ASIAN-PACIFIC BUSINESS FORUM 2013

 Where — This year, APBF 2013 is scheduled to be held in Bangkok, Thailand at the United Nations Conference Center.

When — 25 - 26 November 2013 (please note that the Sixth Meeting of the ESCAP Business Advisory Council Meeting is a closed session by invitation only).

Who — APBF participants consist of business, government, academic, civil society and other key stakeholder from across the Asia-Pacific.

Content — With these highly engaging and action-oriented dialogues, APBF participants are able to actively shape and influence the policy and business environment in Asia-Pacific by formulating their own strategies and policy recommendations which are presented to, among others, ESCAP's Committee on Trade and Investment as well as the Commission, ESCAP's highest legislative body. Together, with the participation and support from a diverse group of businesses, policymakers and civil society organizations from the Asia-Pacific region, APBF is continuing its pursuit of becoming the leading Asian-Pacific platform for public-private sector dialogue on the role and needs of businesses in achieving inclusive, resilient and sustainable development for all.

Objective — To identify the challenges and opportunities for connecting business in the Asia-Pacific region within the context of achieving inclusive and sustainable development in the region in general and the Pacific subregion in particular.

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The Asia-Pacific Business Forum (APBF) is the first and only regional multi-stakeholder business forum organized by the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). With its 53 Member States plus 9 Associate Members, ranging from least developed and Pacific Island countries, to countries with emerging markets, the ESCAP secretariat and ESCAP's Business Advisory Council are the driving forces behind APBF.

Since it was first launched in 2004 in Shanghai, APBF has attracted over 2,000 participants from business, government, academia and civil society throughout the region, always in pursuit of its mission to provide the best platform for region-wide public-private sector dialogue on the role and needs of business in achieving inclusive, resilient and sustainable development. Over the course of almost one decade, APBF was hosted in such diverse cities such as Bangkok, Jakarta, Almaty, and Kuala Lumpur. APBF 2013 is scheduled to be held in Bangkok, Thailand in November 2013. APBF has also become a premier modality to establish and strengthen a solid and meaningful regional multi-stakeholder network of national and regional businesses and related organizations as well as relevant national and regional public organizations.