APEC

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton speaks at APEC Women and the Economy Forum Reception, Friday, June 29, 2012, at the at Catherine Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia.

“If you think about APEC, our membership includes the first, second, and third largest national economies in the world, as well as many others that are growing, despite the economic downturn. Yet for all our diversity, 9 months ago in San Francisco, we joined together around a shared vision and commitment to the kind of growth that we believe will go even further to provide opportunities by taking concrete actions to increase women’s participation in our economies.”

–Hillary Clinton at the Women in the Economy Forum in St. Petersburg

APEC is the premier Asia-Pacific economic forum. Our primary goal is to support sustainable economic growth and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region.

We are united in our drive to build a dynamic and harmonious Asia-Pacific community by championing free and open trade and investment, promoting and accelerating regional economic integration, encouraging economic and technical cooperation, enhancing human security, and facilitating a favorable and sustainable business environment. Our initiatives turn policy goals into concrete results and agreements into tangible benefits. – APEC Mission Statement

Russia is chairing this year’s APEC, and have dedicated themselves to achieving the forum’s objectives, as well as what they see as essential to furthering integration in the Asia-Pacific. They have laid out the following objectives for the APEC 2012 forum:

• Trade and investment liberalization, and regional integration
• Strengthening food security
• Establishing reliable supply chains
• Intensive cooperation to foster innovative growth

To learn more about APEC 2012 and Russia’s leadership in the forum, go www.apec2012.ru