The results of the Final Assessment indicate that the initiatives and actions of the Business Mobility Group (BMG) have been very successful in reducing transaction costs related to cross-border business travel in the APEC region over the TFAP II period of 2007 through 2010....

The purpose of this project is to contribute to ongoing efforts tailored toward promoting greater financial markets stability and integration in APEC economies, achieved by: 1) undertaking research to determine the conditions that foster financial market stability to enhance integration of financial markets across the region; and 2) drawing on the findings of the research to generate policy recommendations that are intended to address the impediments to financial markets stability and integration....

APEC economies engage in Economic and Technical Cooperation (ECOTECH) to attain sustainable growth and equitable development in the Asia-Pacific region, to reduce economic disparities among members, and to improve overall economic and social well-being. ...

The SCE met all of its commitments outlined in its annual work-plan. Its key achievements include the creation of three new groups: the Policy Partnership on Women and the Economy, the Ocean and Fisheries Working Group, and the APEC Experts’ Group on Illegal Logging and Associated Trade. A new Policy Partnership on Food Security was also created by APEC Senior Officials in 2011....

This report presents the estimates of trade transaction costs in APEC for each year from 2006 to 2010. The estimates are to form part of the Final Assessment of TFAP II and are to be based on the methodology and approach that was developed for the Interim Assessment of that Plan....

1. Introduction -- 2. Economic Context For The Estimation Of Trade Transaction Costs -- 3. Estimates Of Trade Transaction Costs -- 4. Sensitivity Tests Of Critical Assumptions -- 5. Conclusions & Recommendations --...

This report presents the estimates of trade transaction costs in APEC for each year from 2006 to 2010. The estimates are to form part of the Final Assessment of TFAP II and are to be based on the methodology and approach that was developed for the Interim Assessment of that Plan....

1. Introduction -- 2. Economic Context For The Estimation Of Trade Transaction Costs -- 3. Estimates Of Trade Transaction Costs -- 4. Sensitivity Tests Of Critical Assumptions -- 5. Conclusions & Recommendations --...

The aim of the study is to assess the contribution of the actions and measures of APEC‘s Electronic Commerce Steering Group (ECSG) towards reducing trade transaction costs in the region through a case study of an Electronic Certificate of Origin (e-CO) project. The study assesses the results of the e-CO Pathfinder Project between Chinese Taipei and Korea in reducing trade transaction costs since implementation began in June 2010. These results are then extrapolated on the assumption that e-CO is adopted in other APEC economies, using several different assumptions and scenarios....

APEC Leaders in 2009 endorsed an APEC-wide improvement of 25 percent by 2015 in five key areas of doing business: 1) Starting a Business; 2) Getting Credit; 3) Enforcing Contracts; 4) Trading Across Borders; and 5) Dealing with Permits, with an interim 5 percent improvement by 2011. A quantitative assessment based on the World Bank’s Doing Business indicators from 2009-2010, the latest data available, shows APEC is making good progress toward the 5 percent interim improvement target by the end of 2011. In the absence of 2011 data in September and early October 2011 when this report was completed, this interim assessment uses a pro rata benchmark of 2.5 percent to evaluate APEC’s progress. APEC’s combined improvement across the five priority areas between 2009 and 2010 is equivalent to 2.8 percent, exceeding the pro rata benchmark. APEC demonstrated the third best improvement among nine key regional and economic blocks. ...

This report is a collaborative effort between the APEC Economic Committee and the APEC Policy Support Unit.