San Francisco, CA — Today, Mayor London N. Breed announced state and federal leaders who will serve as Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Honorary Host Committee members, to include Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, Governor Gavin Newsom, Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, U.S Senator Alex Padilla, State Treasurer Fiona Ma, City Attorney David Chiu and Chairman and CEO of East West Bank and Chair of the APEC Business Advisory Council, Dominic Ng.
APEC will be the largest convening of world leaders in San Francisco since the UN Charter was signed in 1945 during the UN Conference on International Organization, also called the San Francisco Conference.
Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis will serve as APEC Host Committee Finance Chair. APEC, established in 1989, is the leading forum in the Asia-Pacific to facilitate trade and investment, economic growth, and regional cooperation. Through APEC, the United States seeks to advance a free, fair, and open economic policy agenda that benefits U.S. workers, businesses, and families. The 21 APEC member economies account for nearly 40 percent of the global population, or nearly 3 billion people, and nearly 50 percent of global trade.
Last month the City kicked off its first official launch event to raise visibility and share plans about the opportunities APEC 2023 will bring to San Francisco. Leading up to November, Mayor Breed and the Office of Protocol will host events for civic and business leaders to support the City’s sponsorship goal, providing the necessary support for APEC 2023 that is expected to draw in approximately 500 global CEOs, 1000 media representatives, and nearly 30,000 delegates from across APEC’s member economies.
“Since becoming Chair of the APEC Business Advisory Council last summer, I have been working closely with my counterparts throughout the Asia-Pacific on issues impacting the region,” said Dominic Ng, Chairman and CEO of East West Bank and the presidentially appointed Chair of the APEC Business Advisory Council. “I am honored to be a part of the APEC Honorary Host Committee and thrilled to welcome my fellow business leaders to the City and County of San Francisco and our great state of California this November.”
Throughout 2022, these leaders were instrumental in helping San Francisco secure its bid as the host City for the APEC Leaders’ Meeting and APEC CEO Summit through their leadership and advocacy. As part of their official responsibilities as APEC Honorary Host Committee members, they will work closely with the APEC Host Committee to create and strengthen critical community and business relationships for support APEC 2023, including:
- Highlighting San Francisco’s ongoing efforts to address complex challenges facing other major cities around the world;
- Sharing San Francisco happenings and announcements that help amplify the City’s unique offerings and advancements locally and internationally; and
- Engaging residents and business leaders with opportunities to get involved to showcase the City.
The work of the Honorary Host Committee Members is critical to securing long-term benefits such as strengthened international relations to increase trade, tourism, and cooperation among Member Economies, attracting investment in the region, and increased tourism and business travel experiences and exposure to San Francisco.
