New APEC Secretariat Executive Director - Expects Korea 2005 Focus on Concluding WTO Negotiations and APEC Mid-term Stocktake

Ambassador Choi Seok Young from the Republic of Korea has been appointed as the 13th Executive Director of the APEC Secretariat. Ambassador Choi took over the position on the first of January from outgoing Executive Director Ambassador Mario Artaza form Chile to coincide with the transition of APEC Host Economies from Chile to Korea in 2005. (News Photographs of Ambassador Choi Seok Young available here)

Ambassador Choi said the tragedy of the tsunami on December 26 has meant the year is starting on a somber note.

"APEC begins 2005 with a sense of regional sadness as we come to terms with the lives lost and the extent of the destruction caused by the recent tsunami," Ambassador Choi said from the APEC Secretariat in Singapore.

"Three APEC Member Economies were in the direct path of the tsunami and citizens of several economies were killed or injured."

"As we mourned the devastation of the tsunami we are also grateful to see the response of Member Economies in mobilizing support and assistance to help those in need."

Ambassador Choi said he expects APEC 2005 to be an important year for the region with APEC poised to provide substantial input to concluding the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) round of WTO negotiations. The new Executive Director also expects 2005 to be an important year for charting the future direction of the APEC process with the Mid-term Stocktake taking place along with increased focus on trade related issues such as anti-corruption.

"We expect APEC 2005 to a year of advancing freer trade in the APEC region," Ambassador Choi said.

"APEC in Korea will seek to identify ways for greater APEC contribution to WTO DDA negotiations in the lead up to the 6th Ministerial Conference in Hong Kong in December

"With the extension of the DDA negotiation deadline WTO and APEC Members are entering significant phase for this process to be successfully concluded.

"The APEC Summit Week in Busan, in November will provide Leaders from Economies representing half of the world's trade with the final opportunity to provide joint political input to the Hong Kong WTO Ministerial Conference."

"Before the Summit Week APEC Trade Ministers will also meet on Jeju Island in June for in-depth discussion on the way how APEC would contribute to the DDA progress.

"Korea will also coordinate the APEC Geneva Caucus comprising Ambassadors of APEC economies posted in Geneva to discuss details of collective APEC input."

In 2005 APEC will undertake its first stocktake of overall progress towards APEC's free trade and investment goals and then map a future course of action.

"The APEC Mid-term Stocktake has been in planning for several years and now Korea will have the honour of guiding this process over the coming year," Ambassador Choi said.

"The stocktake will include evaluations by Member Economies together with input from ongoing independent reviews of the actions undertaken by economies to reach their APEC goals.

"The Mid-term Stocktake will also receive significant review input from fora as well as stakeholders such as the APEC Business Advisory Council, the APEC Study Center Consortium and the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council."

Ambassador Choi said efforts to deal with corruption and enhance good governance in the region will also be an important focus for the 2005 APEC Year hosted by Korea.

"Corruption in both the government and private sectors is one of the most serious threats to good governance and economic development in the APEC region," Ambassador Choi said.

"At their 2004 meeting in Santiago APEC Leaders endorsed the Santiago Commitment to Fight Corruption and Ensure Transparency.

"As part of this, Leaders agreed on a new APEC strategy to strengthen regional efforts to overcome corruption.

"The strategy includes the establishment of the APEC Anticorruption and Transparency Capacity-building Program that will enable Member Economies to develop policy and legislation to fight corruption.

"In March APEC Senior Officials will finalize the terms of reference for a new APEC Anti-Corruption Experts' Task Force. The Task Force is expected to guide the implementation of APEC's governance and anti-Corruption commitments around the region.

"Korea will also host a high level APEC anti-corruption symposium in Gyeongju, Korea, in September as part of efforts to combat corruption in the Asia-Pacific."

APEC Leaders and Ministerial Meeting Dates