Next week’s APEC Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) will see 3,000 delegates from member economies converging in Port Moresby.
In an exclusive interview with EMTV, SOM Chair, Ivan Pomaleu, spoke candidly about what Port Moresby residents should expect and what, if any, the tangible results the country can experience from hosting APEC this year.
The Senior Officials Meeting, or SOM 1 as it is known, is the first of the four SOM cluster meetings which will be policy-focused, finding solutions to cooperatively develop the 21 member economies.
The meeting will begin on February 24 and conclude on March 9.
Despite preparations and anticipation of the meetings, critics remain sceptical about the country’s role in hosting such a big event; criticism surrounding the millions of public monies used.
In retort, Pomaleu stated that he and his team have spoken to previous host economies and although the tangible benefits won’t be seen until after the year, it is useful to retain best practice consideration.
