Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 30) — Business delegates from different Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) economies concluded their three-day talks in Cebu on Sunday, with various recommendations to be pushed at the California summit in November.
Among the recommendations members of the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABEC) have agreed on during closed-door meetings are cybersecurity for small businesses and more jobs for women.
ABAC members agreed on the need to help indigenous and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) be sustainable in the midst of a climate crisis, and avoid being left behind by global trade agreements.
The council also developed a cybersecurity toolkit to help digitalize MSMEs.
Meanwhile, ABAC wants more job opportunities for women, noting that the policies of different countries on this issue are “fragmented” and needed to be changed or made interoperable.
“What APEC leaders take is just as good as we give them. At the end of the day, I see that our recommendations are practical and direct,” Aboitiz Equity Ventures President and CEO Sabin Aboitiz said.
The advisory body’s recommendations will be presented at the APEC Summit to be held in California in the United States in November and attended by business leaders and heads of state.
“I have big faith that APEC leaders will take our recommendations,” Aboitiz said.
CNN Philippines’ senior correspondent Lois Calderon contributed to this story.
