Saturday, November 12, 2011

APEC High Level Policy Dialogue on Disaster Resiliency 2011



This is what the APEC 2011 High Level Policy agreed to in bullet form for public private partnership:


1.     Adopt a “Whole of Society” approach to developing and strengthening public-private partnerships that support business and community resilience to disasters. This includes involving all levels of government, non-government, and the private sector;

2.     Through public-private partnership programs, encourage a greater role for women in supporting disaster resilient businesses and communities;

3.     Strengthen public-private partnerships by sharing information, drawing on best practices, and learning from experiences;

4.     Leverage existing programs and resources, and strengthen partnerships that develop during disasters to sustain long-term public-private collaboration and avoid duplication of effort;

5.     Establish partnerships based on shared responsibilities and resources, with mutually agreed upon roles and tasks;

6.     Cultivate public private partnerships that are open to flexible and innovative ways of working together to build business and community resilience to disasters.

" Whole of Society " approach is very interesting for Thailand, and " Promote and facilitate the use of Business Continuity Plans (BCPs), especially for SMEs," in wake of the recent flooding and clean up in Bangkok. The memories of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan on March the 11 are still fresh in the minds of the victims also the "Hyogo Framework for Action" help prepare Thailand for the next disaster. Hopefully, together with Asian Disaster Preparedness Center and Dr. Krasae Chanawongse Chairman ADPC Board of Trustees ( who taught me), we will be better prepared. Website is http://www.adpc.net for more information and to help.


United Way of Oconee
United Way of Oconee County 2010
United Way

14 comments:

  1. The next century quote " As you know, President Obama will be arriving back home shortly, and we will then embark on an extensive engagement with our partners in the Asia Pacific. I gave a speech about this yesterday at the East-West Center. We obviously believe that the world’s strategic and economic center of gravity will be the Asia Pacific for the 21st century, and it will be up to American statecraft over the next decade to lock in a substantially increased investment – diplomatic, economic, strategic, and otherwise."

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  2. Another quote: "U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Ron Kirk and I have welcomed foreign and trade and economic ministers from across the region. Today, I chaired two high-level policy dialogues on critical issues, disaster resilience and open governance, as well as holding bilateral meetings with senior officials from several countries, including China, Japan, Australia, Indonesia, and Vietnam. We discussed a full range of issues from our economic partnerships to our security challenges to our shared humanitarian concerns. In particular, I expressed solidarity with our ally and friend, Thailand, as it contends with the worst flooding in the nation’s history."

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  3. East Asian Summit "Here at APEC, as hosts of the 2011 Leaders’ Meeting, we will continue to drive a positive rules-based economic agenda for the region. And then when the President and I travel to Indonesia to participate in the East Asia Summit, we will continue with these efforts to advance a comprehensive regional agenda to promote security, economic growth, and universal values."

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  4. Good Governance and Transparent-ency: " Transparency and open governance are a critical element of long-term economic competitiveness, leading to sustainable economic growth and prosperity. We welcome the efforts of APEC members so far to enhance public trust by combating corruption and by committing to transparent, fair, and accountable governance. APEC should continue to actively address good governance issues as a key priority. Good governance will in turn spur high-quality economic growth by fostering and sustaining the entrepreneurial spirit that nurtures innovation, enhances competitiveness, reduces market distortions and promotes trade and long-term investment."

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  5. Malaysia: "Malaysian Prime Minister Dato' Sri Najib Razak is hosting an on-the-record roundtable discussion and Q&A for economics and business correspondents attending the APEC Leaders’ Meeting in Honolulu."

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  6. This is the Strategy: "We’ve made tangible progress in three areas. First, integrating markets and expanding trade. We have focused on what we call next-generation issues – for example, by working to help owners of small and medium-sized businesses reach new customers beyond their borders.

    Second, promoting green growth. We have advanced a trade initiative for environmental goods and services which will help spur industries investing in green growth. We’ve worked to reduce inefficient fossil fuel subsidies, which will help protect the environment by reducing the wasteful consumption of fossil fuels. And we are renewing our commitment to reduce our energy intensity by at least 45 percent by 2035.

    Third, deepening our regulatory cooperation and convergence. In recent years, we have seen how improvements in this area can unleash billions of dollars in commercial activities. For example, when a majority of APEC countries adopted a uniform safety standard for televisions in 2005, exports for the region increased by 45 percent over the subsequent three years."

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  7. Even though Thailand cannot make it "she will also go to Thailand to represent the United States. Thailand was, unfortunately, unable to – the prime minister – to come to APEC because of the tragic floods, and Secretary Clinton will be arriving in Bangkok next week with specific areas where the United States is going to provide urgent assistance amidst the worst flooding in the history of Thailand."

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  8. The joint summary"At the end of their annual meeting, chaired this year by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk, APEC Ministers released a joint statement outlining specific initiatives to advance the three priority areas."

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  9. Stand Alone Statement:"Trade Ministers also discussed the Doha Development Agenda and released a standalone statement emphasizing “our collective deep concern regarding the impasse that now clearly confronts” the agenda and the reality that a conclusion of all elements is unlikely in the near future."

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  10. Opportunity..."As business leaders from across the Asia Pacific region, you know firsthand that when women enjoy greater access to jobs and opportunities, there is a ripple effect across entire economies. Businesses have more consumers, families spend and save more, farmers produce more food, education improves, and so does political stability. A new report from the World Bank confirms that this is simply smart economics. If women participate more fully in the economy, the bank found, productivity is likely to rise, development outcomes for the next generation will improve, and institutions will be more representative. "

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  11. Finance and Retail:"Now, Goldman Sachs has estimated that reducing barriers to women’s participation in the economy would increase GDP in the United States by 9 percent, in the Eurozone by 13 percent, and in Japan by 16 percent. By the year 2020, it could lead to a 14 percent rise in per capita incomes in APEC economies such as China, Russia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Korea. And that is why the United States is putting these issues at the top of our diplomatic and economic agenda. It’s not only, in our view, the right thing to do; it is clearly the smart thing as well.

    Now, many businesses are already getting this, and I want to applaud all of you who are. For example, Walmart has committed to doubling the amount of goods it buys from women-owned businesses around the world by 2016, and to invest $100 million to help women develop their job skills, including women who work on the farms and in the factories overseas that are Walmart suppliers."

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  12. APEC: "APEC CONFERENCE
    REMARKS BY SECRETARY GEITHNER"

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  13. Disaster Relief good news for Thailand here is a quote "USAID Partners with U.S. Chamber to Reduce Disaster Risk

    HONOLULU, HAWAII - The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced today a new partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Business Civic Leadership Center to establish a Pacific Rim Coordinating Center (PRCC) (http://data.pacificrimnetwork.org). The PRCC will allow for real-time sharing of information and best practices to help communities and governments better prepare for and respond to disasters.

    "Large-scale disasters across the Pacific Rim have caused more than US$500 billion in economic damage over the past decade. It is important to not only provide assistance as we are doing in the aftermath of the floods in Southeast Asia, but also help build the preparedness and resiliency of local communities," said Nancy E. Lindborg, Assistant Administrator for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance at USAID. "This partnership with the U.S. Chamber is one more way that USAID is working to better prepare communities for future disasters."

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  14. In conclusion quote " I’m very much encouraged by the fact that America is increasing its presence in the Asia-Pacific region, and I do believe that Japan and the United States must work closely together to establish economic goals and also establish security order in this region. And I hope that in this meeting today I can discuss with you these issues.

    PRESIDENT OBAMA: Thank you, everybody."

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