APEC Connect
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum provides opportunities to engage a wide range of domestic stakeholders, and as APEC host in 2023, the U.S. APEC team is focusing on stakeholder engagement under the theme of “Creating a Resilient and Sustainable Future for All,” and policy priorities for an “interconnected, innovative, and inclusive” Asia-Pacific region.
In March, the U.S. APEC team took the domestic outreach effort to the next level by launching “APEC Connect,” a campaign aimed at explaining our U.S. APEC 2023 host year to the American public and engaging with stakeholders from diverse sectors across the United States.
APEC Connect Seattle: SMEs and Women’s Economic Empowerment
While attending the Third APEC Senior Officials’ Meetings in Seattle and as part of the APEC CONNECT series, Ambassador Matt Murray embarked on a mission to highlight the vibrant community of women-owned or women-led small businesses at Pike Place Market and their connections with APEC economies. Through these conversations, we aim to uncover the inspiring stories behind the storefronts, showcasing the determination, creativity, and resilience that these women bring to their businesses and their vital role in fostering economic growth and collaboration on an international scale. Preview of interviews at Pike Place Market
Episode 3: Meet Alisa Meyer, Owner, Totem Smokehouse
Episode 2: Meet Lendy Hensley, Co-Owner, Bite Society
Episode 1: Meet Pam Montgomery, CEO Chukar Cherries
Stay tuned for our upcoming episodes as we continue to uncover more inspiring stories of women-led businesses, all part of APEC Connect Seattle.
APEC Connect Travels To
Please check the videos below that capture the essence of domestic stakeholder engagement for the U.S. APEC 2023 Host Year and voices of stakeholders from across the United States.
Atlanta Connect:
Pittsburgh Next Generation:
Pittsburgh Connect:
SOM 3 Stakeholder Engagement Highlights
SOM 2 Stakeholder Engagement Highlights
Interagency Stakeholder Engagement
U.S. government agencies and working-level APEC groups hosted or arranged various stakeholder engagements and field trips as part of ministerials and other SOM2 related meetings.
- U.S. Department of Transportation: APEC Minority Bank EV Financing Roundtable; APEC Green Maritime Collaboration Launch Event; and public-private discussions on Supply Chain and Connectivity, Climate Change, and Inclusivity and Gender
- The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative: Discussions on supporting the Multilateral Trading System and Fostering Sustainable and Inclusive Trade, Dialogue on Trade and Working People, and Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) Stakeholder Luncheon
- SME Supply Chain Resilience Discussion with APEC Senior Officials
- U.S. Department of Labor & Human Resources Development Working Group (HRDWG): Visit to East English Village Preparatory Academy at Finney (Detroit, Michigan) for APEC Education Officials Dialogue – Schools as Community
- U.S. Department of Commerce/International Trade Administration & APEC Automotive Dialogue: Field Trip to Mcity
- Networking opportunities hosted and supported by the City of Detroit, local stakeholder groups, and the APEC Private Sector Host Committee for ministers, senior officials, delegates, and hundreds of stakeholders
External Stakeholders
- Throughout SOM2, more than 200 stakeholders from over 180 state and local governments, industry and business advocacy organizations, labor groups, private-public entities, the private sector (corporate America included), entrepreneurs, civil society (NGOs), schools, universities, and academic and research institutes participated or delivered remarks in workshops and/or plenary sessions.
- International organizations such the World Trade Organization, World Bank, UNESCO, Organization of American States, and OECD were engaged in SOM2.
Special Engagements
- With special engagements, we collaborated with more than 70 companies, civic and educational organizations, business coalitions, local and state governments, and elected officials, especially for minority and diaspora communities and women.
- U.S. Senior Official for APEC Matt Murray visited Our Next Energy, an energy storage technology company founded in 2020 that seeks to expand the world’s ability to access sustainable power and met the Michigan Asian Pacific American Chamber of Commerce with Ambassador Chris Lu to engage with minority business leaders.
- Special Representative Dilawar Syed for Commercial and Business Affairs at U.S. Department of State – Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs led a roundtable with the University of Michigan with focuses on innovation and entrepreneurship and visited the Arab American National Museum to discuss diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility.
