India to Host 68th Session of Asian Productivity Organization Governing Body in New Delhi

The 68th Session of the Asian Productivity Organization (APO) Governing Body was held from 20 to 22 May 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, with India servin...

What Happened

The 68th Session of the Asian Productivity Organization (APO) Governing Body was held from 20 to 22 May 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, with India serving as Chair of the APO for 2025-26.
Over 60 senior delegates representing 20 APO member economies participated, alongside observers from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Bhutan, and the Global Green Growth Institute.
The session deliberated on the APO Vision 2030 framework, institutional reforms, the 2027-28 biennium budget, and the election of APO leadership for the next cycle.
Indonesia's Director assumed charge as APO Chair for 2026-27, succeeding India's representative who had held the Chair.
The session endorsed AI-driven productivity growth and regional cooperation as priorities for member economies.
The 69th Governing Body Meeting was decided to be hosted in Lao PDR in 2027; the 67th Workshop Summit Meeting of Heads of APO Economies will be held in Sri Lanka in 2027.

Static Topic Bridges

Asian Productivity Organization (APO)

The Asian Productivity Organization is an intergovernmental organisation established in 1961 to enhance productivity across the Asia-Pacific region through multilateral cooperation, capacity building, and knowledge exchange. It is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, and operates as a nonpolitical, nonprofit, and nondiscriminatory body.

Founded: 11 May 1961, following the inaugural Asian Round Table Productivity Conference in Tokyo in 1959.
Founding members: 8 economies; current membership: 21 economies spanning Asia and the Pacific.
Member economies include: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Republic of China (Taiwan), Fiji, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Republic of Korea, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Türkiye, and Vietnam.
Secretariat: Tokyo, Japan.
Core functions: Research, centres of excellence, workshops, observational study missions, and bilateral cooperation between national productivity organisations.

Connection to this news: India's chairship of the APO for 2025-26 and the hosting of the Governing Body meeting in New Delhi reflects India's rising institutional weight in Asia-Pacific multilateral economic governance.

Productivity and Sustainable Development in Asia-Pacific

Productivity — specifically total factor productivity (TFP) — is a primary driver of long-run economic growth. The APO's mandate centres on helping member economies shift from input-driven to innovation-driven productivity models, a challenge that is especially relevant as Asia-Pacific economies transition from middle-income to high-income status.

Total Factor Productivity measures output growth that cannot be explained by increases in capital and labour inputs alone, attributing it to technological progress and efficiency improvements.
World Bank and IMF studies identify low TFP growth as the principal constraint on Asia-Pacific middle-income traps.
APO's Vision 2030 framework aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure).
Key APO tools: National Award for Productivity Advocates, National Award for Productivity Technical Experts, and bilateral technical assistance programmes.

Connection to this news: The APO session's focus on AI-driven productivity and institutional reform directly reflects this agenda of transitioning member economies to knowledge-intensive, high-productivity growth.

Bharat Mandapam and India's Multilateral Hosting Role

Bharat Mandapam is India's premier international convention centre, inaugurated in July 2023, located in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. It became a symbol of India's multilateral aspirations by hosting the G20 Leaders' Summit in September 2023 and has since been the venue for multiple high-profile international meetings.

Inaugurated: 26 July 2023.
Venue for G20 New Delhi Summit: 9-10 September 2023.
Built under the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) redevelopment project, with a capacity of over 7,000 for plenary sessions.
India's G20 Presidency (2022-23) used Bharat Mandapam to project India's multilateral leadership agenda.

Connection to this news: Hosting the APO Governing Body session at Bharat Mandapam continues India's use of the venue to project economic and diplomatic leadership in the Asia-Pacific context.

India's Productivity and Innovation Agenda

India's national productivity agenda is coordinated through the National Productivity Council (NPC), established in 1958 under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, which serves as India's focal agency for APO. The broader innovation ecosystem also intersects with schemes like the National Manufacturing Mission (NMM) and the Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Policy.

National Productivity Council (NPC) founded: 1958; India joined APO: 1961 (founding member).
India's current R&D spending: approximately 0.64% of GDP, well below global innovation leaders (US, China, South Korea: 2.5-5% of GDP).
National Manufacturing Mission (NMM), announced in Budget 2025-26, includes a ₹20,000 crore R&D fund for AI, semiconductors, and Industry 4.0.
PLI (Production-Linked Incentive) schemes span 14 sectors, generating ₹1.5 lakh crore in investments.

Connection to this news: India's chairship of the APO and advocacy for AI-driven productivity aligns with domestic policy priorities to upgrade the manufacturing and innovation base.

Key Facts & Data

APO founded: 11 May 1961; Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan.
Current APO membership: 21 economies.
India is a founding member of APO (joined 1961).
India's APO chair period: 2025-26.
68th APO Governing Body Session: 20-22 May 2026, Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.
Delegates: 60+ from 20 member economies.
Observers at 2026 session: Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Bhutan, Global Green Growth Institute.
69th Governing Body Meeting: Lao PDR, 2027.
APO Vision 2030 framework: aligned with UN SDG 8 and SDG 9.
Bharat Mandapam inaugurated: 26 July 2023.