APEC: Strengthening our Community, Building a Sustainable Future

This professional learning program has been developed for use by those facilitating activities to assist teachers use the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) student resource APEC: Strengthening Our Community, Building a Sustainable Future. APEC was established in 1989 when the Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministers from the original 12 members met in Canberra. Since then, APEC has become the most significant regional organisation promoting economic growth and cooperation. Each year a member economy hosts the APEC forum and in 2007 it will be hosted by the Australia. In fact, the forum will involve more than 100 days of ministerial, officials and business group meetings culminating with a two-day meeting of APEC Economic Leaders in Sydney in September.

The Asia Education Foundation (AEF) and Curriculum Corporation (CC), on behalf of the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), managed development of the student resource and professional learning program.

AEF

The AEF is a foundation of the Asialink Centre at the University of Melbourne and Curriculum Corporation. The AEF leads, promotes and supports studies of Asia and Australian in Australian primary and secondary schools. More information about AEF, including contacts in each state and territory, is available at www.asiaeducation.edu.au.

Curriculum Corporation

As Australia's key school curriculum organisation, Curriculum Corporation is a major provider and publisher of high quality print and digital curriculum products. More information about the Corporation is available at: www.curriculum.edu.au.

APEC's Significance

APEC's significance is seen in key data and in its purpose. It has 21 member economies with a combined population of 2.6 billion (more than 40 percent of the world's population). National population totals range from 400,000 for Brunei Darussalam to 1,300,000,000 for China. APEC economies account for 48 per cent of world trade and 58 percent of the world's value of goods and services (Gross Domestic Product). APEC's goal is to promote and strengthen economic growth in the Asia- Pacific region and to promote a sense of regional community.

APEC's Purpose and Vision

The following extract, taken from the Declaration of the 14^th APEC Leaders' Meeting, Ha Noi, 2006, provides a useful snapshot of APEC's purpose and vision:

'We, Economic Leaders of Member Economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), gathered in Ha Noi, Viet Nam on 18-19 November 2006 for the 14th APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting under the APEC 2006 theme of 'Towards a Dynamic Community for Sustainable Development and Prosperity'.'

'With a strong commitment to achieving the vision of stability, security and prosperity for the Asia-Pacific region, we agreed to make every effort for realizing APEC's goals of free and open trade and investment. We dedicated ourselves to preventing threats to sustainable development, to building a secure and favorable business environment and to enhancing human security. We pledged to continue our work towards a dynamic and harmonious Asia-Pacific community by building strong societies for the well-being of our peoples.'

APEC Australia 2007

While APEC has its own significance, the APEC Australia 2007™ year is described in material on its website www.apec2007.org as 'the most significant series of international meetings ever hosted by Australia, and offers many opportunities to strengthen our ties with our Asia-Pacific neighbours'. Further, the website notes the APEC Australia 2007™ year will 'bring together the leaders of all major regional economies, thousands of delegates, support personnel and the international media, and is one of the most important annual meetings of world leaders'. Meetings, which will be conducted from January through to September, will be hosted in all states and territories.

The APEC Australia 2007™ year presents an outstanding opportunity for students to learn about Australia's regional relationships and to build their understanding of the connections between peoples, cultures, economies and systems. This opportunity is supported with the student resource APEC: Strengthening Our Community, Building a Sustainable Future. In turn, this professional learning program supports the implementation of the resource.