Officials’ Meetings

By fostering cooperation, delegates are taking a crucial step toward promoting economic prosperity, advancing innovation, and enabling sustainable and inclusive economic growth, making sure that all members of society can fully participate in the economy around the Asia-Pacific region.

Various stakeholders, including the private sector, played an important role in these meetings. U.S. officials participated in policy partnership discussions and met with a range of representatives from area businesses, indigenous-owned businesses, and the local government and community to collaborate on advancing an innovative and practical economic agenda that benefits workers, businesses, underserved communities, women, and families in the United States and across the region. 

Under the leadership of U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, the APEC Transportation Ministerial Meeting, the first minister-level meeting of the U.S. APEC host year, took place from May 15-17. Likewise, United States Trade Representative Ambassador Katherine Tai chaired the Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting on May 25-26, marking the halfway point of the U.S. APEC host year.  

Building upon the success of the previous cluster held in Palm Springs, California, the APEC SOM2 cluster in Detroit offered a robust program of activities. The agenda included numerous workshops, dialogues, field visits, and meetings, covering a wide range of topics. Private sector participation also played a pivotal role in Detroit in business forums, roundtable discussions, and stakeholder-led initiatives to identify opportunities to leverage private sector expertise in advancing the region’s economic agenda.  

The outcomes of the SOM 2 meetings will serve as valuable inputs for the upcoming Third Officials Meeting in Seattle in August to further advance cooperation and collaboration within the APEC region.

From July 29 to August 21, more than 2,000 delegates of the 21 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) member economies — accounting for nearly 40 percent of the global population, close to three billion people, and around 50 percent of global trade – will convene in Seattle, Washington, for the Third APEC Senior Officials’ and Ministerial Meetings (SOM 3) prior to the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week (AELW) in November. 

Through SOM 3 we will advance a broad array of economic priorities within the Asia-Pacific region and bring together cabinet-level ministers to chair six ministerial meetings. We will also host the first-ever APEC Digital Month, convening public and private sector officials for technical meetings, roundtables, and workshops focused on achieving an interconnected, inclusive, and innovative Digital Pacific.  

August 2 – Senior Disaster Management Officials Forum, Chaired by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Deanne Criswell

Through the Senior Disaster Management Officials Forum APEC will advance discussions and planning on climate resilience, risk reduction, and equity in emergency management to better prepare for coming disasters. 

August 3 – Food Security Ministerial Meeting, Chaired by U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack

The Food Security Ministers Meeting will cover topics such as sustainability innovation, science-based policies, and the role of agriculture in addressing the global climate crisis. 

August 6 – High-Level Meeting on Health & Economy, Chaired by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra

The High-Level Meeting on Health and the Economy will focus on gender equity, pandemic preparedness, and the intersection of health and the economy. 

August 15 – Energy Ministerial Meeting, Chaired by U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm

The Energy Ministers Meeting, the first since 2015, will endorse updated APEC energy targets and launch the ‘Just Energy Transition’ initiative, promoting sustainability, equity, and inclusivity in energy transitions.  

August 18 – Women and the Economy Forum (WEF), Chaired by Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Gender Policy Council Jen Klein

The High-Level Policy Dialogue on Women in the Economy Forum (WEF) will explore themes such as the gender-climate nexus, equity in global value chains, digital inclusion, and the care economy, promoting women’s economic empowerment and participation throughout. 

August 21 – Small & Medium Enterprises Ministerial Meeting, Chaired by U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Marisa Lago

The Joint Session for the WEF and SME Ministerial will focus on expanding the integration of women-owned businesses into global value chains, promoting women’s entrepreneurship through e-commerce, and strengthening MSMEs’ green transitions. 

APEC Digital Month will convene public and private sector experts for technical meetings, workshops, roundtables, and public-private dialogues on a range of digital topics.  These events will be sponsored by the United States and other APEC economies.  It will also feature events hosted by other stakeholders, including the private sector, and include digital discussions at some APEC ministerial meetings. More information here.