Concluding Remarks at APEC Young Leaders And Entrepreneurs Forum

APEC SOM Chair
ABAC Chair
Director General of the Mexican Youth Institute
Ladies and Gentlemen

During the opening session on Tuesday I was given the opportunity to provide you with a brief overview of youth activities in APEC. In the past few days I have had the pleasure of attending several sessions at this Forum which is the year's most prominent youth event. Today, I am pleased to be able to share with you some preliminary plans for next year after Mexico passes the reins to Thailand as APEC Chair.

In 2003, APEC is expected to continue implementing its programs. With capacity building being a traditional priority for APEC, we can expect much of its work to continue in this area. As the future workforce and business leaders, APEC will continue involving young people in its activities and programs as well as providing opportunities to better not just themselves but also those who shape and implement the polices that affect them.

Next year, we can expect several activities to be held particularly those under the auspices of the Human Resources Development Working Group (HRDWG).

The HRDWG is meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in May 2003. In conjunction with this meeting, a seminar will be held to improve the capacity of youths in education, focusing on best practices and innovations in teaching as well as learning mathematics and science in schools, which are two core subjects in all education systems.

Also, we will see the continued implementation of the APEC Sister School Networking (ASSN) project which aims at establishing a network of sister schools to promote regional cooperation and friendship. The project consists of two activities: establishment of a virtual network and a Forum/Camp for teachers and students.

Interested economies have already nominated their schools to join the proposed virtual network. The official ASSN website acts as a central forum to facilitate exchange of ideas and interaction among students, teachers and school administrators on environmental science education and other topics of common interest. The site's discussion board currently focuses on "Coastal Ecosystem for Sustainable Development" and will expand to include topics such as curriculum development and other topics of common interest. Other features such as interactive chat and so on will be added to the website.

Next, an APEC International Youth Camp and Teachers Forum will be held in August 2003 in Chantaburi, Thailand where students and teachers in the network can meet face-to-face and exchange experiences in an informal but academic environment. A visit to a coastal research facility to learn about the tropical ecosystem will also be organized. A preparatory training program for the facilitators of this event will be conducted in Thailand in mid-September this year.

Another HRDWG project, "Best Practices on IT Skill Development for Vulnerable Youth" targets youths who are at risk from being displaced or made jobless due to changing economic scenarios. It aims at supporting and promoting best practices in developing IT skills to enhance their employability. Training materials and curriculum to achieve this will be developed and then tested at a workshop in Thailand in September next year.

Those are just a few samples of events that we can look forward to next year. The latest schedule of events for 2003 can be found on the APEC 2003 website or the APEC Secretariat website.

I am confident that such activities which deal with issues facing young people will also offer many opportunities to enable them to be a skilled workforce and dynamic entrepreneurs, and enable them to reap the benefits of the global economy.

Thank you.