1999 APEC Human Resource Development Ministerial Meeting

1. We, the Ministers responsible for human resources development from APEC member economies, met in Washington, D.C. on July 28 and 29, 1999 for the third APEC Ministerial Meeting on Human Resources Development (HRD). We welcomed the inaugural participation of HRD Ministers from Peru, Russia, and Viet Nam. Our meeting was convened with the goal of encouraging regional cooperation and strengthening our capacity to mitigate the effects of future economic volatility on workers and their families. We must build on the lessons already learned in combating unemployment and poverty resulting from the financial crisis to create a foundation for sustainable economic growth.

2. Following the APEC Economic Leaders recommendation at their meeting in Kuala Lumpur in November 1998, we intensified our efforts to address the human resources and social impacts of the financial crisis. There are signs of gradual recovery in some crisis-affected economies; however, economic hardships continue. Our discussions were directed toward both short-term responses to the financial crisis and long-term strategies that will support stable economic growth and contribute to broadly shared prosperity.

Acknowledging APEC Activities [anchor]

3. We commend the Human Resources Development Working Group (HRDWG) for the extensive work program that was initiated in response to the priorities highlighted at the second HRD Ministerial. We welcome the excellent work of the Task Force on the Human Resource and Social Impacts of the Asian Financial Crisis, which emphasized the importance of shared technical expertise in developing coherent regional strategies. The Task Force demonstrated the capacity of member economies to work together with different sectors of society. We urge the HRDWG to pursue the recommendations of the Task Force. We also recognize the valuable contribution of the resulting initiative on Innovative Practices in Labor Market Adjustment Policies and Programs in APEC Member Economies.

4. We noted the important role of the Malaysian Seminar on Best Practices for Public-Business Sector Partnerships in Skills Development in promoting successful public-private partnerships. We expressed our support for the First APEC Youth Skill Camp, being hosted by Korea in September 2000. We noted the establishment of the Asian Recovery Information Center, which will collate, catalogue and disseminate information and analysis on safety net issues. We noted the Best Practices Workshop on School-to-Work Transitions for Youth at Greatest Risk of Unemployment, which was held in Canada in June 1999. We noted the various activities underway in other APEC fora and in other regional and international organizations that will contribute to the development of a cooperative growth strategy in the region.

5. We welcome the recommendations of the Ministerial Meeting on Women in October 1998, and we reinforce the importance of the Framework for the Integration of Women in APEC. We agree that women in APEC are an enormous untapped potential for improving economic and social well-being and recognize the unique contribution of indigenous women in APEC. We welcome the recommendations of the Women Leaders Network Meeting held in Wellington in June 1999. Recognizing the differential impact of economic and social policies on men and women, different groups and cultures, we agree that particular attention needs to be paid to women's training and upgrading of skills, access to information, science and technology; discriminatory work practices and conditions of employment; developing partnerships between the non-government sector and economies; and women's full participation in APEC.

6. We welcome the emphasis on human resources development in the recommendations of APEC SME Ministers to promote effective education-business linkages to support knowledge- based linkages; develop the capabilities of the current pool of managers; develop further SME managers; facilitate the transfer of skills between economies; and develop skills for entrepreneurs and consumers to enhance consumer protection and confidence. We endorse their call to intensify work in the HRDWG on issues of relevance to SMEs, particularly the development of processes for the mutual recognition of professional skills across the region.

Recognizing Human Resources Development Issues as Central to the Economic Agenda [anchor]

7. Comprehensive strategies to address the conditions associated with the financial crisis require economies to effectively integrate human resources development with policies aimed at achieving sustainable economic growth. We recognize that effective labor and employment policies can expand trade and investment flows and result in economic growth that benefits the workforce. In order to maintain open and productive economies and to underpin support for trade and investment liberalization, we must ensure that the benefits of economic progress and globalization are widely distributed. This calls for building a strong foundation for human resources development in the 21st century that prepares individuals and businesses to take advantage of the opportunities created by economic growth and mitigate the impacts of economic uncertainty. This foundation must be rooted in quality education and training systems, effective and inclusive labor market policies, employment-oriented social safety nets, and innovative workplace practices.

8. We support the emphasis on strengthening the functioning of markets, identified by New Zealand as a key theme for APEC in 1999. To this end, we emphasize the importance of efficient, effective, and inclusive labor market systems. We recognize that the formulation of policies on labor, employment, training, social safety nets and workplace practices are the responsibilities of individual economies. At the same time, we recognize that lasting improvements in these areas require sustainable economic growth, which may be enhanced by regional cooperation in the increasingly integrated global economy. We are committed to learning from each other and exchanging experiences as well as working together to bring about sustained economic growth in the region.

