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* Atleast Project Title is Required.
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Project No. |
HRD 12 2022A
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Project Title |
APEC Youth impact Forum: Promoting Local Sustainability and Inclusive Growth to Enhance Post-Pandemic Regional Resilience and Innovation
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Project Status |
Completed Project
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Publication (if any) |
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Fund Account |
APEC Support Fund
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Sub-fund |
ASF: Women and the Economy
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Project Year |
2022
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Project Session |
Session 2
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APEC Funding |
60,000
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Co-funding Amount |
111,943
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Total Project Value |
171,943
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Sponsoring Forum |
Human Resource Development Working Group (HRDWG)
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Topics |
Human Resources Development
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Committee |
SOM Steering Committee on Economic and Technical Cooperation (SCE)
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Other Fora Involved |
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Other Non-APEC Stakeholders Involved |
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Proposing Economy(ies) |
Chinese Taipei
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Co-Sponsoring Economies |
Indonesia; Japan; Korea; Malaysia; Philippines; Thailand; United States
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Expected Start Date |
01/04/2023
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Expected Completion Date |
28/02/2024
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Project Proponent Name 1 |
Eric Lin Yen-Liang
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Job Title 1 |
Dr / Project Director
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Organization 1 |
Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education
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Postal Address 1 |
Not Applicable
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Telephone 1 |
(886-2) 27712171 Extension 1171
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Fax 1 |
Not Applicable
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Email 1 |
ericlin@ntut.edu.tw
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Project Proponent Name 2 |
Not Applicable
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Job Title 2 |
Not Applicable
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Organization 2 |
Not Applicable
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Postal Address 2 |
Not Applicable
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Telephone 2 |
Not Applicable
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Fax 2 |
Not Applicable
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Email 2 |
Not Applicable
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Declaration |
Eric Lin Yen-Liang
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Project Summary |
The pandemic continues to impose substantial limitations on youth employment rate and women economic participation, and has inevitably led to a drastic impact on cross-regional trade and regional economies. To strengthen the role of education in promoting social, individual, economic and sustainable development, this project aims to create opportunities to promote how local revitalization initiatives focusing on sustainability and inclusive growth in rural areas can generate more opportunities for young people and women, and further improve the regional economic resilience through cross-border education cooperation. The project’s main event is a two-day forum and a one-day field visit planned to take place in October 2023. The forum will incorporate projects, resources, policy and information sharing on local or regional revitalization, sustainable development, and the green economy. During the one-day field visit, participants will travel to the AI Agricultural Hub in Chinese Taipei, a regional youth hub that provides start-up resources and education for local youth to encourage them to develop sustainable businesses. The proposed project aligns closely with the 2022 APEC Thailand priority of “Balance in all Aspects: Promoting inclusive and sustainable growth”, the 2021 New Zealand’s theme of “Increasing Inclusion and Sustainability for Recovery”, the key objectives of the PPWE 2019-2021 Strategic Plan, and the “APEC Education Strategy 2016-2030”.
