The Group on Services (GOS) was established by the Committee on Trade and Investment (CTI) in 1997 to promote services development, liberalisation, and facilitation in the APEC region.
The GOS ensures that APEC’s work on services is focused and delivers results-oriented outcomes in accordance with the Osaka Action Agenda and directions from APEC Leaders, Ministers and Senior Officials.
Strategic direction
The APEC Roadmap for Innovative, Competitive and Resilient Services (ARICRS) guides APEC’s services work toward 2035. It builds on the APEC Services Cooperation Framework and the APEC Services Competitiveness Roadmap 2016–2025.
The ARICRS organises cooperation across eight pillars:
- Promoting an open and predictable environment for services trade and investment
- Embracing digital transformation
- Structural reform, services domestic regulation, and technical standards
- Workforce readiness and opportunity
- Trade in services data and analysis
- Promoting sustainable economic growth for all
- APEC Cross-fora collaboration and engagement with the private sector
- Supporting WTO initiatives related to services trade and investment
GOS is responsible for implementing the ARICRS and reporting progress to Senior Officials.
Key areas of work
Services domestic regulation and technical standards
The GOS promotes transparent, predictable and efficient regulatory procedures for services. Its work also supports trade-facilitative technical standards developed through open processes. GOS supports workstreams that broadens participation in services trade, including opportunities for women, MSMEs and people seeking skills for changing services markets.
APEC Services Index
The APEC Index to Measure the Regulatory Environment for Services Trade was developed with technical support from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The APEC Index provides a tool for assessing and comparing services regulatory settings across APEC economies. GOS also promotes practical use of the APEC Index to inform policy discussions, identify reform opportunities and strengthen services competitiveness.
Environmental Services
The GOS maintains a non-binding and non-exhaustive Reference List of Environmental and Environmentally Related Services and undertakes periodic reviews to keep it relevant. It also advances cooperation on services that support environmental objectives, including the clean-up of marine debris.
Mutual Recognition and Professional Services
GOS members exchange experiences and supports cooperation on recognition procedures and arrangements for professional qualifications and licensing, where appropriate.
Manufacturing-related Services
The GOS examines services that support manufacturing and resilient supply chains. This includes work on logistics-related services that support the movement of essential goods in periods of crisis.
Services and Structural Reform
The GOS works with the Economic Committee and other relevant APEC fora on services and structural reform, including regulatory reform, digital transformation, productivity, sustainability and inclusion.
Last page update: September 2026
Contacts
|
Peter Ta-Lin SHIH (Mr) GOS Convenor (2026-2027)
Vice Economic Counsellor |
Nur Hazirah binti JAMAL (Ms) Program Director |
Current activities
GOS member economies meet in connection with the first and third Senior Officials’ Meetings (SOM1 and SOM3) each year. The group also convenes annual dialogues, workshops and joint activities with other APEC fora and external stakeholders to advance its work programme.
Current workstreams includes implementation of the ARICRS, strengthening services data and analysis, advancing regulatory cooperation, supporting structural reform, and engagement with other APEC fora and stakeholders.
Key documents and resources
- APEC Roadmap for Innovative, Competitive and Resilient Services
- APEC Services Competitiveness Roadmap Final Review Report
- APEC Index to Measure the Regulatory Environment for Services Trade
- Reference List of Environmental and Environmentally Related Services
- Non-Binding Guidelines on Services that Support the Clean-up of Marine Debris
- Guidelines on Logistics-related Services that Support the Movement of Essential Goods in Periods of Future Crisis
- APEC Non-Binding Principles for Domestic Regulation of the Services Sector