- Murray, Special Representative Syed, Commerce’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for Asia Global Markets Pamela Phan, and U.S. Commercial Service Michigan joined the U.S. APEC 2023 Host Year Minority-Owned Small Business Roundtable in Detroit with Asian Pacific American, Arab, Black, Hispanic, and women business groups.
- Murray briefed the US-APEC Business Coalition on SOM2 progress, SOM3 plans, including APEC Digital Month, and activities the U.S. private sector can be part of for APEC 2023.
SOM 1 Stakeholder Engagement Highlights
The First APEC Senior Officials’ Meeting and Related Meetings (SOM 1) in Palm Springs, California, held between February 14 and February 28, engaged a range of external stakeholders from diverse sectors and public-private partnerships as we seek to make the 2023 U.S. APEC host year more interconnected, innovative, and inclusive. Collaborations with the United States government agencies and stakeholders helped SOM 1 to shape implementations on how APEC can benefit communities across the region and the country as we strive to generate resilient, sustainable, and inclusive economic growth.
Interagency Coordination
- Through interagency coordination, over 40 U.S. Government officials out of a total of more than 200 participants from 12 departments participated in SOM 1 as a moderator, speaker, presenter, and/or workshop organizer.
- Expert and working-level APEC groups took field trips throughout California’s Inland Empire region, including the San Bernardino National Forest and Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains Visitor Center (USDA Climate Hubs), to see U.S. policies and best practices in action. The U.S. Department of Agriculture also hosted a Climate Side Event and Agriculture Host Year Kick-Off reception.
External Stakeholders
- Throughout SOM1, nearly 200 stakeholder organizations in civil society, business advocacy, academia and research, and private and nonprofit sectors as well as international organizations participated or delivered remarks in workshops and/or plenary sessions.
- More than 100 private sector stakeholders, businesses, and industry advocacy groups attended SOM1 meetings.
Special Engagements
- Our partner, the National Center for APEC, and the U.S. business association for APEC, for co-hosting an iconic reception for SOM1 delegates that provided the opportunity to engage with Black, Hispanic, and LGBTQ chambers in Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley Economic Partnership as well as local business lenders.
- Additionally, we worked closely with a myriad of local stakeholders, including California State Government and City of Palm Springs. U.S. Senior Official for APEC, Matt Murray and the U.S. APEC Secretariat team met Grace Elena Garner, the first Latina mayor of Palm Springs to talk about how perfect Palm Springs was for SOM 1 as it is a crossroads of North America, South America, and East Asia — the key geographies of our APEC membership – and demonstrates America’s diversity and inclusion through tribal histories and communities. Accordingly, I had a chance to meet with representatives of the Cahuilla Indians at the Agua Caliente tribal government headquarters.
- The EPIC Innovation & Entrepreneurship Programs at University of California, Riverside hosted APEC delegates participating in the Policy Partnership on Science, Technology and Innovation (PPSTI) and discussed advancing inclusivity in science and innovation, indigenous knowledge, women in STEM, and public-private partnerships, key to achieving the US Host Year goal to create a resilient and sustainable future for all.
Private Sector
January 2023
APEC LinkedIn Posts:
“Thank you for hosting a great discussion [American Chamber of Commerce in Singapore]! — Senior Official Murray.”
APEC on LinkedIn: “Thanks! It was terrific to be with you in Singapore [American Malaysian Chamber of Commerce]! — Senior Official Murray.”
November 21, 2022
CalChamber: San Francisco Announced as Host City for Asia-Pacific Leaders Meeting in Fall 2023
September 14, 2022
National Center for APEC Launches APEC USA 2023 Private Sector Host Committee to Advance U.S. Economic Engagement in the Asia-Pacific
State & Local Government
NOVEMBER 18, 2022
CA – Office of Governor: Governor Newsom Welcomes 2023 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit to California
SF.Gov: San Francisco named host city for 2023 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders’ Summit
october 27, 2022
Academia/Think Tanks
January 10, 2023
Asia Society New York: APEC 2023 Creating a Resilient and Sustainable Future Amidst Global Disruption
decmeber 26, 2022
East-West Center: Why APEC Matters to Hawai’i Now
decmeber 14, 2022
Civil Society
decmeber 8, 2022