Annual APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting - November 20-21

The Leaders and representatives of APEC's 21 Member Economies will meet in Santiago, Chile, on November 20-21 for the 12th APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting. Prior to the Leaders' Meeting, a series of supporting events will take place including the 16th APEC Ministerial Meeting on November 17-18.

Under the 2004 theme of One Community, Our Future other high level events taking place in the lead-up to the Leaders' Meeting are the concluding meeting of APEC Senior Officials, the final meeting for 2004 of the APEC Business Advisory Council and the APEC CEO Summit.

The range of issues covered by Leaders, Ministers, Senior Officials and other forums is likely to include the key themes addressed during the 2004 APEC Year Hosted by Chile. These include:

Trade and Investment issues including Regional Trade Agreements and Free Trade Arrangements, trade facilitation policies and APEC support for the WTO

Human security issues including counter terrorism and infectious diseases

Enhancing the efficiency, stability and security of financial markets

Anti-corruption and transparency measures

Human resource development and capacity building activities

Preparation for the Mid-Term Stock-Take of progress towards APEC's free trade and investment goals that will take place in Korea in 2005

This year's APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting is a culmination of events that have taken place since the previous Leaders' Meeting held in Bangkok, Thailand in 2003 and provides the opportunity for Leaders to set the APEC work agenda for 2005, which will be hosted by the Republic of Korea.

Since the 2003 Leaders' Meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, over 170 sectoral and working group meetings and ten ministerial meetings have taken place in Chile and in other APEC Member Economies. These meetings enable working level initiatives and reforms to be implemented within the Asia-Pacific that advance progress towards the APEC goals in a broad range of economic sectors.

The APEC meeting dates scheduled for Santiago in November are:

(Agencies)