MFA Press Statement: Study Programme for Permanent Secretaries on Managing the Complexity in Networked Government

Singapore and the Commonwealth Secretariat will jointly host a "Study Programme for Permanent Secretaries on Managing the Complexity in Networked Government" from 22 to 26 October 2007 under the framework of the Singapore-Commonwealth Third Country Training Programme. The participants comprise 23 Permanent Secretaries and senior officials from 20 Commonwealth countries in Asia, Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific Islands.

The Study Programme aims to enhance the capacity of participating officials in promoting good governance and public sector reform though effective coordination within and between ministries. The participants will also meet senior Singapore officials to exchange views on Singapore and international best practices. The Study Programme will be conducted by the Civil Service College of Singapore.

The Singapore-Commonwealth Third Country Training Programme (TCTP) was formalised in a Memorandum of Understanding in April 1994. Under the MOU, Singapore and the Commonwealth Secretariat agreed to provide joint technical assistance to Commonwealth member countries. To date, more than 2,552 participants from Commonwealth countries have participated in 135 programmes spanning diverse fields. (See Annex A for more information on the Singapore-Commonwealth TCTP and the Singapore Cooperation Programme.)

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
SINGAPORE
21 OCTOBER 2007

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Annex A

Singapore- Commonwealth Third Country Training Programme (TCTP)

Singapore and the Commonwealth Secretariat (ComSec) signed a Memorandum of Understanding in April 1994 to jointly provide technical assistance to member countries of the Commonwealth under a Third Country Training Programme (TCTP) framework. In 2000, Singapore also started its collaboration with the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) focusing on the Commonwealth African countries and the small states.

2 ComSec is one of Singapore's oldest TCTP partners under the Singapore Cooperation Programme (SCP). Under the Singapore-ComSec collaboration, about 11 joint courses are conducted each year in diverse fields such as public sector development, governance, information technology, productivity management, public administration, trade facilitation, SME development, etc. To date, we have jointly conducted 135 courses for 2,552 participants from 63 Commonwealth countries and British overseas territories. We have also jointly conducted eight joint programmes with COL for 193 participants from Commonwealth member countries.

About the Singapore Cooperation Programme (SCP)

3 Singapore's technical assistance programme is based on the training and development of human resource in competencies useful to developing countries. As a country whose only resource is its people, Singapore believes that human resource development is vital for economic and social progress. Singapore itself has benefited from training provided by other countries and international organisations. Through the Singapore Cooperation Programme (SCP), Singapore shares its development experiences with other developing countries.

4 Established in 1992, the SCP brought together the various technical assistance programmes offered by Singapore under a single framework. Over the years, the range of SCP activities has expanded steadily to cater to the training needs of recipient countries. To date, Singapore has organized training courses and study visits for over 50,000 participants from 168 countries around the globe.

5 A key feature of the SCP is the Third Country Training Programme (TCTPs). These are technical assistance programmes jointly conducted with a donor partner for the recipient countries. The TCTP modality of technical cooperation was conceived to leverage on each other's expertise and resources to maximise the outcome of our programme. To date, Singapore has established TCTPs with more than 30 development partners, comprising developed countries, international organisations and non-governmental organisations.

6 More details are available on the Singapore Cooperation Website at www.scp.gov.sg.

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