Full text: The 22nd APEC Economic Leaders' Declaration(13)

31. We commit to continue expanding the number of holders of the APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) and to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of ABTC scheme.

32. We undertake to improve cross-border education (CBE) cooperation, in recognition that student, academic and provider mobility helps to strengthen regional ties, facilitate people-to-people exchanges and promote economic development through knowledge and skills transfer. We resolve to achieve one million intra-APEC student exchanges per year by 2020, and to increase the number of student exchanges to developing economies.

33. Tourism is an important part of APEC economic growth strategies, and this is reflected in the many tourism facilitation and promotion initiatives that have been implemented within the APEC region. In this regard, we welcome domestic efforts by several economies to implement measures to ease visa restrictions for tourists as well as initiate programs to facilitate immigration processing.

34. We will make efforts to achieve 800 million APEC tourist arrivals by 2025, and commit to establishing an APEC-wide Code of Conduct for Travel Providers in order to reduce travelers' costs and uncertainties relating to tourism.

35. We will intensify cooperation within APEC in promoting cultural exchanges, by aiming to hold at least one cultural awareness event by each APEC economy in every other APEC economy per year by 2017.

36. We resolve to advance work on cross-border science, technology, and innovation exchanges. We note with appreciation the annual APEC Science Prize for Innovation, Research and Education (ASPIRE) which recognizes young scientists who have demonstrated cooperation with scientists from other APEC member economies, as well as a commitment to excellence in scientific research.

37. On professional and skilled labor mobility, we welcome initiatives to benchmark qualifications in the transport and logistics industry, allowing businesses within the region to have more certainty over the skill sets of workers from other economies. There are various bilateral Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs), and going forward, APEC can undertake work to help expand the number of bilateral and multilateral MRAs in the region. Mutual recognition of skills and credentials can play an important role in facilitating skilled labor mobility. Timely and accurate information on skills gaps and labor market imbalances will also need to be gathered and analyzed to ensure responsive policymaking in this area.

38. We commit to strengthen people-to-people connectivity through human resources development and welcome the APEC Action Plan for Promoting Quality Employment and Strengthening People-to-People Connectivity through Human Resources Development.

Strategies for Implementation: Capacity Building and Private Sector Cooperation

39. Economic and technical cooperation (ECOTECH) is one of the key pillars of APEC, focusing on narrowing the gap between developed and developing APEC economies. To help implement the connectivity agenda, we direct ECOTECH activities at upgrading skills and institutions by providing relevant capacity building activities for APEC economies and adhering to key ECOTECH objectives. In this regard, ECOTECH is an important tool for implementing the Blueprint.

40. The development and implementation of connectivity initiatives will require a significant amount of information on economies' needs, expectations, gaps, and on market direction and imbalances. Information on what infrastructure projects are needed, what gaps exist in institutional frameworks, and where skills imbalances lay in the labor market will be crucial to support economies in achieving connectivity targets.

41. To gather this information, economies should work with the private sector. In this regard, the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) and APEC's policy partnerships and industry dialogues can contribute significantly by providing private sector feedback or insight on market needs, trends and expectations.

42. We urge the private sector, with coordination from ABAC, to provide direct support for many of the more bankable connectivity initiatives being undertaken in the region. In addition to PPP for infrastructure projects, the private sector could help support capacity building programs as well as educational and cultural exchanges. The private sector could also help in proposing and producing connectivity-enhancing innovations in the region.

43. International organizations have taken initiatives and launched projects on physical, institutional and people-to-people connectivity in the Asia-Pacific. These efforts could help advance the implementation of this Blueprint, and where possible and appropriate APEC should look to coordinate and collaborate with these organizations to ensure we avoid duplication of efforts.

Monitoring, Evaluation and Review

44. In order to reach the overarching goal of strengthening physical, institutional, and people-to-people connectivity by taking agreed actions and meeting agreed targets by 2025, with the objective of achieving a seamless and comprehensively connected and integrated Asia Pacific, we instruct Ministers and Senior Officials to oversee the implementation of the Blueprint on a yearly basis, particularly in reviewing the targets and objectives.

45. We direct Ministers and Senior Officials to develop a dedicated arrangement to monitor, review and evaluate the implementation of the Blueprint, and to conduct a mid-term review of the Blueprint in 2020. We further direct Ministers and Senior Officials to work with APEC fora to develop additional ambitious and measurable actions and targets under each of the connectivity pillars. These actions and targets need to be forward-looking and directed towards the vision of APEC Connectivity in 2025.