Posted by on Feb 25, 2021

The APEC Steering Committee on Economic and Technical Co-operation has invited Michael Woods to attend a policy dialogue on Understanding and Valuing Indigenous Economies within APEC.  APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) is a 21- member intergovernmental forum dedicated to promoting economic growth, and cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region.  The purpose of the March 3, 2021, virtual conference is to  review the findings of an APEC report on Indigenous economies and how they can contribute to inclusive economic growth.  The objective is also to identify opportunities for future work by APEC on the role of governments in unlocking the potential of indigenous economies. New Zealand has lead the work on this initiative with Canada as one of the co-sponsoring nations.   Canada’s related case study can be found at this link – APEC case study on inclusive policies: Advancing Indigenous peoples’ economic interests through Canada’s trade agreements (international.gc.ca).  Through his work as founding member International Inter-tribal Trade and Investment Organization (IITIO), Michael is active in promoting Indigenous trade.  He has served on Global Affairs Canada’s Indigenous Working Group (IWG) since its creation in 2017.