APO 68th Governing Body Session Held in New Delhi
Why in the news
New Delhi played host to the governing body of a regional productivity organisation, underlining India’s weight in Asia-Pacific cooperation and its Viksit Bharat 2047 goals.
Key facts
- Event: the APO Governing Body’s 68th Session, with the Government of India as host and Bharat Mandapam as venue.
- APO set up: 11 May 1961; headquarters in Tokyo, Japan.
- Membership: 21 Asia-Pacific economies; India is a founding member.
- Character: non-political, non-profit, non-discriminatory intergovernmental body.
- Aim: sustainable socioeconomic growth in the region through higher productivity, cooperation, knowledge sharing and innovation.
Five functional roles of APO
| Role | What it means |
|---|---|
| Think Tank | Studies productivity, climate and economic trends |
| Catalyst | Encourages bilateral and multilateral ties and institutional reform |
| Regional Adviser | Gives policy advice to governments |
| Institution Builder | Trains people and strengthens NPOs, SMEs and the public sector |
| Clearinghouse | Collects and spreads productivity practices and tools |
Background
- Productivity: how well inputs such as labour, capital, technology and energy are turned into output.
- NPOs: national bodies that promote productivity via training, research, consultancy and policy advice.
- National Productivity Council (NPC): India’s NPO, a registered society with autonomy, attached to Commerce and Industry, set up 1958.
- Bharat Mandapam: international convention centre at Pragati Maidan, inaugurated July 2023; hosted the G20 Summit in September 2023.
Exam angle
- APO: founded 1961, HQ Tokyo, 21 members.
- NPC works under Commerce and Industry, not Labour.
- Venue: Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.