The Counter-Terrorism Task Force (CTTF) completed its first meeting for 2006 endorsing the recommendations made by the 4th Conference on the Secure Trade in the APEC Region (STAR) Conference that will now be considered by APEC Senior Officials.

These recommendations include the further strengthening of public and private partnerships as crucial for effectively and efficiently promoting secure trade in the region. It was agreed that such partnerships should be developed at both domestic and inter-regional levels, and should involve newly emerging organisations such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and Community of Independent States (CIS).

The CTTF also endorsed the APEC Symposium on Total Supply Chain Security which will be held in Singapore on 6-7 July 2006. The symposium will help to create awareness about total supply chain security for the public and private sector and provide a comprehensive approach to supply chain security which can help enhance trade facilitation, lower business costs and lead to overall efficiency.

Meanwhile, the APEC Health Task Force (HTF) concluded their meeting by finalising dates for the APEC Ministerial Meeting on Avian and Influenza Preparedness and an associated workshop to increase the communications capacity of Member Economies in the event of an outbreak.

The Ministerial meeting will take place in May and will be held in Da Nang. The meeting will allow Ministers to strengthen regional preparedness to deal with any regional pandemic through the endorsement of an action plan to be implemented by Member Economies.

The action plan will include rapid regional response mechanisms, strategies to ensure business continuity during a crisis, capacity building to control a pandemic of avian origin at its source and the assessment of pandemic preparedness efforts and impacts.

The Health Task Force also agreed on details for an expert workshop in pandemic risk communication that will be held on the margins of the Ministerial meeting. The workshop will establish a network of regional experts in public health and disaster management and establish protocols covering communications, logistics, business operation and government arrangement.

The delegates will enter the first senior official meeting (SOM I) on March 1./.