Trade Ministers and Senior Officials to Discuss Doha Development Agenda and Upcoming WTO Ministerial Meeting

During two weeks between May 21 and June 3, the second round of meetings for the 2003 APEC Year will take place in Khon Kaen, Thailand.

Concluding with a meeting of APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade (MRT), this round of meetings will address several of the major issues confronting the Asia-Pacific region at the moment and also check on the progress of the APEC free trade and investment agenda.

View the Khon Kaen Meeting Agenda

Executive Director of the APEC Secretariat, Ambassador Piamsak Milintachinda, said major issues that are likely to be high on the agenda include APEC's contribution to the WTO Doha Development Agenda and the upcoming WTO Ministerial meeting in Cancun, Mexico.

"An important sub-theme for the 2003 APEC year is the call for APEC member economies to act on development pledges made through forums such as the World Trade Organization," Ambassador Milintachinda said.

"It is expected that progress by member economies and working groups to strengthen the capacity of APEC members will be discussed at the meetings over the following two weeks.

"APEC member economies have all committed to ensuring the benefits of globalization and development are shared by all economies. Identifying and assessing progress made through the WTO will provide a clearer picture of APEC's contribution to the Doha Development Agenda.

"There are also a number of other issues that will be covered, that are of lower profile, but are important for the continued success of the APEC process."

The program of events in Khon Kaen will begin on May 21 with meetings of APEC committees, working groups, task forces and other sub fora. These various fora and expert groups are the bodies tasked with coordinating the directives of APEC Leaders, Ministers and Senior Officials.

Ambassador Milintachinda said the first events on the agenda involve meetings of APEC committees, working groups and other specialized fora followed by the second APEC Senior Officials' Meeting for the year (SOM II).

"The Senior Officials' Meetings are the central forum for the Senior Officials from each APEC economy to ensure the implementation of commitments made by APEC Leaders and Ministers," Ambassador Milintachinda said.

The Senior Officials' Meeting in Khon Kaen will cover areas such as:
- Developing standards for overcoming differences between legal codes
- Creating systems to harmonize the labeling of hazardous chemicals
- Assessing the economic and social implications of the expanded mobility of skilled and unskilled labor.
- Furthering the work-plan for the Social Safety Net Capacity Building Network

SOM II will also include a retreat for Senior Officials to take part in a day of informal discussion on key regional issues. This will be followed by a formal meeting of all delegations, headed by Senior Officials, on 28 May.

The meeting of Ministers Responsible for Trade will take place over two days beginning June 2.

Ministers Responsible for Trade will be presented with an outline of the key outcomes of Senior Officials and other meetings held in Khon Kaen. It is anticipated the ministers will also deliver instructions intended to guide the ongoing program of APEC working groups and other fora.

The Ministers Responsible for Trade meeting will involve an informal retreat followed by a second day of more formal meetings.

It is anticipated that the APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade will cover issues such as:

Following the conclusion of the MRT meeting on the second day, a media conference will be held and a Statement of the Chair issued by the Minister Responsible for Trade from the Host Economy of Thailand. There will also be a question and answer session.

APEC Member Economies: Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, United States of America, and Viet Nam.