The news
Asia¨Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Presidents and Prime Ministers, including Barack Obama and Xi Jinping, and their trade ministers met earlier this month in Manilla (Philippines).
The work on Global Data Standards (GDS) pilots received full and formal support in a Joint Ministerial Statement which recognises the progresses made and encourages Governments to develop pilot projects.
GS1 Australia, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, New Zealand, Mexico, Peru, US, are playing an active role in developing these APEC GDS pilots
Why this news is important to GS1
- The Statement shows continued focus from APEC economies’ Ministerial level on the development of GDS pilots
- It explicitly mentions two Global Data Standards pilot projects leveraging GS1 standards
- It shows region-wide recognition of the benefits industry standards can bring to Asia-Pacific Governments
- It looks into the next steps of the process such as recommendations for Governments on how to promote wider use of GDS, which could result in region-wide voluntary adoption of industry standards in Government cross-border and visibility functions
About GS1 and APEC
GS1 together with the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) is part of an initiative within APEC to further the use of industry standards in international supply chains, to improve efficiencies and safety.
The initiative focuses on B2B efficiencies as well as improved Government processes through better access to data enabling visibility and risk management. The initiative has the potential to strengthen the APEC Supply Chain Connectivity work through the application of GS1 standards in Government cross border risk management and data sharing visibility systems.