Senior APEC officials have succeeded in working out a joint statement on Thailand’s proposed “Bangkok Goals” on BCG (Bio-economy, Circular Economy and Green Economy), after three days of meetings at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre.

The draft joint statement will be proposed to the APEC ministerial meeting tomorrow (Thursday) for approval and to the APEC Summit for final endorsement on Saturday.

Thani Thongphakdi, head of the Thai delegation at the senior officials’ meeting, said today that having the Bangkok Goals concept endorsed by the 22 economies of the Asia-Pacific region is an important achievement for Thailand.

Thailand proposed the Bangkok Goals as a key deliverable, as part of APEC 2022’s priority of “Balance in All Aspects to accelerate APEC’s efforts towards sustainability through the BCG Economy concept.”

The concept was first introduced last December, at the informal senior officials’ meeting (ISOM) in Phuket. The document seeks to advance APEC‘s sustainability agenda in a more holistic and integrated manner, emphasising a whole society and whole of APEC systematic approach to achieving four goals:

• Climate action, including net zero greenhouse gas emissions
• Sustainable trade and investment
• Sustainable management of resources, conservation of the environment and biodiversity
• Resource efficiency and sustainable waste management.

Thani also said that Thailand has pushed for a review of the Free Trade Area of Asia Pacific (FTAAP) and fewer restrictions on cross-border travel in the region, among others.

Outside the formal meetings, he said that Thailand has taken this opportunity to showcase Thai culture, Thai food, local products and environmentally friendly innovations.