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PETALING JAYA: Malaysia has become the first country to virtually host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), a feat that involved more than 20,000 hours of work throughout the year.
Now, APEC 2020 has set the benchmark for New Zealand, which has revealed plans to virtually host next year’s summit.
Achieving the summit while the country battled Covid-19 was not an easy task, but it was made possible thanks to the APEC 2020 National Secretariat.
The secretariat was led by officials from the Ministry of Industry and International Trade (Miti) who worked closely with representatives from various ministries, government agencies and the private sector.
Miti had been closely following Covid-19 since January, before the country went into lockdown, and even prepared videos on social distancing and regular hand washing while delegates visited the country.
Foreign delegates were given health declaration forms upon arrival, while hotels were asked to screen their guests, provide them with masks and hand sanitizers.
In February, delegates who were unable to travel were able to virtually attend APEC meetings.
Later, Miti proposed that APEC 2020 take place virtually and Putrajaya gave the green light, with Celcom Axiata Bhd playing a significant role in ensuring that digital meetings ran smoothly.
Miti’s communications chief Zuhaila Akmar Mohd Sedek described the experience as “very challenging but rewarding.”
“Despite the situation, it gave us the opportunity to show our true capabilities. There were some ups and downs, but we recovered quite well and established the idea that safeguarding the economy should be the top priority, in addition to ensuring people’s well-being.
“This is the central message during the APEC meetings and it is necessary to continue this discussion at the regional level,” said Zuhaila.
The challenges also included dividing the various meetings into two time slots, one in the morning and one in the evening, to serve delegates in eight different time zones.
Miti’s (Secretariat for Strategic Trade) Senior Deputy Chief Executive Officer Mega Marissa Abdul Malek said the summit’s success came down to getting the smallest details right.
“Our team is no stranger to organizing events, but when it comes to a virtual summit of this size, it’s all about planning and covers all aspects,” said Marissa.
“We even prepare storyboards down to the seconds to make sure the speakers have a chance to speak.”
Miti said they were ready to share their experiences with New Zealand to ensure a successful virtual APEC next year.
On November 20, Malaysia will convene leaders of 21 APEC economies for the first virtual APEC economic leaders meeting to be chaired by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.
Malaysia, a founding member of APEC established in 1989, is hosting the regional forum for the second time after hosting it in 1998.
This year’s theme is “Optimizing Human Potential Towards a Resilient Future of Shared Prosperity: Pivot. Prioritize. Progress”.
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