Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan's Written Reply to Parliamentary Question, 2 April 2024

QUESTION

Mr Neil Parekh Nimil Rajnikant : To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs regarding key countries which Singapore has partners in for Singapore's economic development, what steps is the Ministry taking to improve the quality and breadth of its senior diplomatic staff in these countries to ensure that they are well equipped with the knowledge of economic, financial and trade issues in a deglobalising world so that Singapore’s interest remains paramount at all times.

ANSWER

The Ministry provides professional training and development at various stages of our officers’ careers. This is to ensure that they have the competencies, skill sets and knowledge on various issues needed to operate in a complex, ever-changing global environment.  The MFA Diplomatic Academy organises developmental opportunities including briefings, workshops by senior diplomats, political office holders and subject matter experts on management and policy-related topics including economic, finance, and trade issues.  Some of our officers are seconded to relevant government agencies, and relevant agencies also second their officers to MFA, to deepen their understanding of WOG priorities, hone their competencies and facilitate the cross-pollination of ideas.

In preparation for an Overseas Posting, our officers will be briefed by the finance, economic and trade agencies.  While overseas, our officers work closely with experts from MTI, EDB, ESG and MAS on more technical issues in areas of trade and finance to ensure that Singapore’s interests are upheld.  Our officers also collaborate closely with the EDB and ESG representations in key overseas markets on trade and investments issues.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

SINGAPORE

2 APRIL 2024