21 economies discuss Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation on defeating Covid and climate change

[ASEAN NOW News]

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte (File photo)

 

Greater collaboration between the public and private sectors is vital to defeat the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic and mitigate the impact of climate change, President Rodrigo Duterte told the business leaders from the 21 member economies of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) on Thursday.

During his participation in the 2021 APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) Dialogue with Economic Leaders, Duterte stressed the importance of promoting digital literacy to facilitate the inclusion of vulnerable groups in the digital economy, the Office of the President (OP) said in a press statement.

Duterte said such move would help increase the economic productivity of marginalized groups under the “new normal.”

“President Rodrigo Roa Duterte called for greater public-private collaboration in addressing inclusion and sustainability challenges brought by the Covid-19 pandemic and climate change,” the Office of the President (OP) said.

Stressing ABAC’s substantial contribution to the region’s pandemic response efforts, Duterte cited key areas of collaboration with Asia-Pacific businesses.

These include the improvement of digitalization and literacy in rural communities, establishment of a national Social Protection Floor (SPF), and the economies’ transition to a low-carbon economy, Malacañang said.

“To facilitate digital inclusion efforts, the President underscored the need to establish the necessary infrastructure for accessible, stable and affordable energy supply in remote communities,” it said.

Duterte, the OP said, made a stance that establishing a national SPF “could address the gaps in the social protection programs that were exposed during the pandemic.”

“An SPF will guarantee a minimum set of social security benefits for all, including workers in the informal sector and gig economy,” it added.

Scaled-up support

Malacañang said Duterte also renewed his call for a “sustainable, scaled-up and predictable” support from developed countries to help developing economies adapt to and mitigate the adverse consequences of climate change.

“This includes climate finance, technology transfer and development and capacity-building,” it said.

Duterte, as quoted by the OP, said: “In the interest of climate justice, we need these to transition to climate-smart development and adapt to and mitigate the worsening effects of climate change.”

 

Joining the President during the virtual ABAC dialogue were Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua, and Presidential Assistant on Foreign Affairs Robert Borje.

ABAC, the private-sector arm of APEC, is mandated to advise economic leaders and other officials on business-related issues.

Its members are appointed by economic leaders from 21 APEC economies and represent a range of business sectors.

 

George Clooney’s wife spoke

 

Human rights lawyer Amal Clooney also spoke at the CEO summit, saying she believed that liberal democracies could improve global human rights by pressuring autocratic nations. She said businesses also needed to play a role.

 

(Amal Clooney file photo)

 

“If you can’t battle evil, you can at least try to tackle apathy,” Clooney said. “And if you can’t rely on liberal governments to solve global issues, you have to try and inspire the private sector to step in.”

 

In all, APEC members account for nearly three billion people and about 60% of the world’s GDP. But deep tensions run through the unlikely group of twenty-one nations and territories that include the U.S., China, Taiwan, Russia, and Australia.

APEC’s 21 member economies include Australia, Brunei, Canada, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, the United States, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, China, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, Chile, Peru, Russia, and Vietnam.

 

China warns

 

President Xi Jinping warned Thursday against letting tensions in the Asia-Pacific region cause a relapse into a Cold War mentality.

 

His remarks on the sidelines of the annual summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum came weeks after the U.S., Britain and Australia announced a new security alliance in the region which would see Australia build nuclear submarines. China has harshly criticized the deal.  (PNA)

 

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