INGENIEUR
strengthen their implementation
of good regulatory practices (e.g.
ensuring internal co-ordination
of regulatory work, assessing
the impact of regulations, and
conducting public consultations).
Economies will further explore
using Internet-based tools to
strengthen the implementation
of good regulatory practices,
including new initiatives APEC
economies could take to
strengthen the conduct of public
consultations on proposed
regulations in the Internet era.
Under structural reform, the
APEC Ease of Doing Business
(EoDB) Multi-Year Project (MYP)
facilitates tailored capacity
building activities to support
economies in achieving
the target of making it 25%
cheaper, faster, and easier to
do business. We aim to achieve
these goals by harmonising
local policies with existing
inter national a g re em ent s,
and agree to consider the
continuation of our work on the
EoDB until 2020.
We commit to fostering
t r a n s p a r e n c y,
s a f e t y,
competition and better
functioning markets, including
e - commerce, in the Asia
Pacific and aim to expand
the application of secure and
trusted ICT and e-commerce
environment by 2025.
APEC needs to develop a
strategy to tackle the policy
challenges raised by the MiddleIncome Trap (MIT). Improving
an economy’s competitiveness,
productivity levels and its
regulatory environment for the
ease of doing business can
contribute to overcoming some
of the issues that underpin the
MIT.
6
40
Under People - to - People
Connectivity, we will strive to
facilitate the movement of
people across borders, and
to facilitate the exchange of
innovative ideas. As such,
issues of business travel
mobility, cross-border education,
tourism facilitation, and skilled
labour mobility will be addressed
under this pillar.
We commit to continue
expanding the number of holders
of the APEC Business Travel
Card (ABTC) and to improve the
efficiency and effectiveness of
ABTC scheme.
We undertake to improve
cross-border education (CBE)
co-operation, in recognition that
student, academic and provider
mobility helps to strengthen
regional ties, facilitate peopleto - p eople exchanges and
promote economic development
through knowledge and skills
transfer. We resolve to achieve
one million intra-APEC student
exchanges per year by 2020,
and to increase the number of
student exchanges to developing
economies.
Tourism is an important
part of APEC economic growth
strategies, and this is reflected
in the many tourism facilitation
and promotion initiatives
that have been implemented
within the APEC region. In this
regard, we welcome domestic
efforts by several economies to
implement measures to ease
visa restrictions for tourists as
well as initiate programmes to
facilitate immigration processing.
We will make effor ts to
achieve 800 million APEC tourist
arrivals by 2025, and commit to
establishing an APEC-wide Code
of Conduct for Travel Providers
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VOL 55 JUNE 2013
in order to reduce travellers’
costs and uncertainties relating
to tourism.
We will intensify co-operation
within APEC in promoting cultural
exchanges, by aiming to hold at
least one cultural awareness
event by each APEC economy in
every other APEC economy per
year by 2017.
We resolve to advance
work on cross-border science,
technolog y, and innovation
exchanges. We note with
appreciation the annual APEC
Science Prize for Innovation,
Re s e a r c h a n d E d u c a t i o n
(ASPIRE) which recognises
young scientists who have
demonstrated co - operation
with scientists from other APEC
member economies, as well as
a commitment to excellence in
scientific research.
On professional and skilled
labour mobility, we welcome
ini t ia t i v e s to b e n c h m a r k
qualifications in the transport
and logistics industry, allowing
businesses within the region
to have more certainty over the
skill sets of workers from other
economies. There are various
bilateral Mutual Recognition
Agreements (MRAs), and going
forward, APEC can undertake
work to help expand the number
of bilateral and multilateral MRAs
in the region. Mutual recognition
of skills and credentials can play
an important role in facilitating
skilled labour mobility. Timely
and accurate information on
skills gaps and labour market
imbalances will also need to be
gathered and analyzed to ensure
responsive policymaking in this
area.
We commit to strengthen
people-to-people connectivity