Public engage with international experts on why APEC matters

Australian High Commission

Papua New Guineans joined local and international APEC experts on Thursday for a dialogue on the importance of hosting the region’s premier economic forum.

The event – themed ‘Why APEC matters for PNG?’ – was part of the APEC Discussion Series at the Precinct and included a keynote address from Carlos Kuriyama, senior analyst at the APEC Secretariat in Singapore.

Keynote speaker Carlos Kuriyama, senior analyst, APEC Secretariat (Singapore), speaking at the second event of the APEC Discussion Series at the Precinct.

Kuriyama spoke on the benefits APEC brought to his home country Peru, where he was previously a government official at the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism and served as chief negotiator of the Peru-China FTA negotiation.

The event also included a panel discussion that featured Ken Waller, executive director of the APEC Business Advisory Council, and Lady Aivu Tauvasa, deputy chair of Nambawan Super, who took questions from the audience.

The APEC Discussion Series at the Precinct was launched in May and gives Papua New Guineans unprecedented access to visiting international experts and the APEC discussions taking place throughout 2018.

Thursday’s discussion was the second in the series, which is held at the University of Papua New Guinea, and the events will continue each month until November.

The series is hosted by the PNG APEC Secretariat and the Pacific Leadership and Governance Precinct, supported by the PNG – Australia Partnership, and explores APEC themes and policy issues relevant to Papua New Guinea and the Pacific.

As the 2018 APEC host, Papua New Guinea will hold approximately 200 meetings with up to 15,000 delegates, including global business and government leaders, policy and technical experts and academics.

The Pacific Leadership and Governance Precinct is a partnership between Papua New Guinea and Australia to support the development of ethical and capable leaders.