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The APEC Human Resources Development Working Group (HRDWG) meeting was held on May 9–10 and May 12, 2022, in Bangkok, Thailand. (ANTARA/HO-APEC Secretariat) - 

Education and human resource development officials and experts from 21 APEC member economies are striving to boost digital and environment-related training and education in the region to equip people, especially youth, for future jobs.

Employment in the services sector and industry, including manufacturing and construction as well as agriculture, is estimated to have declined by 1.5 percent, 5.7 percent, and 2.6 percent, respectively, in 2020, as per a release issued by the APEC Human Resources Development Working Group and received here on Saturday.

According to the APEC working group, job losses due to COVID-19 hit the younger generation especially hard, with an 8.7-percent fall in youth employment in 2020.

"Success for APEC is not only about trade and investment; a success for APEC should include improved and strong human resources development, including education, capacity building, and labor, and social protection,” lead shepherd of the APEC Human Resources Development Working Group, Dong Sun Park, said.

The group has identified trends that have shaped the future of work since 2020 and shifted its policy direction this year toward shaping smart citizens with digitalization and eco-friendly awareness.

Such a shift aligns with APEC’s Putrajaya Vision in which new economic drivers have been set for the next 20 years.

"Technology and the environment will be key economic drivers in the post-pandemic world. We need to ensure our people, especially the young generation, are fully equipped with the skills and competencies of the future," Park added.

During the four-day meeting in Bangkok, the Human Resources Working Group laid out strategies and policy actions to enhance the education agenda of APEC.

The actions include cross-border education and academic mobility, qualifications frameworks, skills recognition and technical and vocational education and training, education innovation, as well as 21st-century competencies and structural education reform, among others.

Fostering strong, flexible, inclusive, and resilient labor markets is also important for assuring jobs, especially in a rapidly changing work environment.

Policies covering labor mobility as well as expanding social protection and safety nets will become even more crucial for future jobs. Those policies would extend to women, youth, and people with disabilities.

The meeting also heard from a youth representative from Chulalongkorn University who recommended that APEC further advance school curricula, engage scientists and experts in designing the curricula, mandate youth advisory committees for policy-making, as well as boost practical measures on sustainability.

"Human resource development has become an increasingly important element of APEC to promote the well-being of our people and achieve sustainable and inclusive economic growth in the region," co-chair of the APEC Human Resources Development Working Group, Duriya Amatavivat, said.

Amatavivat, who is also a senior advisor to the Office of the Permanent Secretary of Thailand’s Ministry of Education, reiterated Thailand’s commitment to promoting skills development for empowerment and employability, as well as to facilitating a smooth transition to a digital, green economy, and sustainable societies.

"This can help us in advancing global efforts to address all environmental challenges, including climate change, extreme weather, and natural disasters for a sustainable future," she said.

By focusing on digitalization and the environment, member economies can empower learners to adapt and retain employment, as well as encourage innovation to generate sustainable and inclusive growth//ANT

Deputy Trade Minister Jerry Sambuaga. (ANTARA/HO-Trade Ministry/aa/kt) - 

Deputy Trade Minister Jerry Sambuaga attended a meeting with Indian business actors at a hotel in Jakarta in a bid to strengthen Indonesia-India trade relations.

"This meeting is in line with both countries' leaders' target to increase the value of Indonesia-India trade to US$50 billion by 2025. It is hoped that both countries can undergo economic recovery and become stronger," Sambuaga remarked.

The meeting initiated by the Indian Embassy was attended by the Indian Ambassador to Indonesia, Manoj Kumar Bharti, Trade Ministry's director general of national export development, Didi Sumedi, and market security expert staff at the ministry, Sutriono Edi.

During the meeting, at least 45 business actors made their introductions and expressed their concerns regarding business opportunities in Indonesia, such as constraints on importing raw materials and business licensing.

They also expressed their appreciation for the Indonesian government's assistance in building their business sustainability.

According to data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS), Indonesia's exports to India in 2021 were valued at US$13.2 billion, an increase of 27.85 percent compared to the previous year.

Indonesia's main export products to India are coal, palm oil, iron alloys, industrial monocarboxylic fatty acids, and copper ore. Meanwhile, Indonesia's main imports from India are semi-finished iron products, cane or beet sugar, peanuts, frozen beef, and iron alloys.

Sambuaga said that India is the 26th source of foreign direct investment (FDI) for Indonesia.

"The realization of Indian investment in Indonesia was recorded at US$49.5 million spread across 465 projects. The three largest sectors include the textile industry; land for buildings, industrial estates, and business activities; as well as trade and reparations," he informed//ANT

Indonesian Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin delivers a press statement after chairing the 15th ASEAN Health Ministers’ Meeting in Nusa Dua, Bali, on Saturday (May 14, 2022). (ANTARA/Andi Firdaus) - 

ASEAN health ministers have approved the establishment of an ASEAN Center for Public Health Emergencies and Emerging Diseases (ACPHEED) as a collaborative effort to deal with extraordinary events and future pandemics.

"There will be three pillars of ACPHEED, surveillance or detection, response, and risk management," Indonesian Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said while delivering a press statement after chairing the 15th ASEAN Health Ministers’ Meeting in Nusa Dua, Bali, on Saturday.

These pillars will be supported by three ASEAN representative countries, namely Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia, who will work together under one ACPHEED establishment to anticipate extraordinary events, he added.

"There will be a collaboration of three countries, each of whom will build offices in their countries for the three existing pillars," he informed.

The working principles of ACPHEED will be generally similar to those of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), he said.

"In addition to disease emergencies, there is also risk management of extraordinary events," Sadikin said.

According to him, every ASEAN country has the right to fill the three offices in the spirit of togetherness.

"For example, Indonesia takes the role of surveillance and early detection, and the office can be in Indonesia, but Thais, Malaysians, or Singaporeans can be based there to be able to integrate the detection of potential extraordinary events in ASEAN," he explained.

Minister Sadikin, who is also chair of the ASEAN Health Ministers Meeting, called ACPHEED a solution to address the problems of differing health protocols in each ASEAN country.

"Health experts say this cannot be handled differently; it must be addressed in a health way as the same epidemiological entity. The health protocols must be harmonized," he said.

For uniformity of health protocols, ASEAN countries can adopt provisions similar to the implementation of public activities restrictions (PPKM) in Indonesia.

"We will synergize the ASEAN health protocols. If the cases have dropped significantly in a country, then the health protocol relaxation will be higher than in other countries. Just like PPKM in every province," he explained//ANT

FILE PHOTO: MotoGP - Qatar Grand Prix - Losail International Circuit, Lusail, Qatar - March 6, 2022 General view during the race REUTERS/Ibraheem Al Omari - 

MotoGP will have a new season-opening race in 2023 to allow for the completion of work at Qatar's Lusail circuit, promoters Dorna said on Saturday.

The circuit, whose floodlit night race is confirmed on the calendar until at least 2031, will undergo extensive renovation and remodelling of the paddock area and facilities as well as the creation of new areas for spectators.

"Lusail will host the 2023 Grand Prix of Qatar upon completion of the work, meaning the event will therefore not be the opening round, as it has been from 2007," Dorna said in a statement.

"Instead it will take place towards the end of the season."

The fast and flowing circuit also made its debut on the Formula One calendar last November as one of four races in the Middle East.

The 2022 Soccer World Cup hosts also have a 10-year deal to host Formula One from 2023, with the possibility of moving to a new track//CNA