GBP's Interviews
APEC – Challenges after the pandemic
Volker Friedrich speaks with Tan Sri Rebecca Sta Maria, Executive Director of the APEC Secretariat, about the economic and structural challenges faced by APEC economies in the wake of COVID-19 and the evolving global landscape.
Tan Sri Rebecca Sta Maria is the Executive Director of the APEC Secretariat, based in Singapore. APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) represents 21 economies, accounting for approximately 60% of global GDP (www.apec.org). As Executive Director, Dr. Sta Maria oversees APEC’s role as an advisory body, implementation arm, and custodian of institutional memory for its member economies.
A distinguished Malaysian civil servant and seasoned trade negotiator, Dr. Sta Maria previously served as Secretary-General of Malaysia’s Ministry of International Trade and Industry. In this capacity, she led negotiations for key bilateral and regional free trade agreements, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
Within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), she chaired the body responsible for drafting both the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) 2015 Blueprint and the AEC 2025 Blueprint, shaping ASEAN’s economic integration agenda.
An accomplished academic and author, Dr. Sta Maria has been recognized by the American Academy of Human Resource Development and the University of Georgia for her contributions to scholarship. In 2017, she published The Smell of Home, a book celebrating her personal Malaysian heritage and culinary traditions.
Notably, Dr. Sta Maria is the first woman to serve as Executive Director of the APEC Secretariat, exemplifying her trailblazing leadership in international trade and diplomacy.
The conversation explores how APEC is adapting to the increasing importance of sustainability, digitalization and resilient supply chains while balancing the competing dynamics of globalization and deglobalization. This interview provides invaluable insights into how APEC is steering its 21 member economies representing 60% of global GDP toward a more sustainable, inclusive and digitally connected future.
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