Singapore is pleased to host the APEC Singapore 2009 year. This is also a significant year as it marks the 20th year of APEC’s inception. The theme for this year is “Sustaining Growth, Connecting the Region”. It reflects the continuing efforts of APEC to facilitate trade and investment in the region, a subject which has gained greater importance in these challenging economic times.

The APEC Leaders Week is the culmination of a series of key meetings that have been held in Singapore since February 2009. These meetings have covered a wide range of issues such as trade and finance, energy, climate change, small and medium enterprises as well as logistics and transport. As economies around the world start to emerge from the global crisis, a highlight for the APEC Leaders Week is the APEC Economic Leaders Meeting where leaders of the 21 Member Economies gather to discuss new growth paradigms to include balanced, inclusive and sustainable growth within a regional setting. With the commitment to advocate free trade and open markets, APEC is focused on finding practical initiatives to help businesses and Asia-Pacific position themselves for a robust recovery in the near future and help take Regional Economic Integration to the next level.