NZ Launches New Website On Economic And Technical Cooperation

Prime Minister Helen Clark today launched a new APEC website while attending the Apec Leaders’ Meeting in Brunei.

The APEC Ecotech Clearing House website (www.apec-ecotech.org) is a quick and easy way to find and interact with information on the wide range of APEC's economic and technical interests. Those interests include tourism, telecommunications, agriculture and small business development.

“The APEC organisation has built up a large information base on these economic sectors. It has economic and technical experts working on planning for a wide range of areas from sustainable cities to e-commerce, from fisheries and marine resources conservation to emergency management," Helen Clark said.

"Through the website, information about these activities can be put quickly into the hands of policymakers and any one else with a need for expertise or a contribution to make.

"Ecotech enables anyone with internet access to get the information and make contacts quickly and easily.

“The new website underlines the fact that APEC is about more than trade. The breadth of its economic development interests is displayed on this website.

Ecotech is a New Zealand contribution to APEC this year. The site has been developed by and will be sponsored for the coming year by New Zealand.

“APEC sees the website as a resource for the wider economic and technical co-operation community,” Helen Clark said.

Background

The New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) has led the Apec Ecotech Clearing House project. It has been managed by The Cuba Group Ltd, an innovative New Zealand software consultancy which has brought together the skills of a number of other small Wellington-based businesses to design and build the website.

Economic and Technical Cooperation (Ecotech) is a key part of APEC activity. Ecotech is the promotion of economic and technical cooperation in pursuit of sustainable development in the Asia-Pacific community. In particular, it aims at building the capacity of developing economies to participate fully in the modern global economy, addressing disparities in living standards and promoting environmentally sustainable growth.

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