14 May 2015 – Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Senior Officials, representatives of various APEC fora, and representatives from the government, business, and academic sectors are expected to engage in a meaningful discussion at the Symposium on the Internet Economy to be held on May 18 at Ballroom 2 of Crown Regency Resort and Convention Center in Boracay.

Guided by the APEC 2015 theme of “Building Inclusive Economies, Building a Better World”, the Symposium will look at the role of the internet economy in promoting inclusive growth, particularly how the Internet enables different services to connect and expand. Further, experts will also share how the Internet led to the emergence of new business practices and models. Lastly, the Symposium will tackle the challenges in fully harnessing this technology, as well as the opportunities to address such barriers. 

Hosted by the Philippines in cooperation with the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC), the Symposium will gather experts’ inputs and recommendations for APEC, particularly on the role it can play in improving understanding among economies of policies that promote economic benefits from the information economy. Outcomes of the Symposium are expected to contribute to APEC’s discussions on services as well as on SMEs. 

The Symposium on the Internet Economy stems from the APEC Leaders’ instructions in 2014 to discuss the Internet Economy, promote member economies’ cooperation on developing the Internet Economy, and facilitate technological and policy exchanges to bridge the digital divide. END