Nobody is safe until we are all safe. And as we recover and rebuild our world from the devastating impacts of the pandemic, we must not leave anyone behind.
We must work together to ensure an equitable response.
Every crisis presents opportunity. The 21 Apec economies have been dealt an opportunity to strike an economic reset on a scale we haven't seen since the Second World War.
I want us to take this opportunity, to emerge from this pandemic stronger and more resilient than we were before.
New Zealand's vhosting of Apec over the last 11 months has seen some 300 virtual meetings and more than a 1000 hours of screen time, often from people's living rooms and spare rooms during lockdowns.
Setting an alarm for 11pm to attend an overnight online meeting to discuss fiscal policy, food security, or trade tariffs might not be everyone's idea of a good work story.
Our NZ-based Apec team effort has enabled the region to work collaboratively to diffuse the impacts of Covid-19 and support our people and region to recover.
Under New Zealand's guardianship this year, I am proud to say that the policies Apec has committed to will make positive, real and lasting contributions towards combatting climate change, uniting us against vaccine nationalism, and front-footing discussions on an inclusive and digital recovery.
Here are a few examples:
• Apec has this year committed to removing trade tariffs on vaccines and essential medical supplies. As the Apec region is the world's largest manufacturer of Covid-19 vaccines, this straightforward piece of policy will mean that vaccines can be moved across borders faster and at a lower cost. That will benefit everyone, but smaller countries, most of all.
This year we have guided Apec's discussion about how it reverses the US$1 trillion shock of women falling out of the workforce as a result of the pandemic. The job losses of women and girls is nearly 1.8 times higher as a result of the pandemic.
• We have also worked to increase inclusion of indigenous perspectives in Apec for the first time, contributing to increased economic participation of 270 million people in the region.
• We've made progress to refresh, update and extend the list of environmental goods. That means that the trade of these goods will be easier and cheaper. And we have launched work on environmental services — a world first. There are other environmental outcomes in our sights.
• This year we have pushed Apec to put climate change on Apec's agenda and it has worked. For a region that accounts for nearly 60 per cent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, it is encouraging that most Apec members have committed to net-zero carbon targets.
• Apec economies have agreed not to increase their fossil fuel subsidies. This is no small matter — according to the OECD (the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development), the world spends a staggering half a trillion US dollars on fossil fuel subsidies. Subsidies mask the true cost of fossil fuels and work against efforts to reverse climate change. It's time these subsidies were brought to an end.
This valuable work has not been done in a silo.
A strength for Apec is its role for business. The Apec Business Advisory Council has had a say in all major discussions and meetings. The experiences, perspectives, and ideas from the business community have been heard and valued, and I am looking forward to hearing their concluding thoughts in the Leaders' Week discussions next week, as well as participating in the Apec CEO Summit.
When I last spoke with the other Apec leaders in July, we were focused completely on the response to the Covid health and economic crisis. Next month, Covid will remain on our collective agendas, but we will also lift our gaze up and look to the future.
The final responsibility for New Zealand as 2021 host is the preparation of a detailed action plan that will shape Apec's direction and work for the next 20 years.
Inclusion and sustainability will be cornerstones of this plan to see that the decisions we make today will have a positive impact for the generations to come.
