NZ PM Ardern calls emergency summit of APEC leaders over COVID-19

New Zealand Prime Minister (PM) Jacinda Ardern announced Monday that she would hold a virtual summit of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum leaders on Friday to address the COVID-19 pandemic crisis and its economic effects, per Reuters.

Key quotes

"The APEC economies have suffered in the last year their largest contraction since World War II, resulting in the loss of 81 million jobs, so a collective response is vital to accelerate the economic recovery of the region.”

“It is the first time that APEC, which accounts for 60 percent of world GDP, has held an additional summit of its 21 leaders outside its regular schedule.”

more to come ....