Working groups and subcommittees convened nine meetings on February 21 as part of the 4th working day of the first APEC Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM-1) and related meetings in Nha Trang city, the south central coastal province of Khanh Hoa.


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Nha Trang city, where the APEC SOM-1 is taking place


The Human Resources Development Working Group (HRDWG) hosted three meetings to map out cooperation orientations and priorities in 2017, including the implementation of the APEC education strategy, preparations for the high-level policy dialogue on human resources development in the digital era in Hanoi in May, and the 7th APEC Ministerial Meeting on human resources development in 2018.

Meanwhile, the first plenary meeting of the APEC Sub-Committee on Customs Procedures (SCCP) focused discussions on implementing the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) within the framework of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the single-window mechanism, as well as promoting harmony of standards in food safety, environmental protection, and smart urban development.

The meeting of the Experts Group on Illegal Logging and Associated Trade (EGILAT) is significant to promoting sustainable forest management and legal trade on timber products. 

Participants sought to embrace links between manufacturers and consumers as well as between farm households and multi-national groups to enable small-and medium-sized enterprises to join the global supply chain.

Other groups held meetings on February 21 included the Competition Policy and Law Group (CPLG), the Life Sciences Innovation Forum – Regulatory Harmonisation Steering Committee (LSIF – RHSC), and Counter Terrorism Working Group (CTWG).

Vietnam’s ministries and agencies continued making active contributions to the functions.

VNA