APEC is a place for economies to explore creative solutions to shared challenges while learning from each other through economic and technical cooperation (ECOTECH).
The Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) Steering Committee on Economic and Technical Cooperation, or SCE, coordinates APEC’s ECOTECH agenda through a diverse set of portfolios—from agriculture, to transportation, to women's economic empowerment.
In 2022 the SCE and its sub-fora worked to support Thailand’s priorities of “Open. Connect. Balance.” focusing on the third pillar: rebalancing the region’s economy after the pandemic through inclusive and sustainable policy.
Understanding the Bio-Circular-Green Economy Model
The SCE supported the introduction of a post-pandemic growth strategy called the Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) economy model. The BCG economy model promotes the efficient use of resources to maintain and restore ecosystems and to reduce waste in a bid to build a system where economies and businesses can thrive.
Sustainability Powers Economic Growth | Circular Economy | Green Economy |
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The SCE and SCE sub-fora supported policy dialogues, roundtables and ministerial meetings in areas such as forestry, health, food security, tourism, women economic empowerment and SMEs that explored, among other topics, how the BCG economy model can further sustainable economic growth objectives.
In 2022 APEC promoted wide-ranging areas of sustainable economic growth, in recognition of the fact that:
Sustainability lies in the way economies manage their resources
Ministers endorsed an implementation plan for the Food Security Roadmap Towards 2030 and the Oceans and Fisheries working group introduced a roadmap providing targeted support for the small-scale fisheries and aquaculture industry.
Sustainability starts with how the region fuels its growth
The Energy Working Group endorsed the revised APEC Energy Security Initiative (ESI) to support members’ access to affordable, reliable, resilient, modern and sustainable energy. Further, the Transportation Working Group held policy discussions on how the APEC region could decarbonize transport with discussions and recommendations on subsidies, support for charging infrastructure, and cleaner vehicles mandates for manufacturers.
Sustainability progresses with innovation
SCE workstreams contributed to a variety of innovative initiatives in 2022 with the publication of a technological toolkit focused on enabling technologies and inclusive digitization in APEC value chains and policy recommendations for regenerative tourism. In addition, a climate symposium was held on enhancing APEC resilience through AI applications in climate change adaptation and APEC inaugurated the APEC Young Scientist Training Program.
Sustainability succeeds when diversity and inclusion are at its core
To further support APEC’s inclusive growth agenda, APEC held policy dialogues exploring the BCG model as a driver for women’s economic empowerment, workshops focused on inclusive connectivity for Indigenous and diverse women-led MSMEs
and published best practice guidelines in support of inclusive tourism. Given the ongoing COVID-19 situation, APEC continued to extend its support for post-pandemic recovery with projects and initiatives such as:
- Compilation of APEC Members’ Anti-Corruption Prevention and Transparency Measures related to the Covid-19 Outbreaks: Policy, Good Practices and Measures;
- Post COVID-19 Reaction: APEC SEN Distance Learning Platform for Seafarers
- Conference;
- Contributions to the Sub-Fund on APEC Cooperation on Combatting COVID-19;
- Workshop on Developing APEC Cities and Built Environments;
- Strategy: Build Back Better Post Covid-19 Pandemic;
- Strengthening Emergency Medical Services System for Safe and Resilient Responses in Disease Outbreaks;
- Risk-smart Business in the Post COVID-19 Industry 4.0: Enabling Technologies and Inclusive Digitization for Post-COVID-19 Economic Recovery in APEC Value Chains;
- Going Digital to Build Resilience and Sustainable Growth in Response to
- COVID-19; and
- Opening Seminar of Tourism Industry of Asia-Pacific Region in the COVID-19 Recovery Period: Current Situation, Trends and Challenges
ECOTECH Medium-Term Priorities
APEC’s ECOTECH Medium-Term Priorities support sustainable growth and equitable development, reducing economic disparities among economies and improving economic and social well-being of all citizens in the APEC region.
New ECOTECH Priorities
This year, members worked to align APEC’s ECOTECH Medium-Term Priorities with its new set of overarching objectives articulated in the Putrajaya Vision 2040 and its implementation plan, the Aotearoa Plan of Action (APA). The refresh to the ECOTECH Medium-Term Priorities first aligned and then integrated relevant APA collective actions into the ECOTECH Medium-Term Priorities framework.
For more information on APEC Ecotech activities in 2022, download the 2022 report of the SOM Steering Committee on Economic and Technical Cooperation.