H.E. Ambassador Raza Bashi Tarar (L) with APO Secretary-General Dr. Indra Pradana Singawinata.

H.E. Ambassador of Pakistan Raza Bashir Tarar paid a courtesy call on Asian Productivity Organization (APO) Secretary-General Dr. Indra Pradana Singawinata on 7 November in Tokyo. Secretary-General Dr. Indra warmly welcomed and thanked Ambassador Tarar for visiting the Secretariat and shared his appreciation for the support of the Government of Pakistan for APO activities.

Ambassador Tarar emphasized that for productivity improvement in APO members, all stakeholders must be on the same page and shared the principle of “pragmatism to make a difference” through more interactions with diplomatic missions to raise productivity in APO economies.

Secretary-General Dr. Indra gave an overview of APO activities and member-specific specialized programs to support productivity enhancement in Pakistan. These included the recent accreditation of the Productivity Certification Body of Pakistan; business recovery and resilience support to SMEs and critical sectors; a bilateral cooperation mission from Pakistan to Vietnam for sharing Vietnam’s national initiatives, experiences in productivity, and certification body operation; a study mission from Pakistan to Thailand for learning about development initiatives in the gems and jewelry sector; and development of the National Productivity Master Plan of Pakistan aiming to double productivity growth in all sectors in 10 years.

Ambassador Tarar appreciated the explanation and APO initiatives in Pakistan. He highlighted that the application of productivity varied from country to country depending on local circumstances since entities might be the same but the results could be different.

Ambassador Tarar and Secretary-General Dr. Indra agreed to remain in close communication and strengthen relations for productivity improvement in Pakistan and the region.