Press Statements
10th Honorary Consuls-General Meeting, 19 to 23 October 2026
20 October 2026
10th Honorary Consuls-General Meeting, 19 to 23 October 2026
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is hosting the 10th Honorary Consuls-General Meeting (HCGM) from 19 to 23 October 2026. Honorary Consul-Generals/Honorary Consuls (HCG/HCs) are appointed by the Singapore Government to represent us and to provide consular assistance to Singaporeans in locations where we do not have a diplomatic presence. HCG/HCs are well-established personalities in their professions and communities and are not renumerated for their service. They are valued partners and help extend Singapore’s diplomatic reach by complementing our network of Overseas Missions and Non-Resident Ambassadors. 31 HCG/HCs from 27 countries will attend this meeting.
This HCGM provides an opportunity for the Singapore Government to recognise and thank our HCG/HCs for their service and contributions in helping Singaporeans in distress and to advocate for Singapore. This meeting also allows the HCG/HCs to reconnect with Singapore and to understand the Government’s current thinking on key issues.
During this visit, the HCG/HCs will meet President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Energy, Trade and Industry (Trade) Gan Kim Yong, Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, and Second Minister for Foreign Affairs and Second Minister for Home Affairs Sim Ann. They will attend briefings by the Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry (METI), Economic Development Board (EDB), Enterprise Singapore (ESG), and Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI), as well as visit the Punggol Digital District and PSA Horizons.
Second Minister for Foreign Affairs and Second Minister for Home Affairs Sim Ann opened the 10th HCGM on 20 October 2026. In her opening remarks, Second Minister Sim Ann paid tribute to our HCG/HCs for their dedicated service and contributions in helping Singaporeans in distress overseas, and often going beyond the call of duty. She also recognised how our HCG/HCs helped advance Singapore’s interests overseas through their extensive professional networks and local knowledge. Second Minister Sim Ann’s opening remarks are at Annex.
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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
SINGAPORE
20 OCTOBER 2026
ANNEX
TRANSCRIPT OF REMARKS BY SECOND MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND SECOND MINISTER FOR HOME AFFAIRS SIM ANN AT THE WELCOME CEREMONY AND LUNCH FOR THE 10th HONORARY CONSULS-GENERAL MEETING (HCGM), SINGAPORE, 20 OCTOBER 2026
Good afternoon, and a very warm welcome to all of you — our Honorary Consuls-General (HCGs), Honorary Consuls (HCs) and your spouses — to Singapore, to the 10th Honorary Consuls-General Meeting (HCGM). Also, a good afternoon to my colleagues from MFA, our members of Senior Management, and our Ambassadors. Thank you all for being here.
This meeting brings together more than 30 HCGs and HCs from across the world.
Each of you come from a different city, a different context. You bring with you a different set of experiences. But you share a commitment to Singapore and to the Singaporeans you serve on our behalf. And we are tremendously grateful for that.
I want to take this opportunity to extend a warm welcome to the newest members of this special family. We are delighted to have our incoming HC in Munich, Germany, Mr Philipp Bayat, and our new HC in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Mr Zafar Khashimov. They are joining us for the first time.
To the both of you, welcome to Team Singapore. To everyone else, welcome back to Singapore. We look forward to working closely with all of you, and we hope this week gives everyone here a strong sense of the community that you have been a part of, or which you are now a part of.
Let me say something about why this meeting matters, and why the work that all of you do matters.
All of you are Singapore's extended family abroad. In many of the cities where you serve, you are the most immediate face of Singapore for our citizens who need help, whether they have lost their passports or simply needed someone to turn to in an unfamiliar place.
Singapore is a very small country. But we are very active when it comes to outbound travel. And chatting with our HCs and HCGs, I am constantly amazed by the unique and unusual circumstances that you find yourself having to assist Singaporeans with. And it underscores how each and every one of you serve with your heart and go the extra mile. And I cannot express how fortunate we are as Singapore to have a network of friends who are so successful, who are so resourceful, who take so much initiative and are nimble on their feet as many of you have proved time and time again.
When someone encounters a legal difficulty, a medical emergency, or finds themselves in a situation they did not anticipate or know how to navigate, you are there, sometimes under very challenging circumstances or at odd hours, and going to considerable personal inconvenience, to help them.
That consular role you perform rarely makes the headlines. But for our Singaporeans and their families who are on the receiving end of your generous help, it can make an enormous difference at the moments when they feel the most vulnerable.
And because you are embedded in your local communities, you know first-hand the people, the language, and the systems in ways that we in Singapore do not, you are often able to help in ways that go beyond what MFA alone can offer. And that consular role you play is one that we hold in the highest regard.
Beyond the immediate consular work, many of you also serve as advocates for Singapore. Building relationships, facilitating connections, and representing our values and interests in the everyday fabric of your professional and social lives.
Your role as HCGs and HCs requires not just knowledge and capability, but genuine care and commitment. You bring all of that, and we do not take it for granted.
Singapore assumes the ASEAN Chairmanship in 2027, a few months from now. Our Chairmanship will also coincide with the 60th anniversary of the founding of ASEAN, which makes it a particularly meaningful moment, and a significant responsibility for Singapore.
As the incoming Chair, we are looking forward to working with fellow ASEAN Member States on a forward-looking agenda built around two goals.
The first is deepening regional cooperation, especially in the digital and green economies.
The second is keeping ASEAN open and engaged with the world.
This is where all of you, our HCGs and HCs, come in. You are well-placed to speak about Singapore's priorities and our vision for the Chairmanship in your respective countries.
Your presence, your networks, and willingness to speak positively about Singapore and the region will make a huge difference. We will ensure that you have what you need to do so with confidence. Thank you for your continued support.
The HCGM in Singapore is a timely opportunity for all of us to come together, to share ideas, to learn from one another, and to strengthen the ties between Singapore and all of you.
We hope that by the end of the programme, you will leave with a deeper understanding of Singapore's priorities, a clearer sense of how we can better support you in your work, and a renewed appreciation of the community that you are part of.
Beyond the programme, I hope you will also spend time taking in our sights and sounds. Whether this is your first visit to Singapore in a while or one of many, the city has a way of offering something new each time.
We do hope that in your time here, in the meetings and interactions that you have, not just with colleagues from Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but also in terms of the agencies that we have arranged for you to meet, and also very importantly, with one another, you carry back these memories and the esprit de corps of being part of the extended Singapore family, to your respective countries.
So let me wish everyone a wonderful gathering and bon appetit. Thank you so much.
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