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Relevance |
Issues: Recently, youth unemployment rates have remained unacceptably high under the influence of the global COVID-19 pandemic. According to the World Economic Forum, the global youth (aged 14-25) employment rate declined by 8.7% in 2020 from the previous year. However, adult (aged 25+) employment rate was much less affected, falling only 3.7% during the same period. This difference indicates that the economic impact of the pandemic has had a much larger impact on youth. However, this impact has impacted women employment much greater than that of male employment. During the pandemic, women employment rates were substantially lower, showing that women youth are a group in the most urgent need of assistance. Importantly, these low rates are projected to persist in the employment market disproportionately longer than that of males. The International Labour Organization, for example, states that “disproportionate job and income losses suffered by women during the pandemic will persist in the near future”. This disparity is observed not only in women youth, but in all age categories. Globally between 2020 and 2021, total women employment declined by 4.8%, while male employment declined by only 3.2%. In the Asia Pacific region, women employment dropped by 3.8 % compared to only 2.9 % for male employment rate. The pandemic has also caused a drastic decrease in international trade and regional economic growth, primarily through lockdowns and travel limitations, causing a previously unexperienced disruptions of global supply chains and limitations in the movement of people. Cross-regional businesses and cooperation continue to encounter significant challenges during this difficult period. The pandemic has created an employment disparity that has affected women, particularly women and youth employment. Not only are the current employment rates of these groups disproportionately lower that of males, but they are predicted to persist as a long-term employment trend. Providing a solution to this employment disparity and the resulting decreased economic opportunities, the current project provides a platform to enhance local economic revitalization and promote inclusive sustainable growth, and increase job and start-up opportunities and resources will be generated for young people and specifically women. Furthermore, by promoting economic revitalization and sustainability in remote areas, this project will also help to narrow the economic gap between urban and rural areas. In the long term, the implementation of sustainability initiatives and innovative revitalization will be beneficial to improving regional resilience and prosperity in the post-pandemic era. Eligibility and Fund Priorities: This project specifically addresses the importance of inclusive participation of women and youth in the economy. Innovative and sustainable approaches are encouraged to be carried out in local rural areas to boost employment and sustain balanced economies during, and after, the pandemic. To this end, the project directly aligns with the 2022 APEC Thailand priority of “Balance in all Aspects: Promoting inclusive and sustainable growth” and the APEC 2021 New Zealand’s priority “Increasing Inclusion and Sustainability for Recovery”. By bringing in best practices of sustainable and revitalization projects supported by academia, government and private stakeholders that help improve women employment or startup environments, this project is in line with the PPWE’s five pillars, specifically those relating to women economic participation. Capacity Building: While the pandemic continues to slow the pace of economic growth, regional development becomes pivotal in strengthening economic resilience. This project proposes a solution, creating a foundation for all economies to first focus on local revitalization, with emphasis on enhancing educational, sustainable, and economic development in respective rural communities. Economic inequity between urban and rural areas is a persistent problem and challenge faced by both developing and developed economies. This project’s forum will showcase specific policies and actions taken by Chinese Taipei to successfully tackle these problems through engagement of youth and students with social services, implementation of sustainable practices, and rural business development. These not only increase economic sustainability and advancement, but specifically target the disparity in youth and women employment. This project will benefit participants from both developing and developed member economies, providing insight and practical approaches to enhancing economic recovery as well as inclusive growth through sustainable economic revitalization of rural areas. Specifically, women and youth participants will be given access to previously unavailable capacity building opportunities. This will be vital towards their ability to increase and apply their knowledge and skills in the process of sustainable economic recovery and revitalization. |
Objectives |
The objective of this project is to strengthen the role of education in promoting social, individual, economic and sustainable development. This project specifically targets building capacity for youth, especially women, and proposing the implementation of local revitalization, sustainability, and inclusive growth projects. Together these initiatives and sharing experiences will prepare our youth with the necessary education, training, and skills to be relevant and successful in the post-pandemic job market. Further, this project will also benefit regional economic resilience and innovation through cross-border education cooperation.
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Alignment |
