APO Secretary-General Amano (4th L) with President Ma (5th R) and other dignitaries at the opening of the COE on GP in Taipei.

The opening ceremony of the APO’s Center of Excellence on Green Productivity (COE on GP) on 5 November 2013 was attended by Secretary-General Mari Amano. Held at the GIS MOTC Convention Center in Taipei, it was scheduled to coincide with the 2013 International Forum on Green Productivity.

Inter ministerial support for the COE on GP was reflected by those who spoke at the combined events, including President of the ROC Dr. Ying-Jeou Ma, who gave the keynote address; Deputy Minister Francis Kuo-Hsin Liang of the Ministry of Economic Affairs; Minister Dr. Bao-Ji Chen of the Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan; Minister Dr. Stephen Shu-Hung Shen of the Environmental Protection Administration; Vice Minister Vanessa Yea-Ping Shih of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Managing Director Dr. Kuo-Ming Wang of the China Productivity Center (CPC); and President Dr. Pao-Cheng Chang of the CPC. The forum, attended by approximately 300, included a panel discussion among representatives of the private sector, academia, and NGOs on The Importance of Green Productivity in Achieving Green Growth and Sustainable Inclusive Development in the Asia-Pacific Region. The panel discussion included experts from Germany, Hong Kong, and India.

The COE on GP will help the APO in promoting GP, focusing initially on the dissemination of knowledge of and best practices in green energy, green factories, recycling, and ecoinnovations in agriculture.