The goal of human resources development in APEC is to promote the well-being of all people and achieve sustainable and inclusive economic growth in the region.
The Human Resources Development Working Group (HRDWG) was established in 1990 and conducts work programs on developing human resources, focusing on issues ranging from education, capacity building to labor and social protection. In addition, the HRDWG has responsibilities to help build cultural awareness and promote gender equality as well as be responsible for including disability issues in its workplan. The mission of HRDWG is “Sharing knowledge, experience, and skills to strengthen human resource development and promote sustainable and inclusive economic growth.” The working group is guided by these three objectives:
- Develop 21st century knowledge and skills for all
- Integrate human resources development into the global economy
- Address the social dimension of globalization
To accomplish these objectives, the HRDWG conducts its work program both through the working group directly and through its three networks:
- The Capacity Building Network (CBN), which focuses on skills development, human resource management and vocational training through crosscutting collaboration to facilitate 21st century talents, enhance employability and provide quality employment.
- The Education Network (EDNET), which focuses on fostering strong and vibrant learning systems across APEC member economies, promoting quality and equitable education to enable people of all ages to meet the challenges of rapid change in today’s world through enhancing competencies, accelerating innovation and increasing employability. For more details, please refer to the EDNET webpage available here.
- The Labor and Social Protection Network (LSPN), which focuses on fostering strong and flexible labor markets and strengthening social protection, including social safety nets, through evidence-based interventions, collaboration, technical co-operation and the provision of labor market and social protection information and analysis to address sustainable human resource development across APEC member economies.
The HRDWG 2024 theme “Building the Bridge from the Informal to Formal Economy: Promoting Investment in Inclusive and Equitable Human Resources Development in the Asia-Pacific Region” further advances the APEC 2024’s theme “Empower. Include. Grow.” and its three priorities of (i) Trade and investment for inclusive and interconnected growth; (ii) Innovation and digitalization to promote transition to the formal and global economy; and (iii) Sustainable growth for resilient development.
Reflecting shared priorities of all APEC economies through extensive consultations, HRDWG members will continue to spearhead initiatives based on the endorsements of the “HRDWG Arequipa Goals” in 2024 and the “HRDWG Detroit Non-Binding Principles and Recommendations for Equality and Inclusion in Education, Training, and Employment” in 2023 that built upon the aspirations of APEC Putrajaya Vision 2040 and the 2024 host year theme, as well as the Aotearoa Plan of Action.
Last page update: November 2024
Contacts
HRDWG Lead Shepherd 2023-2024
Program Director
Current Activities
HRDWG Friends of the Chair on Promoting Disability Policies Virtual Meeting
HRDWG Friends of the Chair on Promoting Disability Policies (FoTC) members, along with the HRDWG Lead Shepherd Zhao Li and Program Director of APEC Secretariat Harlena Harris convene in a virtual meeting on 30 November 2024. Chaired by FotC Coordinator Liang You (China), members from Canada; China; Hong Kong, China; Japan; Korea; Peru; the Philippines; and the United States deliberate and adopt the FotC Work Plan May 2024 - December 2025. Following the launch of FoTC and the endorsement of the Arequipa Goals (link), FotC and HRDWG members continue to drive impactful progress in advancing policies and initiatives that empower people with disabilities for sustainable and inclusive growth in the region.
Key achievements and areas of focus:
- Endorsement and implementation of the HRDWG Arequipa Goals in 2024 by HRDWG members that aims to advance impactful progress through policies that empower people with disabilities for sustainable and inclusive growth.
- Establishment of HRDWG Friends of the Chair on Promoting Disability Policies in 2024 will strengthen collaboration among members and with other APEC sub-fora to promote sound disability policies.
- Affirmation from 21 economic leaders and at ministerial levels in 2023 on the HRDWG Detroit Non-Binding Principles and Recommendations for Equality and Inclusion in Education, Training, and Employment as reflected in the Joint Ministerial Statement of the 2023 APEC Ministerial Meeting (paragraph 19) and APEC Leaders’ 2023 Golden Gate Declaration (paragraph 10) towards achieving strong, balanced, secure, sustainable, and inclusive growth.
