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Asian Productivity Organization (APO)
	Flag
	Emblem
abbreviation	APO
type	International Organization
Secretary General	Mari Amano
established	11 May 1961
Secretariat	Tokyo, Japan
Membership	20 member countries/economies
status	Active
website	APO Official site
	v; t; e;

The Asian Productivity Organization (APO) is a nonprofit international organization in the Asia-Pacific devoted to productivity. Established in 1961 as a regional intergovernmental organization, the APO contributes to the sustainable socioeconomic development of the Asia-Pacific through productivity enhancement. The current membership comprises 20 economies. Three strategic directions guide the APO: strengthen national productivity organizations and promote the development of small and medium enterprises SMEs and communities; catalyze innovation-led productivity growth; and promote Green Productivity. The main activities of the APO are capacity building of institutions and human resource development in the industry, service and agriculture sectors. The current Secretary-General is Mari Amano, who took office in September 2013.

Origin[edit]

The initial idea for the establishment of a regional productivity organization was suggested during the first Asia Round Table Productivity Conference in 1959, and the APO was officially established in 11th of May, 1961. The Government of Japan formally recognized the APO as an international organization in 1967.

Membership[edit]

From the Thames

APO Members[edit]

Countries/economies that are members of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific is eligible for APO Membership. APO members assist each other in a spirit of mutual cooperation by sharing knowledge, information and best practices.

Member	Year joined
India	1961
Japan	1961
Nepal	1961
Pakistan	1961
Republic of China (Taiwan)	1961
Republic of Korea	1961
Thailand	1961
Philippines	1961
South Korea	1963
Islamic Republic of Iran	1965
Sri Lanka	1966
Indonesia	1968
Singapore	1969
Bangladesh	1982
Malaysia	1983
Fiji	1984
Mongolia	1992
Vietnam	1996
Laos	2002
Cambodia	2004

Organizational Structure[edit]

The APO comprises the Government Body (GB), the national productivity organizations (NPOs), and the Secretariat, which is headed by a Secretary-General.

Governing Body[edit]

The GB is the supreme organ of the APO. It is composed of one government-appointed director from each member economy. The GB meets annually to receive the Secretary-General’s annual report and the auditor’s financial report and decide on the budget size, strategic directions, and policies.

National Productivity Organizations[edit]

Each member economy designates a national body to be its NPO. NPOs act as the APO’s planning and implementing agencies and coordinate productivity projects hosted by their governments. Each year, the APO organizes a Workshop Meeting of Heads of NPOs to evaluate the precious year’s projects, confirm the program for the next year, and deliberate on productivity issues and emerging needs of members.

Secretariat[edit]

The Secretariat is the executive arm of the APO and is headed by the Secretary-General. It carries out the decisions of the GB and in close cooperation and consultation with NPOs undertakes planning, preparation, coordination, and implementation of projects. It also collaborates with other international organizations, governments, and private institutions for the benefit of its members. The Secretariat has four departments.

Activities[edit]

The general feature of APO activities is to provide practical training through a combination of 1) lectures by experts; 2) field visits to factories, farms, and facilities for observation of actual applications; and 3) country reports by participants for the sharing of experiences. In other words, APO programs are intended to be as immediately applicable and practical as possible. Project participants are expected to create multiplier effects by disseminating their newly acquired knowledge and understanding to others in their home countries. As the activities of the APO target diverse groups of productivity stakeholders in member countries, various types of approaches or methodologies are employed such as training courses, seminars, workshops, study missions, international conferences, and e-learning programs.

Funding [edit]

Most of the APO budget, approximately 80%, comes from membership contributions. Each member country pays proportional membership contributions based on its 6-year average gross national income (GNI). The remaining 20% of budget comes from special cash grants and others from member governments.