APEC

A marathon coding competition in Bangkok hatches a winning app that could transform the food supply chain—and your relationship with your refrigerator.

The Asia Foundation Monograph Series: commemorating contributions to key development challenges in the Asia-Pacific region Ambassador Haydn Williams, who served as president of The Asia Foundation from 1964-1989, commissioned the creation of a series of monographs to commemorate the Foundation’s contributions to key development challenges in the As… Read more

As Covid has trapped us alone with our screens, an “infodemic” of fake news is undermining the public’s trust in policymakers and institutions. To secure a prosperous recovery in the Asia-Pacific, APEC must find ways to restore that trust.

The Asia Foundation, together with Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and Google hosted the fifth annual APEC App Challenge. Held on the eve of the 2021 APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade meeting, the challenge asked 170 participants from 13 APEC member economies to develop and build new mobile and web tools to help the revival of the touri… Read more

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) economies are expecting severe economic repercussions from Covid-19. According to Women, Covid-19, and the Future of Work a new policy brief prepared by the APEC Policy Support Unit with the support of The Asia Foundation, women will face disproportionate impacts caused by the pandemic. The policy brief… Read more

This month, The Asia Foundation, together with Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and Google hosted the fourth annual APEC App Challenge. This year’s APEC App Challenge is the first to take place entirely online, bringing together 91 software developers and designers from across the 21 APEC member economies to design and build innovative mobi… Read more

In a still-locked-down Asia-Pacific, the world of work is becoming a world of screens. The digital economy can be a lifeline for both workers and small businesses as they struggle with Covid-19 and the future of work, but prosperity for all will require a delicate balancing act.

Covid-19 is an unprecedented public health crisis that has led to staggering losses in economic activity and jobs. The pandemic will accelerate the adoption of automation by firms and organizations across the region, according to a new policy brief prepared by the APEC Policy Support Unit with the support of The Asia Foundation, titled Covid-19, 4I… Read more

The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented public health crisis that has led to staggering losses in economic activity and jobs. Even as the world grapples with containing the virus and stemming the economic hemorrhage, it is becoming clear that the pandemic is contributing to the accelerated deployment of Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) automati… Read more

Stronger cooperation is essential for APEC as economies address inequality, environmental health, and the digital economy—the region’s critical challenges—said APEC Secretariat Executive Director Rebecca Sta Maria during a visit to the United States to bolster collaboration with The Asia Foundation and the tech community. “The biggest challenges of… Read more

APEC economies boast some of the fastest-growing and most technologically innovative markets in the world. But though rich in culture, craftsmanship and entrepreneurial spirit, the informal sectors of APEC economies have yet to fully capture the benefit of technology-driven trade. With support from the APEC Secretariat, Google and The Asia Foundati… Read more

As trade ministers prepared to gather for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) trade meeting in Hanoi last week, a group of the region’s most talented developers were in a nearby room, competing in the first-ever APEC App Challenge. In the final hours of the competition, the room grew more intense as developers bent over their screens, codi… Read more

This year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum in Beijing kicked off Nov. 7-8 with the 26th Ministerial Meeting, which focused on three priority areas: advancing regional economic integration, promoting economic growth, and strengthening connectivity and infrastructure development. In its joint ministerial statement, the group endorsed the “APEC Strategic Blueprint for Promoting Global Value Chain Development and Cooperation” as a mechanism to strengthen mutual economic cooperation within the global value chain network.

Wednesday marked the first day of the week-long Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum, hosted this year in Beijing. This year’s summit, themed “Shaping the Future through Asia-Pacific Partnership,” brings together ministerial leaders, CEOs of global corporations, and other leading voices in the private and public sectors to discuss the challenges facing Asian-Pacific economies. The week will culminate with the 22nd APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting on November 10-11. Heads of states from all 21 member economies, including U.S. President Obama, Chinese President Xi Jinping…

A report from Oxfam released in late January put down on paper what many already feared was true: almost almost half of the world’s wealth is now owned by just one percent of the population. This is also the case in Asia, where income and wealth disparity is growing rapidly.

Last week, Asia Foundation President David Arnold joined over 1,200 CEOs and 10 heads of member economies at the annual APEC CEO Summit in Indonesia to discuss inclusive and sustainable development, with a special focus on the importance of women in Asia’s growth trajectory.

Asia-Pacific leaders gather in Brunei this week for the 8th East Asia Summit (EAS) and the 23rd ASEAN Summit, on the heels of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Bali on Monday. While a number of critical issues were set to be discussed, President Obama’s last minute cancellation…

This week, Asia Foundation President David Arnold joined over 1,200 CEOs and 10 heads of member economies in Bali at the APEC CEO Summit, which focused on inclusive and sustainable development and women as powerful change agents in Asia’s growth trajectory. Mr. Arnold presented the Foundation’s research on women’s entrepreneurship in four APEC econ… Read more

At a time when analysts are monitoring Asia’s economic performance as it emerges from the global financial crisis, a new study from The Asia Foundation looks at a particular limitation in many Asian economies, namely those factors that limit women-run businesses’ ability to achieve their full growth potential.

In early September, at the annual meetings of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Bali, Indonesia, The Asia Foundation will release a study examining how a variety of social, political, and economic factors influence women’s capacity to engage in small and medium enterprise (SME) in Indonesia.

Women make up more than half of the population in Asia, and the UN estimates that the Asia-Pacific economy would earn an additional $89 billion annually if women were able to achieve their full economic potential in these countries. To examine this disparity, The Asia Foundation, in partnership with the U.S. Department of State…

On September 8-9, the heads of 21 Asia-Pacific economies will gather in Vladivostok, Russia, for the 2012 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting to adopt a final declaration outlining prospects for the development of the region. Among the topics that will be integrated into the discussion is how women can more fully participate in APEC economies to foster innovative growth. Earlier this year, APEC held the second Women and the Economy Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia, and released a follow-up statement urging government officials and business leaders to “recognize the crucial role that women play in innovative economic development…

Asia Foundation Women’s Empowerment Program Director Carol Yost joins Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s delegation for the 2012 APEC Women and the Economy Summit in St. Petersburg, Russia next week. The Summit is one of the premier platforms for the public and private sector to work together to advance women’s economic participation. On July 20,… Read more

At the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum taking place in San Francisco this week, the powerful role women entrepreneurs play across the globe in driving economic growth and job creation is high on the agenda. Recognizing this growing role, particularly for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), I joined leading economists, experts, government officials, and women entrepreneurs from around the world today for a dedicated all-day discussion on specific constraints women face when starting or developing a business.

This week Barack Obama will make his first trip to Asia as President of the United States. In addition to paying state visits to China, Japan, and South Korea, President Obama will meet with 20 national leaders in Singapore to attend the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum. Although member countries vary in economic clout individually, A… Read more