The APEC Concluding Senior Officials’ Meeting (CSOM) is taking place in the central city of Da Nang on November 6-7 with the participation of representatives from all  21 APEC economies.

Panels welcoming the APEC Economic Leaders' Week in Da Nang city

The event aims to finalise preparations for the APEC Ministerial Meeting and the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting later this week. It is being chaired by Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son, who is also APEC 2017 SOM Chair.

Also on November 6, the APEC Voices of the Future forum is scheduled to open at the University of Da Nang, attracting delegates who are young people and students from the member economies. Vietnam is going to send 17 delegates to this event.

The forum will discuss various issues such as promoting sustainable and innovative growth and integration among the youth in Asia-Pacific; how to create  new dynamism and foster a shared future among young people in the region; and businesses, innovation and sustainability – difficulties in startup and digitalisation era of the Asia-Pacific.

Participants will also look into the youth’s contributions to the APEC vision towards 2020 and beyond; economic, financial and social inclusion; human resources development in the digital era; and policies supporting startup, innovation and small- and medium-sized enterprises.

Since it became an APEC member in November 1998, Vietnam has actively contributed to every aspect of cooperation, from economy, trade to youth-related affairs.

Established in 1989, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum comprises 21 economies, including Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong (China), Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, the US and Vietnam.

APEC represents about 39 percent of the world’s population and contributes 57 percent to global GDP and 49 percent of international trade. -VNA