Alignment to APEC: With the emphasis on facilitating sustainability, strengthening inclusive growth, targeting youth employment and enhancing women empowerment, this project supports the 2022 APEC Thailand priority of “Balance in all Aspects: Promoting inclusive and sustainable growth” with close alignment to its detailed initiatives to “Promote gender equality and women economic empowerment, through the La Serena Roadmap”, “Support MSMEs and start-ups, building on the 2015 Boracay Action Agenda, and their transformation to sustainable and green practices”, and “Engage youth and promote inter-generational exchange”. In addition, this project also supports the 2021 New Zealand’s theme of “Increasing Inclusion and Sustainability for Recovery”, the key objectives of the PPWE 2019-2021 Strategic Plan, and the “APEC Education Strategy 2016-2030” on the topics of “accelerate innovation” and “increase employability”. Alignment to Forum: The related projects and best practices of how Chinese Taipei and other member economies implementing regional revitalization with innovative and sustainable approaches will be shared via the proposed event. The project is also expected to spark conversations on how sustainable education and technological development combined with local revitalization can contribute to regional economic growth through increased youth and, specifically, women youth employment in emerging sectors. As such, this project will be in line with the HRDWG’s mission to “Develop 21st Century Knowledge and Skills for All” and “Integrate HRD into the Global Economy”. This project also responds to several pivot initiatives such as the mentioned “APEC Education Strategy 2016-2030”, “APEC Framework for Youth Education, Employment and Entrepreneurship” and the “APEC Framework on Human Resources Development in the Digital Age”. |
TILF/ASF Justification |
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Beneficiaries and Outputs |
Outputs: The main outputs of this project include a pre-forum survey, a two-day forum, a one-day field visit and a project final report. (1) Pre-Forum Survey: The pre-forum survey will be conducted via an online survey questionnaire, helping the PO to identify the latest trends and challenges faced by APEC member economies and exemplars of best practice. The target economies are the hosting economy, Chinese Taipei, and co-sponsoring economies of Indonesia; Japan; Korea; Malaysia; Philippines; Thailand; United States. Other economies are also welcomed to submit a survey questionnaire. The results of the survey will only be used by PO to build a more specific and concrete agenda and there won’t be any written document produced. (2) Forum: There will be a physical event in Taipei for travel eligible participants and speakers, while remote participants can join online. Every session will be broadcasted via online meeting platform, which will only be accessible to registered participants. The purpose of this forum is for participants to share their knowledge and learn experiences from best practices sharing. The target audience includes youth and women who are interested in the topic of local revitalization for start-ups and other related topics below: Day 1 Topics (tentative, more concrete topics will be updated after the pre-forum survey) a) Social responsibility education for youth to promote social services, sustainable practices and rural business development (3 speakers) b) Start-up experience sharing focusing on local revitalization, sustainable development and women empowerment (4 speakers) Day 2 Topics (tentative, more concrete topics will be updated after the pre-forum survey) a) Local revitalization, sustainable business and women startup resources sharing (3 speakers) b) Experience and innovative idea exchange session (3) One-day Educational Field Visit (physical event only): Participants will travel to the AI Agricultural Hub in Chinese Taipei, a regional youth hub that provides start-up resources and education for local youth and women to encourage them to develop sustainable businesses. (4) Final Report: A Final Report will also be produced and made accessible to all participants who are interested in the project and will be submitted to the APEC Secretariat once completed. This report will include a cover page, table of contents, introduction, methodology, results, and conclusion for a total of 15 pages. The targets will be the participants in this event, policy makers, and government officials. The report will be published in the APEC publications website so that more people can have access to it. Below is the tentative structure of the Project Final Report: a) Introduction b) Methodology (including the research method and the research target) c) Results i. Best practices and policy recommendations from the two-day forum ii. Field visit feedback collected through post-event survey d) Conclusion e) Appendix (including the questionnaires) Outcomes: The proposed project is expected to achieve the following outcomes: (1) The forum will showcase how education can effectively help to promote awareness on sustainability and inclusive growth, and encourage innovative approach on economic and social participation. (2) As the project aims at providing a solution to the employment disparity caused by the pandemic, and proposes the enhancement of local economic revitalization that accelerate inclusive and sustainable growth will increase job and start-up opportunities for the youth and women, the target groups will be equipped with necessary knowledge and skills that are relevant in the post-pandemic job market, and learn how to build sustainable businesses that will be economically resilience. (3) By incorporating