APEC 2009 agenda: A beginner's guide

APEC is generally famed around the world for that golden moment when 21 of the world's most powerful leaders, clad in wildly unflattering national dress and looking mortified, are forced to smile for the press. 

But next week in Singapore there is a lot going on beyond the photo-op, including a get-together of youth leaders, CEOS and also national finance ministers.

Here's our lowdown of the APEC agenda:

Voices of the Future

Date: 9 - 15 November 2009

Location: Singapore

Website: www.apecvof09.org

The lowdown: This junior summit is platform for some 120 youths leaders from APEC economies to talk about issues discussed in the APEC meetings. Regional industry giants like Banyan Tree chairman Ho Kwon Ping are slated to give speeches, and the delegates, aged 18-25, get to attend the APEC CEO summit.

APEC Finance Ministers' Meeting

Date: 10-12 November 2009

Location: Suntec Convention Centre

The lowdown: Regional finance ministers and deputies hotly debate the global economic crisis, large-scale infrastructure development models and trade for two days.

APEC Ministerial Meeting

Date: 11-12 November 2009

Location: Suntec Convention Centre

The lowdown: Foreign, economic and trade ministers meet to set the agenda for APEC’s headliner, the Economic Leader’s Meeting.

This year they’re expected to talk about speeding up regional economic integration, multilateral trading, and how economies can grow ‘sustainably’, post-crisis.

APEC SME Summit

Date: 12 November 2009

Location: Raffles City Convention Centre, Singapore

Website: www.apecsmesummit.com

The lowdown: The movers and shakers of the region’s small and medium enterprises network and debate over the summit’s theme, ‘Thriving in Turbulent Markets.’

Among the speakers who will sharing their ‘vast knowledge’ with SME owners and top execs: Dave Girouard, president of Google enterprise, Richard Li of Hong Kong’s PCCW, Alibaba chairman Jack Ma, and Jet Li. Yes, the kungfu star—we’re thrown off balance too.

APEC CEO Summit

Date: 13 - 14 November 2009

Location: Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre

Website: www.ceosummit.apec2009.sg

The lowdown: A who’s who gathering of the world’s political and economic figureheads. U.S President Obama, China’s President Hu Jintao, President Dmitry Medvedev from Russia and Korea President Lee Myung-Bak are all expected to attend.

Global Chairman of PricewaterhouseCoopers Dennis M. Nally, HSBC chairman Stephen Green and Prof Tim Flannery, who chairs the Copenhagen Climate Council, are among the bigwig speakers who will give speeches about the year’s most over-debated topics, like “Is the Global Crisis Really Over?” and “Economic Sense and Nonsense about Global Warming.”

APEC Economic Leaders Meeting

Date: 14 – 15 November 2009

Location: Suntec Convention Centre, Istana

The lowdown: It’s the moment we’re all waiting for -- 21 world leaders will march out at the Economic Leaders Meeting draped in blue, red or green linen Peranakan costume.  We wait with bated breath.

Outside of the fashion shoot, leaders will touch on strategy, economy and trade. Talks in the past few years spotlighted regional economic integration, the Doha Round of trade talks, climate change and terrorism. Though, arguably, little is ever acheived here, it is this gathering that becomes the key Apec agenda moment for the media.