Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will chair a virtual meeting of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders on Friday that will focus on the Covid-19 pandemic and its economic effects on the region.
The meeting will be the first time that an additional meeting will be held at the leaders' level since APEC was established in 1989, a reflection of "our desire to navigate together out of the Covid-19 pandemic and economic crisis," Ardern said today in a statement.
APEC economies "have suffered their biggest contraction since the Second World War over the past year, with 81 million jobs lost", Ardern said.
It's the first time an additional APEC leaders’ meeting has been held.
She says the 21 member economies - which include the US and Russia - have "already responded in significant ways", including the removal of barriers for easier distribution of Covid-19 vaccines and other related supplies, but "there is still a lot of work to do to get through the crisis".
The meeting will see leaders share information to "continue to build on our collective understanding of the region’s health response to Covid-19, and shape a collaborative economic response".
US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin are among the leaders who have confirmed they will be attending the meeting.
Containing the pandemic through "rapid, safe, and effective vaccination; micro- and macro-economic policy settings to sustain businesses and workers; and building more resilient, inclusive and sustainable economies" will also be on the agenda, she said.
“I will be inviting discussion on immediate measures to achieve more co-ordinated regional action to assist recovery, as well as steps that will support inclusive and sustainable growth over the long term," she said.
"APEC leaders will work together to get through the pandemic and promote a sustainable and inclusive recovery, because nobody is safe until everyone is safe."
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