The annual Standing Committee meeting of PECC took place in Hanoi, Vietnam, on the eve of the 24th PECC General Meeting. The SC representatives reviewed work in progress and considered new project proposals. The three signature projects underway are: 1) State of the Region report; 2) Asia-Pacific Connectivity Index; and 3) APEC Beyond 2020. 

APEC Senior Official for Papua New Guinea, Ambassador Ivan Pomaleu addressed the Standing Committee members of PECC in Hanoi, Vietnam. As the host economy of APEC in 2018, he said the PNG government will focus on the following four priorities: 

1) Connectivity and regional economic integration - including FTAAP, global value chains and unfinished business and emerging issues beyond the Bogor Goals and 2020
2) Sustainable and inclusive growth - including natural disaster resilience, climate change, MSMEs, women empowerment, food security, and the blue economy
3) Structural reforms 
4) Human capital development and capacity building, inclusive education.

[photo: (left to right) Amb. Ivan Pomaleu, APEC SOM Chair for PNG; Dr. Andrew Elek, member of AUSPECC and the first APEC SOM Chair in 1989]