“Interfaith communities play a crucial role in tackling these challenges, especially in such a religiously diverse region as ASEAN. Religious leaders can guide their faith communities to live in harmony with our environment, help them navigate through uncertainties, and cope with the impact on our economies and social life. These challenges are not insurmountable, as long as we commit to fight them together,” said Singapore President Halimah Yacob at the second edition of the Faithfully ASEAN programme that was launched on 14 December 2020.
Organised by Humanity Matters and supported by Temasek Foundation, the three-day programme was attended by 30 ASEAN in-person delegates and 40 virtual delegates of different faiths who exchanged insights and participated in workshops on topics such as climate change, radicalism and terrorism, and the spread of infectious diseases.
In her opening speech, President Halimah spoke about the roles religious leaders play in helping their communities navigate through the uncertainties of the pandemic, and its impact on economy and social life.
“As religious leaders, you can guide your faith communities to live in harmony with our environment, so that we can pass on a sustainable legacy to generations after us,” she said, stressing theimportance of collaboration and open dialogue between faith communities and the governments and corporations.
Reflecting on the programme, Pastor Harun from Indonesia shared, “It is eye-opening for me, to meet up and to hear the wonderful speakers and to connect with my new friends in the group. Instead of looking at the differences, let us continue to work together for one purpose –to build the nation, to build the people, to respect, care and support each other.”
The global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has made transboundary coordination and cooperation much more critical than ever before, and in times of crisis, the need to save lives is imperative and the speed of response and access to humanitarian aid is critical.
Together with The Logistics Institute Asia-Pacific at the National University of Singapore and The AHA Centre, Temasek Foundation is supporting two regional programmes with a focus on digitalisation,innovative technologies,and digital capabilities to increase the speed of access to humanitarian aid supplies and improve the coordination of disaster relief operations during disasters in Southeast Asia.
Participants from the region will exchange ideas on utilising digital technologies in times of crisis through a series of online courses and webinars. Discussions will include the development of a digital humanitarian supply chain management framework, a digital dashboard for disaster management, and digital and technology-driven supply chain management, towards a more robust humanitarian response when disasters occur in the region.
In January 2021, some 81 aspiring youth leaders from Singapore and the region attended the STEP Youth Regional Affairs Dialogue held in Singapore to discuss potential solutions to the region’s social inequality.
The week-long event hosted at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University provided a platform for university students in Asia to enhance their leadership skills and broaden their understanding of geopolitics through cross-cultural exchanges and dialogues.
“If we all agree that we want to be greener, fairer, and more giving, there are many things we can do: policy changes, attitude and mindset changes, and specific actions that we can all champion as well. I would encourage all of you to continue to keep in touch with one another, to build bridges and enduring friendships,” said Mr Lawrence Wong, Singapore’s Minister for Education who graced the opening dialogue.
Guest speakers for the Dialogue included Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Singapore’s former communications and information minister; Ms Debbie Fordyce, president of Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2), an organisation that promotes the rights and wellbeing of migrant workers; and other leading social innovators who shared their perspectives on social inequality affecting businesses and occupations; culture and heritage; gender and diversity; healthcare and well-being; and knowledge.
“During the Dialogue, my fellow youth leaders shared their observations of unequal access to education in their home countries. After attending the Dialogue, I was motivated to contribute to education-related causes and joined Advisory, a non-profit initiative in Singapore to help youths make informed decisions on further education and their careers,” shared Daphne Tang Zhi Ling, a participant from Singapore.
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