"APEC activities cover critically important matters, including trade integration, financial stability, environmental protection, technical cooperation and such social matters as labor rights and educational training."

"Yet, there is no comprehensive effort, independent of governments, to track and evaluate the implementation of APEC initiatives, to determine whether there is progress from 'words to deeds'."

"APIAN (APEC International Assessment Network) is a collaborative, multi-national, non-governmental effort by participating APEC Study Center (ASC) members to fulfill the need for an independent evaluation of APEC. APIAN is a model for testing whether such a private expert network can effectively advance issue-driven international cooperation at the regional level."

Staff at the Hong Kong APEC Study Centre were thus involved during July and August with a very intensive search for colleagues in Hong Kong who were qualified and had the time and the will to respond to the series of questionnaires prepared by the international team of experts who has launched the APIAN project. You may wish to visit the site to become more intimately acquainted with the project at the so-called home of the APEC Study Centre Consortium.

Related Link: http://www.tier.org.tw/APECC/Newsletter/0007.html