The Department of State is pleased to announce that as part of the United States' leadership and hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in 2011, the 3rd Senior Officials' and Related Meetings will be held in San Francisco in September 2011. We are grateful for the hospitality and cooperation of the Mayor of San Francisco, the Governor of California, California's Senate and House delegations, and business associations and business leaders from the Bay Area in making this possible. We look forward to close collaboration and shared efforts with all of these groups on both the substantive and logistical aspects of the September 2011 APEC events.
APEC is a 21-member association of economies from the Asia-Pacific region working together to advance regional economic integration and prosperity. APEC meetings held each year range from technical working groups to the annual gathering of APEC Leaders. In San Francisco, we envision an intensive series of meetings including the Senior Officials' Meeting, working group and committee meetings, public-private forums involving senior government and private sector leaders, and a high-level meeting of energy and transportation officials. Issues addressed at these meetings will include those related to APEC's core mission to promote free and open trade and investment and strengthen economic integration in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as making regional economic growth more inclusive and sustainable.
