Speech
of
His Excellency Fidel V. Ramos
President of the Philippines
On Seoul APEC Declaration
[Released on November 15, 1994]
Protecting and sharing
our human resources
From its inception, human resources development has been a major item on the agenda of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). In the Seoul APEC Declaration, Asia-Pacific economic leaders, “convinced that closer cooperation is needed to use more effectively human and natural resources of the Asia-Pacific region so as to attain sustainable growth of its economies while reducing economic disparities among them and to improve the economic and social well-being of its people,” declared as two objectives of APEC the following:
a) to sustain the growth and development of the region for the common good of its peoples and, in this way, to contribute to the growth and development of the world economy;
b) to enhance the positive gains, both for the region and for the world economy, resulting from increasing economic interdependence, including by encouraging the flow of goods, services, capital and technology.
Promotion of human resources development
As clearly stated in the Seoul Declaration, APEC economic leaders agreed to focus on those economic areas where there is hope to advance common interests and achieve mutual benefit, including through the promotion of human resources development. To this end, APEC stated that it will seek to develop practical programs of economic cooperation to contribute to economic dynamism and improved living standards throughout the region.
Last year in Seattle, APEC leaders envisioned a community of Asia-Pacific economies in which “our people share the benefits of economic growth through higher incomes, high-skilled and high-paying jobs and increased mobility.”
This year, our Ministers adopted the Declaration on a Human Resources Development Framework for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. The HRD framework for APEC rightly focuses on human resources, on our common people as both the means and the end to economic growth. It states that “the objective of human resources development in APEC is to promote the well-being of all people in the region through economic growth and development/’ The Declaration, thus, urges “members to consolidate and concentrate their efforts on human resources development and protection to produce tangible economic benefits in an effort based on focused dialogue and the achievement of consensus.” Our Ministers further declared that “the development of human resources contributes to the attainment of such fundamental values as the alleviation of poverty, full employment, universal access to primary, secondary and vocational education, and the full participation of all groups in the process of economic growth and development.”
We, the leaders in Bogor, must start where our Ministers left off.
Five principles
We can begin by accepting these five principles:
1) Just as APEC interdependence is based on sharing of capital, natural resources and intellectual property rights, so too must human resources be shared.
2) While the principle of dynamic comparative advantage in human resources is based on education and training, these resources must be afforded the opportunities to realize their full potential.
3) Continuous and rational upgrading of human resources will put all APEC economies on a higher economic development plane.
4) Human resources must be assured protection in their pursuit of highest returns just like capital, natural resources and intellectual rights. Needless to say, this protection will respect the laws and regulations prevailing in the country of operation.
5) Human resources deserve the protection to which they are entitled as persons imbued with dignity and basic rights.
Action plan
After our consensual recognition of these principles, we must direct our Ministers and senior officials to incorporate in the HRD annual work plan concrete measures to:
1) Enhance respect for the rights and protection of our human resources;
2) Develop and upgrade their skills, taking into account the changing requirements of the markets;
3) Give them the opportunity to seek the highest return.
These HRD-related measures will undoubtedly contribute to accelerating economic growth, sustaining development and promoting the well-being of our peoples.