REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- UNDP Administrator, Helen Clark said that trade facilitation and capacity building were essential to enable developing economies to take part in the integrated global economy. On the occasion of APEC’s 25th anniversary, Clark discussed her involvement with APEC and highlighted key issues to address moving forward.

She said that regional economic integration had taken a slower path despite efforts by some member economies to pursue regional trade agreements.

“When I was Prime Minister of New Zealand, with Chile, Singapore and Brunei, we were fast movers on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, but expanding that has proven to be rather difficult. I am sure APEC will keep working away at this," she said in a written statement on Friday.

In particular, she stressed the importance of APEC’s capacity building work to help support developing economies. She applauded APEC’s evolving agenda to promote balanced, inclusive and sustainable growth. While the region has been successful at fighting extreme poverty, inequalities have also increased. Sustainability must also be a priority when promoting growth.

“The traditional models of growth throughout human history have meant we have cleared our forests, we have poisoned our water, and we have poisoned our air. We have now got so many of the major emerging economies which have followed the same path of development with the same tragic consequences,” Clark explained.

Helen also outlined possibilities for collaboration between APEC and UNDP. Both organizations are focused on capacity building in similar areas including trade facilitation, integrity in governments, anti-corruption and advancement of women.

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