exchanges, and promote economic development through knowledge and skills transfer. It will also contribute to the implementation of APEC’s multi-year connectivity agenda.

APEC Leaders in 2012 encouraged further development, on a voluntary basis and consistent with individual economies’ circumstances, of cross-border education cooperation and facilitation of exchange in education services within APEC. APEC will work towards enhancing the mobility of students, researchers, and education providers, as well as the existing network of bilateral agreements.

To implement the 2012 Leaders’ commitment, APEC in 2013 established a Work Plan on Promoting Cross-Border Education Cooperation. It set up an Ad Hoc Coordinating Committee to progress the work plan by compiling activities that support the promotion of cross-border education cooperation from across relevant APEC fora. The work plan is a living document and we encourage economies to contribute additional activities that would assist in deepening education cooperation in our region.

We instructed officials to implement and develop this initiative and deliver strong outcomes on cross-border education cooperation, on a voluntary basis and consistent with individual economies’ circumstances, including work on the following areas:

  • Technical assistance to improve cross-border education data collection and experience-sharing in cross-border education in the region.

  • Information sharing of policies on qualification frameworks systems, quality assurance frameworks, accreditation, and recognition.

  • Facilitation of trade and investment in education services.

  • Developing guidelines for education cooperation based on best practices.

  • Sharing cross-border education cooperation strategies.

  • Capacity building to enhance economies’ institutions’ ability to sustain cross-border education services and provide consumer protections.

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