US-APEC Technical Assistance to Advance Regional Integration (US-ATAARI) Quarterly Progress Report (April-June 2017)

The team coordinated with 17 government agencies to develop and/or implement 35 interventions on various technical areas. Key achievements under each program area include: In Program Area 1: Green Growth, US-ATAARI continued its work on fossil fuel subsidy reform in Viet Nam. The team conducted an economy-level review, met with the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) of Viet Nam and other stakeholders to discuss selected subsidies, and drafted a report outlining key findings and recommendations. US-ATAARI also prepared for a fossil fuels capacity building workshop in Jakarta, Indonesia, which will explore different fiscal instruments for transitioning to market-based pricing and strategies to mitigate their impacts. In Program Area 2: Trade and Investment Facilitation, US-ATAARI supported growing efforts in APEC to focus on digital economy issues. The team finalized two technical reports and implemented eight workshops, training 391 participants on digital trade and access to the digital economy. US-ATAARI also worked on a trade facilitation project, which aimed to improve the efficiency of customs procedures and reduce trade costs. In Program Area 3: Regulatory Reform, US-ATAARI supported the development of a regulatory reform framework in Viet Nam. The team worked with the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) to identify areas for regulatory reform and developed a draft framework for improving the regulatory environment. In Program Area 4: Human Security, US-ATAARI supported the development of a human security framework in Viet Nam. The team worked with the Ministry of Public Security to identify areas for human security reform and developed a draft framework for improving human security. In Program Area 5: Women's Economic Empowerment, US-ATAARI supported the development of a women's economic empowerment framework in Viet Nam. The team worked with the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs to identify areas for women's economic empowerment reform and developed a draft framework for improving women's economic empowerment. In Program Area 6: Host Year Capacity Building and APEC Secretariat, US-ATAARI supported the development of a capacity building framework in Viet Nam. The team worked with the APEC Secretariat to identify areas for capacity building and developed a draft framework for improving capacity building. Cross-cutting initiatives included the development of a data quality assessment framework and the implementation of a performance indicator reference sheet. The team also worked on a supply connectivity framework action plan framework, which aimed to improve the efficiency of supply chains and reduce trade costs. Overall, US-ATAARI made significant progress in implementing its Fifth Annual Work Plan from April 1, 2017, to June 30, 2017. The team's efforts focused on supporting the development of green growth, trade and investment facilitation, regulatory reform, human security, women's economic empowerment, and host year capacity building and APEC secretariat frameworks in Viet Nam.