The Multi-stakeholder Dialogue on APEC Toward 2020 and Beyond was co-organized by Vietnam APEC SOM Chair's office and PECC. The event was attended by about 300 participants including APEC Senior Officials, other representatives from member economies, academia, businesses, regional and international institutions. The Dialogue is a follow up to the APEC Leaders’ Lima Declaration made in November 2016 to start “a series of high-level dialogues on APEC Toward 2020 and Beyond.”

H.E. Tran Dai Quang, the President of Vietnam, opened the Dialogue and shared his vision of a peaceful, dynamic, inclusive, seamless, and people and business-centered Asia–Pacific Community in the 21st century. 

Pascal Lamy, chair of the French committee for PECC (FPTPEC) and former Director General of the WTO reminded that realizing open trade is a painful process but that the governments should place more focus on social inclusion in order to mitigate the negative impact of open trade and globalization. Various effects of globalization is permeating our societies not just more widely but also more profoundly. He urged APEC to 1) resist protectionist pressures, 2) keep opening up trade, and 3) address public concerns about trade head on. 

Dr. Mari Pangestu, co-chair of the Indonesian committee for PECC (INCPEC) and former trade minister of Indonesia said that the governments must become more responsive and responsible. As the pace of technological advancement intensifies, we need to be more mindful of the potential widening of digital divide and further inequality. As the deadline of Bogor Goals approches, APEC needs to rethink its structure and leadership, deliebrate on the next set of goals, and continue to be an incubator of ideas. There is optimism in the next generation and we need to better harness this energy by involving youth more actively.