APEC Group on Services (GOS)
APEC Roadmap for Innovative, Competitive and Resilient Services

1. We recognise that the APEC Services Cooperation Framework (ASCF) and APEC Services Competitiveness Roadmap 2016-2025 (ASCR) identified the important role played by the services sector in driving value creation, innovation, and employment in the Asia-Pacific Region and in each of our economies, and they provided a roadmap for us to enhance the competitiveness and resilience of the sector through economic cooperation in APEC over the last decade. 

2. We acknowledge that the ASCR generated many positive outcomes and provided a solid foundation to guide reforms over the last decade. However, we recognize that building a stronger and more innovative services sectors requires continuous policy innovation and reform.

3. Therefore, we welcome this Roadmap to guide the next decade’s work on services in APEC, both individually and collectively, to drive economic growth and job creation. We recognize that the implementation of the Roadmap will form the services sector’s contribution to realizing the goals of the Putrajaya Vision 2040 of an open, dynamic, resilient and peaceful Asia-Pacific community by 2040, for the prosperity of all our people and future generations, including through the implementation of the Aotearoa Plan of Action.

Principles and Objectives

4. To build innovative, competitive and resilient services sectors, APEC economies will:

a. ensure an open and predictable environment for services trade and investment;
b. facilitate digital transformation, foster innovation and skills in digital services, and establish resilient infrastructure to support advanced technologies;
c. improve the collection and availability of data on trade and investment in services
d. promote the participation of all stakeholders in a whole-of-economy approach to structural reform affecting the services sector; 
e. promote sustainable economic growth for all;
f. promote trade of environmental and environmentally-related services; and
g. promote capacity building, information sharing, and technical cooperation efforts among economies, including for the negotiation and implementation of services undertakings, in support of the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific agenda.

Enabling Environment

5. Developing innovative, competitive and resilient services sectors requires a multi-pronged approach. We commit to establishing the best possible enabling environment to support meaningful reforms at both the individual economy and APEC-wide levels, as indicated in the Work Program Action Pillars below, including by supporting or undertaking capacity-building initiatives. Implementation of those initiatives will be undertaken in collaboration with the services industry, as appropriate.

Work Program Action Pillars - Areas of Focus and Collaborative Implementation 

6. We endorse the following work program to help economies individually and collectively contribute to achieving the objectives of this roadmap and spur the trade and investment necessary to make our services sectors innovative, competitive and resilient.

Pillar 1: Promoting an Open and Predictable Environment for Services Trade and Investment 

Progressively reduce barriers to services trade and investment.

Pillar 2: Embracing Digital Transformation

Promote adoption of digital technologies and delivery of digital services, including by facilitating an environment for digital transactions, data flows, and Artificial Intelligence, while strengthening consumer and business trust.  

Pillar 3: Structural Reform, Services Domestic Regulation, and Technical Standards

Recognizing the contributions of the APEC Non-binding Principles for Domestic Regulation of the Services Sector and the Group on Services (GOS) collaboration with the Economic Committee (EC), promote APEC’s structural reform and services domestic regulation agendas, including by improving the transparency, predictability, and efficiency of services regulatory procedures; promoting trade-facilitative technical standards, developed through open and transparent processes;  including in sectors of interest;  and promoting the participation of all relevant stakeholders in the development of services policy and technical standards.

Pillar 4: Workforce Readiness and Opportunity 

Equip people with the skills to participate in rapidly changing services markets, and facilitate, where appropriate cross-border opportunities for professionals, such as through recognition procedures or agreements. 

Pillar 5: Trade in Services Data and Analysis

Support the expansion and enhancement of the scope, granularity and comparability of services data, including through on-going work on the APEC Index and access to additional statistics where available across APEC economies, including foreign affiliate trade in services, services content in trade in value-added, and intra-APEC trade and investment in services.   

Pillar 6: Promoting Sustainable Economic Growth For All

Facilitate sustainable economic growth for all across services sectors, including by fostering MSME participation in global value chains, supporting responsible business conduct, bridging the digital divide including through facilitating work on trade in environmental and environmentally related services, and identifying other areas of interest.

Pillar 7: APEC Cross-fora Collaboration and Engagement with the Private Sector

Advance initiatives through APEC-wide collaboration, including on capacity-building, good regulatory practices and sharing lessons learnt and, where appropriate, through pathfinder or similar efficient approaches; expand the EC – GOS collaboration to include other APEC fora that are related to the services sector to enhance impact and limit unnecessary duplication; and engage with the private sector, including ABAC, and with other regional and international bodies across APEC’s services and investment agenda. 

Pillar 8: Supporting WTO Initiatives Related to Services Trade and Investment

Recognising the positive role of plurilateral negotiations at the WTO, including the Joint Statement Initiatives, for advancing issues of interest to Members related to services trade and investment and to making the WTO more relevant and responsive, encourage efforts of participating APEC economies to continue to address contemporary and emerging trade issues, foster new ideas and facilitate economic growth, and build momentum toward multilateral outcomes. 

Implementation, Monitoring and Measuring Progress

7. GOS will develop an implementation plan within twelve months of the adoption of this Roadmap.

8. GOS will have responsibility for the implementation of the Roadmap with Senior Officials having overall responsibility for monitoring and evaluating progress.  GOS will report to Senior Officials to facilitate periodic reporting to Ministers on progress, and seek further guidance, as appropriate, from Ministers on moving forward on any additional actions considered necessary during implementation of the Roadmap.

9. We agree to a review in 2029 with a view to assessing progress of the roadmap and taking appropriate actions and amending approaches where needed to achieve the aims and objectives of the roadmap by 2035.