sessions that specifically address to women entrepreneurship experience and empowerment, the invited women speakers will provide practical recommendations and guidance that will be beneficial to the women participants. The women participants will also learn how to achieve their goals through utilizing direct resources that are specifically provided for them. (4) The educational field visit will be a valuable opportunity for the participants to experience firsthand and learn more about regional youth hub as well as the resources provided that will help them build up sustainable and innovative businesses. The businesses will not only help the local economy and create job opportunities, but will also facilitate regional economic resilience in the long run. (5) The project outcomes, key findings, feedback, and the best practices sharing will be valuable points of reference for the youth, women and innovative educators in the region to cope with the upcoming challenges of the post-pandemic era. Beneficiaries: The target beneficiaries of this project will be those most directly impacted by the economic losses of the global COVID-19 pandemic and its projected long-term impacts within rural areas. This includes students, youth, and particularly women components of those groups. There is eagerness for youth and women participation, yet access and information allowing participation in sustainable revitalization remains unavailable. As such, the primary beneficiaries will be students, youth, and women who want to learn what local revitalization is and how local revitalization can be done to help improve sustainable economic development. The target students should have taken courses related to start-ups and sustainable economy so they can engage in more discussion in the forum. Policy makers, researchers / analysts, educators, and representatives from the industry sector will gain a clear sense of how to promote local revitalization and substantiality development in their own economies through integrating resources from the government, academia and industry. For policy makers, managerial and technical workers in fields of entrepreneur, commission on women, enterprise development, labour and workforce, social affairs are most welcomed. For private sectors, we hope to invite entrepreneurs who are working in the field of local revitalization for at least 1-2 years. Any level of workers are welcomed. For educators, teachers and professors who open related courses in the past two years are preferred. The secondary beneficiaries for this project should include the members of HRDWG, PPWE and SMEWG from gaining access to the Final Report. They can learn the latest trends and best practices of local revitalization from the report and utilize them in their programs or events. |
Dissemination |
In order to achieve sustainability as a common goal for all APEC economies, our project publications will mainly be electronic. Digital versions of project-related materials, including program book, presentation slides and information on local revitalization initiatives, sustainable development projects and startup resources will be sent to all the registered participants prior to the event. Project results, such as the post-event survey, will also be sent to all the participants and speakers after the event. The purpose of the event video is for note-taking and for PO to produce the final report. The video will not be disseminated. We will attain agreement of all attendees via the GIC. The final report including the results of the event and findings of the post-event survey will be submitted to the APEC Secretariat and later disseminated among EDNET, HRDWG and related APEC fora. It will also be published on APEC website (APEC Publication Database). The aforementioned materials and documents will all be uploaded and available to the public via the project website for participants and stakeholders. The project website will be maintained by the project overseer for at least one year after the completion of the project and will be used afterwards for other APEC related projects for sustainability. |
Gender |
As the project specially address to the employment disparity significantly affected women after the pandemic, the project is dedicated to promoting women economic participation, empowerment and leadership. The project will also showcase how women’s engagement in local revitalization projects and sustainable businesses can enhance inclusive growth and strengthen economic resilience. This project aligns with “The La Serena Roadmap for Women and Inclusive Growth (2019-2030)” by supporting women’s education, training and skills development in a changing world of work and promoting women and girls’ access to digital skills building and training, especially for women in remote and rural areas. The PO will seek to ensure the gender balance of this project with at least 50% of the participants and speakers to be women. In the post-event survey, PO will also disaggregate satisfactorily gender issues in order to evaluate if the satisfaction level varies according to the participant’s gender. PO is committed to collecting sex disaggregated data for all speakers and participants (not only those funded by APEC) at the project event. This data will be included when submitting a Completion Report to the Secretariat upon completion of the project, as well as providing guidance to future POs on their own gender parity targets. | Targets | | Female Participants (%) | 50% | | Female Speakers/Experts (%) | 50% | Referring to the Guide on Gender Criteria for APEC Project Proposals in the Guidebook on APEC Projects, please tick the pillar or pillars that this project supports, in promoting women’s economic empowerment: | | 5 Pillars (you may tick more than one) | | 1 | Access to Capital and Assets | | | 2 | Access to Markets | X | | 3 | Skills, Capacity Building, and Health | X | | 4 | Leadership, Voice and Agency | X | | 5 | Innovation and Technology | X | |