- Implementing the APEC Education Strategy, endorsed by the 6th APEC Education Ministerial Meeting in 2016, which sets the framework for guiding future projects and collaborative initiatives for the benefit of the region, based on the following three pillars:
- Enhancing and aligning competencies to the needs of individuals, societies and economies
- Accelerating innovation
- Increasing employability.
- The development and implementation of the APEC Framework on Human Resources Development in the Digital Age, which was endorsed at the High-Level Policy Dialogue on Human Resources Development in the Digital Age held in May 2017 in Viet Nam. The Framework provides a platform for strengthening human resources development in the region, increasing worker preparedness for the digital age, and ensuring that labor market policies match the changing needs of the region’s labor market.
- The implementation of the APEC Economic Policy Report for 2017 (AEPR) on Structural Reform and Human Capital Development, which was released by APEC in November 2017—the first time an AEPR has focused specifically on human capital development. This report contains a number of specific policy recommendations that HRDWG is currently working to implement in collaboration with the Economic Committee.
- Advancing the APEC Services Competitiveness Roadmap (ASCR) Implementation Plan 2016–2025 to facilitate the mobility of skilled labor and professionals, and to ensure the quality of skills and competencies that meet the supply chain demands of the region.
HRDWG’s project work
In support of these core areas of focus, the HRDWG’s three networks have a number of active APEC projects currently underway related to labor mobility, qualifications recognition, digital literacy, global competencies and youth employment, the details of which are accessible here.
Leadership:
The HRDWG’s lead shepherd serves as the working group’s chair and each network has one coordinator. The lead shepherd and network coordinators will have as their co-chair a representative from the HRDWG host economy who will serve in the co-chair capacity for one year.
The current HRDWG lead shepherd for 2023-24 is Mr Zhao Li (USA). Contact: [email protected]; [email protected]; and [email protected]
(Three advisors to be copied are Mr Patrick Del Vecchio, [email protected]; Christopher Watson, [email protected]); and Mr Hughes McLean, [email protected])
The co-chair for APEC HRDWG is Ms Maria Esther Cuadros Espinoza and Mr Jesús Adalberto Baldeón Vásquez (Peru). Contact: [email protected]; [email protected] (Coordinating officer to be copied: Ms Sol Mariana Garcia-Belaunde Mora, [email protected])
The current Network Coordinators are:
- Capacity Building Network:
Ms Rosanna A. Urdaneta (Philippines, CBN coordinator for 2023-24).
Contact: [email protected]
(Coordinating officers to be copied: : Ms Lyka Caritativo, [email protected], Ms Charlyn Justimbaste, [email protected])
Ms Nadiejda Quintana Vassallo (Peru, CBN co-chair for 2024)
Contact: [email protected]
(Coordinating officer to be copied: to be advised) - Education Network:
Mr Yuchi Zhao (China, EDNET coordinator for 2023-2024). Contact: [email protected] and [email protected]
(Coordinating officer to be copied: Ms Xinyi Niu, [email protected]; [email protected])
Contact: [email protected] (Coordinating officer to be copied: Ms Sol Mariana Garcia-Belaunde Mora, [email protected])
- Labor and Social Protection Network:
Mr Lung Yu Lin (Chinese Taipei, LSPN coordinator for 2023-24). Contact: [email protected]
(Coordinating officer to be copied Mr Eric Lee [email protected]; and Mr Mason Cheng, [email protected])
Ms Diana Ángeles Santander (Peru, LSPN co-chair for 2024). Contact: [email protected]
(Coordinating officer to be copied: to be advised)
Coordinators for 2024 Friends of the Chair (FotC) on Promoting Disability Policies are:
Mr Liang You (China)
Contact: [email protected]Ms Min Jeon Jung (Korea)
Contact: [email protected]; [email protected]Ms María Hanna Oscco Gaspar (Peru)
Contact: [email protected]