In an inaugural joint initiative by Singapore and Japan to strengthen capacities and promote regional economic integration among APEC economies, 20 government officials from the APEC economies are in Singapore attending a 5-day training course on "Achieving Competitiveness in the Service Sector: Strategies and Lessons for APEC Economies" from 5 to 9 July 2010. Organised under the auspices of the Japan-Singapore Partnership Programme for the 21st Century (JSPP21), this is one of 19 courses that will be jointly conducted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Singapore and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) this year.

During his welcome address, Mr Jimmy Chua, Senior Deputy Director for Technical Cooperation in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore, affirmed Singapore’s fruitful partnership with JICA and noted that the course is the first in the joint capacity-building package of three training programmes (which includes two other programmes on trade and investment, and on management of trans-boundary health threats) conceptualised by Singapore and Japan to be implemented in 2010 for APEC economies.

The course, conducted by the Singapore Cooperation Enterprise, addresses the strategic importance of promoting service competitiveness in both the local and international marketplaces, with focus on five key service sectors of health, telecommunications, finance, environment, and supply chain management and logistics. JICA provided a guest speaker, Mr Hajime Suzuki, to share insights with the participants on how Japanese service industries promote the productivity movement.

The Singapore Cooperation Programme of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Commonwealth Secretariat are co-organising the second run of the "International Disaster Management Course" from 3 to 14 May 2010. Conducted by the Civil Defence Academy, the two-week course is attended by 23 government officials from 17 Commonwealth member countries.

Through lectures, case studies, group exercises, country presentations and site visits, participants will be equipped with a better understanding of Singapore's unique policies and actions on disaster risk reduction and management. In addition, the course will address emergency response and incident management at both the tactical and operational levels, and has a new segment on business continuity planning for a more holistic coverage of the subject. The Commonwealth Secretariat also provides additional expertise through the active contributions of Mr Julius Kaberere on how the Secretariat delivers practical assistance to countries struck by disasters.

Mr Koh Tin Fook, Director for Technical Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Singapore, co-officiated the opening ceremony of the course with Mr Julius Kaberere, Adviser (Technical Cooperation and Strategic Response Group) from the Commonwealth Secretariat. Mr Koh underscored the Singapore-Commonwealth Secretariat Third Country Training Programme as one of the longest standing and most successful collaborations the Singapore Cooperation Programme has with development partners. He added that following the successful inaugural run of the course for Commonwealth participants in May 2009, Singapore was pleased to re-run it this year with the Commonwealth Secretariat, to further strengthen disaster management capacity in fellow Commonwealth member countries.

Mr Kaberere affirmed the productive partnership and thanked Singapore for the opportunity to train and enhance the capabilities of Commonwealth member states in managing disasters. He remarked that the course, which arose from a mandate from the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) on disaster management, will help the participating Commonwealth member countries to develop their policy and governance frameworks necessary for organising and managing all actions in disaster risk reduction and management.

During the closing ceremony for the course, Ms Desiree Joseph, Mitigation Manager, Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management, Trinidad and Tobago, who was also class representative, delivered a thank you speech on behalf of the class. The full speech can be accessed by clicking on the link below.

Click here to read full speech by Ms Desiree Joseph.

Since its formal launch in 1992, the Singapore Cooperation Programme (SPC) has reached out to more than 56,000 government officials from 169 countries. The SCP has rendered technical assistance by providing training and sharing Singapore's experiences and expertise to developing nations. The SCP has since received numerous recognitions and compliments from our participants.

"I returned to work today and there's so much that I want to share with my colleagues. It has been a great experience."

Claudine Roberts,
Dominica

"It is refreshing when one can experience such efficiency and what was exchanged during the interaction with staff at ISS and the Singapore Government. The period Jan 13 - 31 2008 will always return extremely pleasant memories."

Margaret Leon,
Ministry of Finance,
Barbados

"I have benefited tremendously from the 3 month course and am now able to understand and converse in English more confidently due to exposure and the opportunities to speak and interact with other course participants from the various ASEAN countries. It was also an opportunity for us to get to know one another on a personal level our country and culture."

Nguyen Thi Hien
Vietnam

"I would like to thank all of you at the MFA and CSCI for your warm welcome and helpful support to us. It was a great opportunity to be able to undergo such a well-organised training course. I have acquired valuable knowledge, experience and have already started to apply them."

Cetin Oktay Kaldirim,
Deputy Governor,
Turkey

"I have been impacted personally by the friendships formed during our course in Singapore and I hope we can keep in contact."

David L. Shields,
Deputy Director of Tourism - Marketing
Jamaica Tourist Board

"All the learning I had will surely go a long way in our country, for I have decided to adopt insights gained to contribute to the improvement of our educational system, even in my own little way. Thank You SCP!"

Eugenia R. Gorgon,
Philippines

"We have learnt so much during the symposium and return filled with ideas and concepts which we will consider seriously with view to implement. You have given us the opportunity not merely to listen but also to see and experience for ourselves the progress and advancements made in the administration of justice and the development of the rule of law across the justice sector in Singapore. It has been an impressive achievement and I congratulate you for the innovative but humane approach Singapore has taken in the administration of justice. You have provided us with much food for thought."

Sir Albert R. Palmer CBE,
Chief Justice,
Solomon Islands

Singapore is committed to doing our part as a responsible global citizen, by assisting developing countries in human resource capacity building to achieve sustainable development and at the same time forge valuable friendships and partnerships. This is reflected in our SCP motto - "Joining Hands, Making Friends".