Major International Leaders' Summit Coming To San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) – San Francisco is preparing for a major economic summit that will welcome government and business leaders from around the world. The meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperative, better known as APEC, is scheduled to take place in the fall.
KCBS' Anna Duckworth Reports:
The 21-member association of economies from the Asia Pacific Region will hold its third senior officials meeting in San Francisco from September 12th to the 26th.
At a briefing at the Asian Art Museum, State Department Representative Lorraine Hariton said Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will chair the event's Women and the Economy Summit.
"We really are delighted to be having her here, really putting the power of her focus on this event," said Hariton.
The Bay Area Council was pivotal in bringing the APEC meeting to San Francisco.
President and CEO Jim Wunderman said these will be the largest high-level diplomatic meetings in California since the UN charter was signed in 1945.
"Improving our global competitiveness as a region is what the Bay Area Council is all about, and for that reason, having APEC here in San Francisco is kind of like Nirvana," said Wunderman.
San Francisco's meeting will be the biggest of three on the mainland this year before the November APEC leaders summit in Honolulu, which President Obama is set to attend.
(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
