01 Jul 2015
Friends
Colleagues
Participants of the SCP
1 The Singapore Cooperation programme has come a long way since we started it in 1992.
2 In the early years of our independence, we benefitted from the help of friends around the world.
3 In the 1960s, 70s, we needed help. Because we were - we are - a small island with no natural resources.
4 But thankfully, we had friends from around the world, from whom we received tremendous help, transfers of technology, ideas on how to handle governance, how to modernise our urban infrastructure and so on.
5 And with their help, we gradually built up our human resource capital.
6 Now, we share our own development experiences with our friends from around the world.
7 And we don’t put it in terms of teaching anyone anything, because every country is different, everyone has got their own histories, culture, experience.
8 So we put it in terms of sharing our experiences, and let people take from it what is applicable for them and adapt.
9 And from our perspective, it is something that we like to do and if other countries benefit from it, we all benefit. That’s our approach.
10 Over the years, many countries have sent their officials to the SCP to learn about different aspects of the Singapore Story.
11 One such aspect is our anti-corruption efforts, which is the theme of this most recent SCP course.
12 We also have many other courses, covering topics such as civil aviation, port management, sustainable urban development, trade facilitation and public governance.
13 These courses are often over-subscribed - much more than what our officers can handle – but we at MFA try to facilitate (the demand).
Evolution of the SCP
14 The Singapore Cooperation Programme is something that is constantly evolved to meet the changing needs of our friends.
15 And what are some of the recent changes to the programme?
16 First, the SCP now has two new areas of emphasis: one, the technical and vocational training, and two, strengthening of our public sector leadership.
17 Many developing countries face challenges in equipping their young workforce with skills which would support their economic development.
18 Because the constant chase to get university degrees, which may or may not be relevant at the country’s state of development, for actual tactical development, is a question that we all face.
19 And it is actually useful to have a range of educational options available, including substantial technical and vocational training.
20 We have also developed a new cluster of leadership courses, for policy makers on various topics including Governance, Education, Judicial Matters, City Planning and Women & Leadership.
21 Because the role of Women has got to be emphasised in the progress of society.
22 A second way that the SCP has evolved is that we now work not only through Singapore alone, but we also seek to partner other like-minded countries so that the scope and reach of the SCP is expanded.
23 We have stepped up capacity-building programmes with UN agencies to support the new Sustainable Development Goals under the Post-2015 Development Agenda.
24 We have also intensified collaborations with key partners such as Japan and the US, to build capacity in critical areas such as Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief, and combatting Cybercrimes.
25 A third way that the SCP has evolved is that we now join hands with more distant regions like the Caribbean, South Pacific, Africa, as well as with vulnerable groups like the indigenous people of the Arctic and Small Island Developing States, to jointly address global challenges.
26 Because this is, in the end, a common challenge for humanity and all of us have to play a role in trying to solve the problems.
100,000th SCP participant
27 Today, coinciding with 50 years of Singapore’s independence, we celebrate a significant milestone in the Singapore Cooperation Programme – we have received our 100,000th participant!
28 And that 100,000th participant is here today – she is Mrs Shelley Nicholls-Hunte, Director of Financial Intelligence Unit in the Office of the Attorney General of Barbados.
29 May I ask you to stand up. We welcome you and congratulations.
30 It gives me great pleasure later to present her with a commemorative gift, and also present the other SCP participants with certificates of participation.
31 We wish our friends, SCP friends lasting friendships with Singapore and your own fellow participants.
32 I hope you will become our SCP Ambassadors upon your return to your countries.
33 Thank you.
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