Work Plan |
| Time | Key Activities / Tasks | Deliverables | | April 2023 | Selecting contractor Event planning and budget confirmation | A signed contract Preliminary plan of the forum Budget of the event | | May 2023 | Pre-forum research | Concrete topics and best practices for the forum | | June 2023 | Review the delivery format of the Workshop | Delivery format (in-person or virtual | | July 2023 | Drafting agenda Booking venue Updating the multi-lingual project website Inviting potential speakers | Tentative agenda Project website update | | August 2023 | Speaker confirmation Detail planning and preparations General Information Circular to be disseminated to participants | Speaker list General Information Circular (GIC) | | September 2023 | Inviting target participants from all APEC member economies Participant registration | Monitoring Report Workshop Agenda | | October 2023 | Submission of the APEC Project Monitoring Report by 1 October Hosting the proposed forum and field visit | APEC Project Monitoring Report Forum and field visit Event Attendance List | | November 2023 | Sending post-event survey to the participants | Post-event survey | | December 2023 | Submission of draft Final report to the Secretariat for review and to HRDWG for endorsement | Endorsed Final report | | April 2024 | Submission of the APEC Project Completion Report and supporting documents | APEC Project Completion Report | | 6 to 12 months after project completion | Participation in the LTEAP survey conducted by the APEC Secretariat | |
Risks |
| No. | Risks | How will it be managed? | | 1 | The online broadcasting system breaks down due to technical issues | The project assistants will pre-test the system before the event and will prepare a back-up plan/software to ensure the event can be carried out without delay. | | 2 | The speakers that the organizing team plan to invite are unavailable due to a schedule conflict | At the preliminary planning stage, the PO and the project assistants will generate a substantial list of backup speakers and experts to mitigate this potential risk. | | 3 | Lack of interest among target participants or low engagement from member economies | Our organizing team will begin the application process 4 months prior to the event to engage as many target participants as possible. We will also enhance engagement of the co-sponsoring economies of the projects and collaborate with relevant working groups. | | 4 | Lack of applicability of the recommendations / best practices ideas to their home economies | The participants can consult with the invited speakers, experts and entrepreneurs during and even after the event to discuss relevant approach that they can implement back in their home economies. We will help to provide contact information for the participants if needed. | |
Monitoring and Evaluation |
| | Evaluation Focus | Indicators | Target Goals | Evaluation Method | Reporting Method | | Outputs | 1. Forum and Educational Field Trip | 1. Contracted executed | 31 Oct 2023 | Certification by PO | Contract | | 2. No. of participants (excl. speakers/experts) | 100 | Event Attendance List | Completion Report | | 3. % of participating men/women (excl. speakers/experts) | 50/50 | Event Attendance List | Completion Report | | 4. No. of speakers/experts engaged | 6 | Event Attendance List | Completion Report | | 5. % of speakers/experts (men/women) | 50/50 | Event Attendance List | Completion Report | | 6. No. of attending economies | 15 | Event Attendance List | Completion Report | | 7. No. of travel eligible economies | 11 | Event Attendance List | Completion Report | | 8. Content developed and deployed | 31 Oct 2023 | Certification by PO | Contract | | 2. Final Report | 1. No. of pages | 15 | Certification by PO | Email to the Secretariat | | 2. Submission to the Secretariat | 31 Dec 2023 | Submission to the Secretariat | Email to the Secretariat | | Out-comes | 1. Best practices in approving local revitalization, sustainability, and inclusive growth | 1. Invited speeches and speakers | 8 | Certification by PO | Completion Report | | 2. Participants knowledge of best practices and an understanding on innovative local revitalization, sustainability, and inclusive growth | 1. % of participants report knowledge increase | 75% | Post-event survey | Completion Report | | 2. Developing APEC economies report knowledge increase | 50% | Post-event survey | Completion Report | | 3. Women report knowledge increase | 50% | Post-event survey | Completion Report | | 3. Recommendations on how to implement best practices in local revitalization and sustainability | 1. No. of recommendations made | 4 | Included in the Final Report | Report to the Working Group The Longer-term Evaluation of APEC Projects (LTEAP) | |
Linkages |
