APO Secretary-General Dr. Indra Pradana Singawinata accompanied APO Chair and Director for Fiji Jone Maritino Nemani to make a courtesy call on Alternate Director for Japan Kenji Enoshita at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan on 19 December.

APO Chair Nemani thanked Alternate Director Enoshita for the support provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan for the successful launch of the Green Productivity (GP) 2.0 Roadmap at the 65th Workshop Meeting (WSM) of Heads of National Productivity Organizations (NPOs) held in Nadi in October. Alternate Director Enoshita thanked the APO Chair for the warm hospitality extended by the Government of Fiji to the Science and Technology Advisor to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Professor Yoichiro Matsumoto, at the 65th WSM. Noting that APO Director for Fiji Nemani had joined the GP Advisory Council at the 65th WSM, Alternate Director Enoshita also appreciated the support of Fiji and GP Advisory Council Members in furthering the development of the GP platform pioneered by the Government of Japan in 1994.

This was followed by a fruitful discussion of how the productivity movement in the Asia-Pacific region has matured over the six decades since the establishment of the APO, with a corresponding shift toward being driven by innovations in the private sector. APO Chair Nemani, Alternate Director Enoshita, and Secretary-General Dr. Indra explored how the APO and member governments could continue to play complementary roles in enabling the private sector to pursue higher levels of productivity and contribute to economic growth.

As the meeting concluded, Alternate Director Enoshita agreed with APO Chair Nemani and Secretary-General Dr. Indra to examine new, effective ways of cooperation through the APO, which offered a gateway to accelerate the development not only of Fiji and APO members, but also of other Pacific Island states.

APO Secretary-General Dr. Indra Pradana Singawinata (left); APO Chair and Director for Fiji Jone Maritino Nemani (center); Alternate Director for Japan Kenji Enoshita, Director, Country Assistance Planning Division I, International Cooperation Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (right)