August 22, 2017, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam – SOM 3 and Related Meetings continued the fifth working day with activities from APEC fora, namely Committee of Trade and Investment (CTI), Economic Committee (EC), Health Working Group (HWG), Sub-Committee on Customs Procedures (SCCP), Sub-Committee on Standards and Conformance (SCSC), Electronic Commerce Steering Group (ECSG), Data Privacy Subgroup (ECSG – DPS), Anti-Corruption and Transparency Experts’ Working Group (ACTWG), Emergency Preparedness Working Group (EPWG), Investment Experts’ Group (IEG), Intellectual Property Rights Experts Groups (IPEG), Groups on Services (GOS) and Chemical Dialogue (CD).
Today, the Health Working Group (HWG) continued its second working day with the joint session between APEC groups and sub-committees, including LSIF, PPWE, SME and EPWG with other international organizations namely, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank (WB). The outcomes of the meeting will be reported to the 7th APEC High-level Meeting on Health and the Economy to be convened tomorrow. In the afternoon, delegates attended the Policy Dialogue on Promoting Healthy Aging and Non-Communicable Diseases Control for a Healthy Asia Pacific and on Accelerating Action on Tuberculosis (TB) and Multi-drug Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR TB) in the APEC Region.
Also in the morning, the Anti-Corruption and Transparency Experts’ Working Group (ACTWG) began its 25th meeting. The meeting listened to the reports on anti-corruption efforts and progress in implementing the United Nations’ Convention on Anti-corruption and the Anti-corruption Declaration adopted by APEC Leaders in 2014. Delegates also shared new projects proposals and initiatives, and discussed measures to strengthen cooperation among international organizations in fighting corruption. At the meeting, representatives of the WB and the OECD updated their works on anti-corruption.
Within the framework of Committee on Trade and Investment (CTI), the Public – Private Dialogue on Rules of Origins (ROO) was held with the participation of representatives from member economies, business community, private sector and academia. Participants shared views on opportunities and challenges for ROO in the FTA context. The Dialogue aims to provide a platform for APEC customs officials and ROO negotiators to better understand the industry perspective on ROO, including the potential challenges faced by businesses in utilizing these rules.
Life Sciences Innovation Forum (LSIF) held the workshop on the APEC Digital Hub for Mental Health Colloquium. In the discussions, delegates highlighted the importance of promoting the application of digital data to healthcare in general and to mental health in particular, which contribute to the implementation of the APEC Roadmap to Promote Mental Wellness through 2020.
The Expert Group on Intellectual Property Rights (IPEG) has also begun its two-day work series. IPEG was established under the Committee on Trade in Investments (CTI) in 1996. Its objectives were to promote dialogues on intellectual property policies, assessments and information exchanges on intellectual property rights; to explore measures for effective implementation of intellectual property rights, including the WTO’s TRIPS; and to facilitate capacity building for member economies in implementing TRIPS.
The Workshop on Sharing Best Practices on Chemical Regulation within the framework of Chemical Dialogue (CD) was held to promote experience sharing in chemical regulation. Delegates agreed to develop a long-term capacity building and training program for regulators in APEC. This is a crucial advance since the last workshop in 2014.
The Electronic Commerce Steering Group – Data Privacy Sub-Group (ECSG-DPS) had bilateral meetings today, while the Investment Experts’ Group (IEG) had its second working day.
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