This project proposes to facilitate the development of sustainability and inclusive growth through local revitalization. This will contribute to the regional economic prosperity of APEC members, with specific benefit to youth and women cohorts that are currently the most affected and limited in economic opportunities. The best practices shared in the forum component of this project will include cooperative projects coordinated by government, academia and industry sectors in relation to social services, sustainable development, youth and women economic empowerment, clean energy and smart and eco-friendly agriculture. As the project is in close alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations and many APEC related policies, other APEC and non-APEC stakeholders will be engaged in the planning, know-how, policies and experiences on promoting sustainable growth and regional revitalization. In terms of cross fora collaboration, with women empowerment and capacity building as one of the main themes, the project will fulfil the goals outlined in PPWE’s La Serena Roadmap for Women and Inclusive Growth. Moreover, as the project will integrate efforts to promote green economy and sustainable businesses, it also aligns with the initiatives and objectives of SMEWG, EWG and PPFS. In addition, this project focuses specifically on start-ups related to local revitalization, we will make sure the workshop does not duplicate the earlier projects. For AEEP, Chinese Taipei have mutual cooperation with Korea by sending participants to each economy’s event. We will again invite Korea’s representative to share their results in their AEEP program to facilitate more conversation. |
Sustainability |
The proposed project aims to build capacity for women and youth, and proposing the implementation of local revitalization and sustainability projects to enhance sustainable growth and economic resilience. The target beneficiaries will acquire related knowledge, know-how and skills on how to build sustainable businesses and how to engage in social services that are instrumental for promoting inclusive growth and regional revitalization. The project will also incorporate contents that are vital for youth and women to be relevant in post-pandemic job market. By showcasing best practices and introducing experts to the participants, they will have a clearer sense on how to facilitate their ideas and vision to expedite sustainable and economic growth. The participants can utilize the skills or resources that they have learned and acquired via the forum to apply to their own home economic situation. Through narrowing the economic gap between urban and rural areas by implementing local revitalization and sustainability projects, it will effectively boost the region’s economic recovery. Additionally, the project will have a profound and ongoing influence on women participants as they will be encouraged to be leaders of local revitalization and sustainable projects or businesses that will enhance their social and economic engagement, and minimize the impact on women youth unemployment. The idea of gender equity and women empowerment disseminated throughout the project implementation is significant to further achieve a sustainable, inclusive and resilient economic growth for the APEC region. |
Project Overseers |
The project is planned, organized, and hosted by the Asia-Pacific Youth Innovation & Entrepreneurship Project Working Group in Chinese Taipei, commissioned by the Ministry of Education. The PO, Dr. Eric Yen-Liang Lin, of this project currently serves as the APEC senior official of the Ministry of Education in Chinese Taipei. The PO has directed several APEC-funded projects including “Regional Industry–Academia Collaboration for Talent Development: An Exchange of Skills Training, Internships, and Jobs”(HRD 03 2017), “APEC Forum on Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship (II): Building Capacity and Collaborative Connectivity for Young Entrepreneurs” (HRD 04 2019A), and “APEC Forum on Entrepreneurship for the Future of Work: Accelerating Regional Economic Recovery and Digital Inclusion for Women and Youth in the Post Pandemic Era” (HRD 05 2021A).The working group of this proposed project, being adequately staffed with sufficient expertise required to execute forum events, has many years of experience and a proven record of being able to effectively deliver planned outcomes to meet the expectations of APEC and all participating member economies. |
Cost Efficiency |
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Drawdown Timetable |
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Direct Labour |
Researcher | No. | Specific Tasks | No. of Hours | | 1. | Working with speakers and project team in drafting, revising and finalizing the reports (at least 15 pages) | 100 | | 2. | Conducting desk research to collect and exam information provided by APEC member economies, to gain better understanding and knowledge about the supply chain evolvement, policy and rebuild situation to develop the Research Work of this project, provide suggestions and insights, analysis and find the root causes of the cases in the forum. | 100 | | 3. | Working with speakers, case owners and project team in drafting, revising and verifying contents of workshops including elaboration of each agenda session and make sure speaker’s materials are in line with the topic | 25 | | 4. | Design the questionnaire, analyzing and synthesizing primary and secondary data during and at the end of the project, including but not limited to number of participants, including women participation, post-event surveys | 25 | | Total | 250 hours | | Hourly rate (USD 40): | $10,000 | |
Waivers |
One day Field visit: In this project, we are planning to bring our participants to a farm which has been successfully local revitalized. Also, we will take the participants to bases where youth can access to resources if they want to start revitalizing a local business. Through the field visit, participants can actually see what is local revitalization and gain the knowledge of finding resources with the showcase of the best practices. We hope the participants can bring back their experiences in Taipei to their home economies. The transportation will be self-funded by the project overseer. |
Are there any supporting document attached? |
No
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Attachments
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