VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 22, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada (APF Canada), serving as the secretariat for ABAC Canada, with support from the Government of Canada and the Government of British Columbia, is pleased to welcome the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada for its four-day meeting on trade and economic co-operation and connectivity in the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) region.
ABAC is a private-sector body comprising 21 member economies that advises APEC on business sector priorities and concerns in the Asia Pacific. ABAC’s members include CEOs, presidents, and senior executives of leading corporations from the APEC region. Canada’s ABAC Member representatives are Timothy D. Dattels, Chairman of TPG Asia (ABAC Regional and Economic Integration Working Group Co-Chair 2022), Janet De Silva, President and CEO of the Toronto Region Board of Trade (ABAC Digital Working Group Chair 2022), and Joseph S. Fung, Managing Partner, Saltagen Ventures (ABAC Sustainability Working Group Co-Chair 2022). APF Canada serves as the secretariat for ABAC Canada members.
The meeting will be held at the Vancouver Convention Centre from April 25-28. It is the first ABAC meeting in Canada since 2017.
The ABAC Canada members are excited to host an extraordinary group of leaders for this event, which will inform its members’ annual recommendations to APEC Leaders in Bangkok, Thailand in November.
This year, ABAC adopted the theme “Embrace. Engage. Enable.”
Embrace the reconnected world with endless opportunities.
Enable in collaborating on new ideas, creativities, and possibilities.
Engage digitized, sustainable, and inclusive new transformational models.
ABAC’s 2022 work program is focused on priorities related to:
- Regional economic integration and establishing a free trade area in the Asia Pacific
- Digitalization and innovation, including digital infrastructure, data infrastructure, and the physical infrastructure necessary to support a more connected region
- Supporting MSMEs in the recovery from COVID-19 and ensuring inclusive economic growth
- Sustainability including food security, bio-circular green economy, as well as building net-zero economy and promoting green recovery in the APEC region
- Financing the transition to a sustainable economy and building and enabling the ecosystem for digital finance
The ABAC meeting will be interspersed with networking opportunities between business members and government representatives, a Cybersecurity Symposium convening experts, business leaders, and policy-makers to chart a path forward to a more secure digital future across APEC, panel discussions on innovation, sustainability and digital themes, and a site visit to showcase innovative and sustainable projects in Vancouver.
ABAC II is hosted by ABAC Canada, sponsored by the Government of Canada, the Government of British Columbia, the Business Council of British Columbia, and DiliTrust Canada and supported by APF Canada.
While ABAC working sessions are closed to the media, members of the press are invited to the official ABAC Press Conference on 28 April (11:00-11:30 PT) with ABAC 2022 Chair Mr. Supant Mongkolsuthree, Working Group Chairs, and ABAC Canada Members.
Click here for the ABAC II 2022 Press Kit and accreditation information.
Quotes:
“I am delighted to welcome the APEC Business Advisory Council to Vancouver for the second ABAC meeting of 2022. With so many senior business leaders from across the Asia Pacific coming to Vancouver to attend this meeting, ABAC II presents an exciting opportunity to showcase British Columbia as a global centre of innovation and demonstrate that Canada is stepping up its engagement with Asia.”
– Jeff Nankivell, President and CEO, Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada
“I am delighted to welcome senior business leaders of the APEC Business Advisory Council to Vancouver for the second ABAC meeting of 2022. I look forward to our discussions and collaboration supporting enhanced trade and investment across the APEC region and the rules-based multilateral trading system that underpins our economic forum.”
– Tim Dattels, ABAC Canada Member, ABAC Regional Economic Integration Working Group Co-Chair, Chairman, TPG Asia
“I am proud to have Canada hosting ABAC II as we work on some of the biggest challenges facing the Asia Pacific region and build back from the COVID-19 crisis. Together with my esteemed colleagues, we will bring forth solutions and recommendations for our Economic Leaders on digitalization, cybersecurity, sustainable and inclusive economic growth, and establishing a rules-based multilateral trading system. While the challenges we face may be great, they also present opportunities that can only be seized through collaboration in the APEC region and ABAC Canada is ready to fuel our dialogue this week.”
– Janet De Silva, ABAC Canada Member, ABAC Digital Working Group Chair 2022, President & CEO, Toronto Region Board of Trade
“I am pleased to welcome international business leaders from the APEC Business Advisory Council to Vancouver to discuss our shared challenges and opportunities in a post-COVID global economy. A prosperous and resilient future will only be achieved if all economies of the APEC region work together, and our ABAC II meeting will help facilitate that work.”
– Joseph Fung, ABAC Canada Member, ABAC Sustainability Working Group Co-Chair 2022, Managing Partner, Saltagen Ventures
Learn More:
ABAC International: https://www2.abaconline.org/
Government of Canada: www.international.gc.ca/international
Government of British Columbia: https://www.britishcolumbia.ca/for-bc-businesses/
Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada: www.asiapacific.ca
Media contact:
Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada
Michael Roberts, Communications Director | Media Accreditation
michael.roberts@asiapacific.ca
604-649-4863
