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MFA Press Statement: Singapore Co-Partners The World Economic Forum’s Global Cooperation System Initiative
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31 January 2009
Singapore, together with Qatar, and Switzerland, will partner the World Economic Forum (WEF) in its initiative to establish a Global Cooperation System (GCS). The GCS which was launched by the WEF in ...
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Singapore, together with Qatar, and Switzerland, will partner the World Economic Forum (WEF) in its initiative to establish a Global Cooperation System (GCS). The GCS which was launched by the WEF in Davos, Switzerland on 30 January 2009 aims to develop an inter-disciplinary and inter-governmental approach to governance in addressing emerging global challenges.
Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Yaacob Ibrahim, who is in Davos to attend the WEF's Annual Meeting, represented Singapore at the launch of the GCS. Speaking at the WEF launch event entitled "Why We Need a New System of Global Cooperation", Minister Yaacob said that "to overcome the current global financial crisis which has become a global economic crisis, we need better global governance backed by effective global institutions" and that "given Singapore's interconnectedness with the world, we have a clear interest in global governance." Chaired by WEF Founder and Executive Chairman Klaus Schwab, the event was also attended by H.E. Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabr Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar and Micheline Calmy-Rey, Federal Councillor of Foreign Affairs of the Swiss Confederation.
Under the GCS initiative, the WEF will draw upon the resources of business, government, civil society, media and other leaders to develop recommendations to deal with economic, environmental, geopolitical, societal and technological challenges. As a co-partner of the GCS initiative, Singapore will support the initiative through soliciting the views of the region. Singapore will also assist in organising a WEF event later in the year in Singapore as part of the WEF's year-long process of consultations. The Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy will take the lead in bringing together experts and thought leaders from both Singapore and Asia to contribute to these consultations through 2009 towards the presentation of final recommendations at the WEF's Annual Meeting in Davos in 2010.
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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
SINGAPORE
31 JANUARY 2009