Implementing Effective, Efficient and Inclusive Labor Market Systems and Social Safety Nets [anchor]

9. Efforts to ameliorate the impacts of the crisis should include not only short-term steps to address current conditions, but also long-term strategies to advance labor market efficiency and effectiveness to support economic growth and widely-shared prosperity. It will be important over the next century to develop an adaptable workforce with the capacity for continuous learning. Active contributions from all stakeholders are required to implement various strategies and to mobilize available resources for this task. Our attention should focus on improving labor market information; on strengthening the role of the private sector and fully utilizing international organizations? expertise; on establishing effective delivery and monitoring systems; and on improving education and training and social safety net systems, as appropriate. Program and policy development should place emphasis on the needs of small and medium enterprises and should recognize the important contributions of the informal sector to the economy. We attach great importance to ensuring that women have full access to information, and to learning and employment opportunities.

10. We recognize the importance of having effective safety nets in place before a crisis develops and urge the design of effective and inclusive labor market systems and social safety nets, as well as gender sensitive mechanisms to assess the performance of such programs. Attention must be directed to addressing the needs of the most vulnerable populations, including women and youth, the elderly, the disabled, migrant workers and indigenous people and recognizing the particular cultural, economic, and institutional situations in different economies. Care must be taken to balance the equity component of social safety nets with the need for labor market efficiency, adaptability, and individual empowerment. In addition, we recognize as a priority the dignity of work, and the need to avoid dependency.

11. Strengthening the capacity of economies and relevant domestic agencies to respond to the consequences of economic downturns on workers and their families is paramount to promoting more sustainable economic development. We therefore see the desirability of economies working closely with international organizations to establish labor market frameworks and strong safety nets to enhance growth, employment and social cohesion. In this regard, we note the increasing cooperation between the international financial institutions and the International Labor Organization. We urge APEC to make use of their technical expertise and information resources. Our relations with these organizations will be consultative and collaborative, with a goal of complementing, rather than duplicating, work that is already underway.

12. APEC Leaders at their Kuala Lumpur meeting recognized the contribution of the business/private sector in enhancing APEC's activities. We encourage more productive partnerships among governments, business, labor, educators and training providers, and community groups in addressing human resources development issues. We call for deepening the discussion between these groups and the HRD Working Group as a component of the labor market policy and social safety net framework in accordance with APEC guidelines on non-member participation. The Working Group is encouraged to promote dialogue with private sector stakeholders to receive their input. We took note of Thailand's initiative to explore the possibility of establishing an APEC social infrastructure facility in cooperation with the World Bank to provide the necessary resources for addressing immediate social safety net problems and strengthening social safety nets in APEC member economies.

Developing the Workplace of the 21st Century [anchor]

13. We further welcome the increased recognition of the need for a more integrated and supportive approach between the international organizations on issues that impact on workplace performance and long-term economic growth. This joint work should be premised upon further assistance being provided to governments, workers, and employers. We also agree that the Human Resources Development Working Group should be a forum to promote educational opportunities for youth in the region and should explore these and other ways of eliminating the worst forms of child labor. We direct the Working Group to give priority to this issue and to implement an activity in support of this work. We commend the work of APEC Education Ministers in promoting educational opportunities for youth in the region.

14. Globalization and rapid technological advances are changing significantly the ways that enterprises are managed and work is performed. The financial crisis has demonstrated the desirability to enhance the adaptability of organizations, workers, and employers to respond to rapidly changing environments. Innovative workplace practices enhance productivity and enable workers, employers, and economies to reap the benefits of rapid technological change and global integration. Involvement of workers and employers with the government in these efforts is critical to making them a reality. We agree that promoting an awareness of the economic benefits of improved workplace practices and new forms of work organization is vital to building the workplace of the 21st century. We welcome the recent Victoria, Canada colloquium that highlighted best practices in labor-management-government collaboration on human resources development matters and direct the working group to develop follow-on activities to continue work in this area. We note the valuable contributions of the recent Japan-hosted Forum on HRD-Vocational Training Policies Towards the 21st Century. We urge participation in the Conference on Workplace Safety and Health, being hosted by Thailand in November 1999 and direct the Working Group to build on the results of the conference to continue an examination of safety and health practices in the workplace.

Follow-Up

15. We remain concerned about the lingering effects of the financial crisis on workers and their families and the human resources development challenges of the new millennium. As a result of our deliberations, we urge the strengthening of institutional capacities to develop and implement effective strategies and practices that will address the impacts of the crisis and will provide a foundation for human resources development in the 21st century. To guide our work in this era of globalization, we endorse the following objectives:

16. We recognize the important role of the Human Resources Development Working Group in advancing these principles and in contributing to the improved institutional capacities of our ministries through information sharing and economic and technical cooperation. In this regard, we agree on a course of action, consistent with the HRDWG medium-term strategic priorities and complementing the HRDWG work program. We direct the Human Resources Development Working Group to implement fully the Plan of Action attached to and made a part of this text. We task the Working Group with reporting back to us, by our next meeting, on the results of implementing the Plan of Action.

17. We agree to report on the outcomes of this Third HRD Ministers Meeting and the HRD Working Group Plan of Action to the APEC Joint Ministerial Meeting and Economic Leaders Meeting in September 1999 in Auckland, New Zealand.

Closing

18. We express our appreciation to the United States for hosting this meeting. We agree to hold our next meeting in 2001 and ask the HRDWG to proceed to implement our commitment. We welcome the Second APEC Education Ministerial that will be hosted by Singapore in April 2000.