APEC Leaders’ Week is the pinnacle of New Zealand’s APEC host year. Themed “Join, Work, Grow. Together”, the summit will focus on three priorities: trade and economic policies to boost economic recovery, speeding inclusive and sustainable recovery, and encouraging creativity and digitalization.

Key activities will include the APEC Concluding Senior Officials’ Meeting, the APEC Business Advisory Council Meeting, the 32nd Meeting of Foreign and Economic Ministers, the Dialogue of APEC Leaders and the Business Advisory Council, the APEC CEO Summit, and the 28th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting. The delegates will discuss and decide an orientation and strategic vision for future cooperation between APEC members to create a foundation for long-term development in the Asia-Pacific region.

Key agenda

The 28th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting on Friday is themed “Coordinating within APEC to accelerate post-COVID-19 economic recovery: Key opportunities and challenges in the post-COVID world and how to ensure the gains are shared equally across the world in the present and in the future". The 28th APEC Summit will discuss two main issues, namely the global economic outlook and cooperation in post-pandemic recovery. The meeting will approve a Declaration of APEC Leaders and Implementation Plan of the APEC Vision until 2040.

The APEC CEO Summit will take place on Thursday and Friday, drawing 4,500 CEOs from leading Asia-Pacific businesses. The Summit will have 9 discussions on the world situation, recovery in and after the pandemic, opportunities from digital interruption, sustainable development and climate change, energy future, the power of belief, businesses’ priorities in the future, technology and innovation, and toward the future.

These topics are of great importance to steer future cooperation between APEC economies and lay a foundation for Asia-Pacific development.

A foundation for future development

An important content of the APEC Leaders’ Meeting is to adopt the Implementation Plan for the APEC Vision until 2040, which is seen as an important step to form a firm foundation for its development in the next 2 decades. The Vision was approved by the APEC leaders last November toward an “open, dynamic, self-reliant, and peaceful Asia-Pacific community in 2040 for the prosperity of all people and future generations”.  

In July New Zealand held the first unofficial APEC Leaders’ Meeting to discuss measures to strengthen regional cooperation to overcome the health crisis and hasten economic recovery.