APEC wants you to take your best shot and show us what facilitating economic growth, cooperation, trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific means to you. Each year the forum selects priority work areas to pursue. This year, we want to see how you photographically interpret the objectives we’ve set to achieve:

TRADE AND INVESTMENT LIBERALIZATION, AND REGIONAL ECONOMIC INTEGRATION

APEC continues to push towards an economically integrated Asia-Pacific region. One of the ways we do this is by aligning technical standards and regulations to make doing business in the region cheaper, faster and easier. APEC is also promoting consistency among free trade agreements and taking further steps towards a Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP).

STRENGTHENING FOOD SECURITY

APEC continues work on increasing agricultural production and investment in the region, to improve access to safe, healthy foods for socially vulnerable groups. To do this, APEC is improving logistics, services and regulations in agricultural trade, reducing costs and losses in food production and in food supply chains and raising the quality and safety of food products through enhancing the conformity to food safety standards.

ESTABLISHING RELIABLE SUPPLY CHAINS

APEC is forging ahead with efforts to improve the region’s supply chain, which is critical in today’s globalized world. Goods are no longer made in one economy but rather produced by sourcing components from all over the region. The goal is to reduce the time, cost and uncertainty of moving goods and services throughout the region – by addressing eight priority chokepoints that relate to regulatory impediments, customs inefficiencies and inadequate transport networks and infrastructure. To ensure appropriate risk management and to protect transportation facilities, APEC is also focusing on capacity building on emergency preparedness and disaster relief.

INTENSIVE COOPERATION TO FOSTER INNOVATIVE GROWTH

APEC continues to advance the development of members’ innovation strategies and policies, including strengthening intellectual property rights protection. Innovation is a key factor to increase productivity and ensure economic growth. APEC is also developing measures to foster cooperation on major innovation projects related to strengthening trans-border interaction and networking among businesses, academia and government institutions, as well as addressing barriers to investment in high technology sectors.

Send us up to four of your best shots based on your interpretation of any one or four categories. They are somewhat technical – we understand. But your challenge is to submit images that accurately reflect the meaning of these themes; in other words, demonstrate what APEC does through imagery.

APEC member economies:

Australia; Brunei Darussalam; Canada; Chile; People’s Republic of China; Hong Kong, China; Indonesia; Japan; Republic of Korea; Malaysia; Mexico; New Zealand; Papua New Guinea; Peru; Philippines; Russia; Singapore; Chinese Taipei; Thailand; United States; and Viet Nam