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Policy Development
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) policy direction is provided by the 21 APEC economic leaders. Strategic recommendations provided by APEC ministers and the APEC Business Advisory Council are considered by APEC economic leaders as part of this process.
The following meetings are conducted each year, which help shape APEC's policy direction.
APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting
APEC Economic Leaders' Meetings are held once a year in the APEC host economy. Declarations from these meetings set the policy agenda for APEC.
APEC Ministerial Meeting
Annual APEC Ministerial Meetings of foreign and economic/trade ministers are held immediately prior to APEC Economic Leaders' Meetings. Ministers consider the year's activities and provide recommendations for APEC economic leaders' consideration.
Sectoral Ministerial Meetings
Sectoral Ministerial Meetings are held regularly covering areas such as education, energy, environment and sustainable development, finance, human resource development, regional science and technology cooperation, small and medium enterprises, telecommunications and information industry, tourism, trade, transportation and women's affairs.
Recommendations from these meetings are also provided to APEC economic leaders for their consideration.
APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC)
ABAC provides APEC economic leaders with a business perspective on APEC issues through an annual meeting and a formal report. The annual report contains recommendations to improve the business and investment environment in the APEC region. ABAC also meets four times per year and a representative attends ministerial meetings.