Important role for APEC to support developing economies: UNDP’s Helen Clark
Singapore, 5 June 2014 – UNDP Administrator Helen Clark said that trade facilitation and capacity building are essential
to enable developing economies to take part in the integrated global economy.
On the occasion of APEC’s 25th anniversary, Ms Clark discussed her involvement with APEC and highlighted key issues to
address moving forward.
To watch the video interview with Helen Clark, click here.
Broadcast-quality sound bites available at the APEC Online Media Center.
Ms Clark said that regional economic integration has taken a slower path despite efforts by some member economies to
pursue regional trade agreements.
“When I was Prime Minister of New Zealand, with Chile, Singapore and Brunei, we were fast movers on the Trans-Pacific
Partnership, but expanding that has proven to be rather difficult,” said Helen Clark, UNDP Administrator. “I am sure
APEC will keep working away at this.”
In particular, she stressed the importance of APEC’s capacity building work to help support developing economies.
Ms Clark applauded APEC’s evolving agenda to promote balanced, inclusive and sustainable growth. While the region has
been successful at fighting extreme poverty, inequalities have also increased. Sustainability must also be a priority
when promoting growth.
“The traditional models of growth throughout human history have meant we’ve cleared our forests, we’ve poisoned our
water, and we’ve poisoned our air,” Clark explained. “We’ve now got so many of the major emerging economies which have
followed the same path of development with the same tragic consequences.”
“I hope in the economic chat around the APEC table, people aren’t just talking about growth, growth, growth but the
quality of growth,” she continued. “Is it environmentally sustainable? Is it lifting human beings? Is it lifting human
development?”
Ms Clark also outlined possibilities for collaboration between APEC and UNDP. Both organizations are focused on capacity
building in similar areas including trade facilitation, integrity in governments, anti-corruption and advancement of
women.
“If we are clear about what the priorities for APEC are, where APEC is looking for capacity to be built, for assistance
to be improved, where governments could go up several notches, or for women to be included, I think we could do more
together,” concluded Clark.
As Prime Minister of New Zealand, Ms Clark was involved with APEC for eight years from 2000-2007.
ends