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East Coast Plan unveiled
- Thread starter A Singaporean
- Start date
HSK's new career is to reinvent cities. Fantastic!
from straitstimes.com:
SINGAPORE - Cities may have taken a hit because of Covid-19, but they will continue to remain relevant and attract people, and the pandemic presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reimagine the cities of tomorrow, said Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat on Monday (June 21).
He added that the pandemic has reinforced the value of building liveable cities, which are also resilient and not just efficient.
"I believe cities will remain powerful magnets, bringing people together to explore, learn, create, and interact with one another. Urbanisation will remain a powerful force driving growth post-Covid-19," Mr Heng said at the World Cities Summit.
Around the world, cities emptied out and became quieter during the pandemic, with people leaving for the countryside to escape the high population densities and concentration of activities that increased the risk of coronavirus infection.
But Mr Heng, in his keynote speech at the summit, said the reality is far more complex and nuanced, and different cities were affected to different degrees.
"Population densities matter, but other factors such as access to quality healthcare, trust in government, and compliance with safe management measures matter just as much, if not more," he added.
A key takeaway from the pandemic is the need to develop cities that are resilient, sustainable and also liveable, he said.
The pandemic is a sharp reminder that countries must work together to better respond to complex global challenges like climate change. Cities will play a critical part in any solution, as they account for more than half the world's population and 70 per cent of global carbon dioxide emissions.
More broadly, he said, Covid-19 has reinforced the value of building liveable cities, which go beyond resilience and sustainability.
"Liveability is fundamentally about people - enabling people to flourish, and improving their quality of life," he added.
"This includes fair and inclusive access to basic necessities, such as clean water, sanitation and affordable housing. And the good redesign of spaces, including indoor and common spaces, to enhance the health and well-being of residents."
He offered three suggestions on how to build such cities of tomorrow.
First, to push the bounds of urban liveability and sustainability, people will need to innovate, he said.
Governments will need to explore new possibilities in how to plan and run cities, for instance bringing work and amenities closer to homes, to reduce the need for people to commute, and integrating green spaces within urban landscapes, he said.
Singapore has already started to build polycentric cities and is on track to making sure that every household will be within a 10-minute walk to a park by 2030, and the pandemic has given fresh impetus to these efforts, he added.
Apart from shifts in urban planning, innovative solutions will also be needed to make cities more sustainable and resilient, he said, and this will require investing in research and development.
He added that Singapore has a US$19 billion (S$25 billion) Research, Innovation, and Enterprise plan for its R&D efforts over the next five years, and one major focus is on urban solutions and sustainability, to ensure that Singapore's highly built-up environment remains climate-resilient and liveable.
One example of this effort is a project called "Cooling Singapore", to explore the use of cool paints and reflective glass coatings, among other things, to cool down the country, which is heating up twice as fast as the rest of the world because of global warming and the urban heat island effect.
"The solutions developed will be useful not only for reducing urban heat in Singapore, but also for cities around the world," he added.
Second, to build liveable and sustainable cities post-Covid-19, countries will need to invest in transport, telecommunications, social and digital infrastructure, and the flow of capital across borders will need to be improved to meet the financing needs, said Mr Heng.
Even prior to Covid-19, there was recognition of the infrastructure financing gap in many cities, and in Asia alone, the Asian Development Bank had estimated an infrastructure gap of US$1.7 trillion per year till 2030, he noted.
To help bridge this gap, Singapore has set up Infrastructure Asia - to facilitate the flow of funds and expertise into Asia, said Mr Heng.
Another important aspect to this is to catalyse green financing, he added, and Singapore accounts for over one-third of the sustainability-linked loan market in the Asia Pacific today.
He also suggested nature-based solutions for carbon abatement, to complement efforts to introduce cleaner and more efficient use of energy in cities, noting that South-east Asia is home to the largest blue carbon stock in the world, with the largest areas of mangrove swamps and seagrass meadows in Indonesia and the Philippines.
Mr Heng said the region would need to attract investments to realise the potential of the carbon stock, and one way is to develop vibrant exchanges for the trading of carbon credits.
Singapore will do its part by launching a global carbon exchange - "Climate Impact X" - later this year, he added.
Third, countries will need to better integrate their efforts using one another's strengths to build more sustainable and liveable cities, said Mr Heng.
He urged countries to build on the unprecedented level of information sharing and cooperation in science and technology sparked by the pandemic.
For instance, he said countries should work to harmonise data standards to facilitate the growth of the digital economy, and cities can also build networks of collaboration to prototype ideas across different contexts, such as in the Smart City partnership between Singapore and Shenzhen to pilot paperless cross-border trade.
Concluding his speech, Mr Heng said: "Covid-19 has disrupted our way of life, especially in cities. But I believe cities are here to stay. Cities will remain the best venues for humans to explore, learn and interact, to flourish as individuals and to collaborate and achieve more, together."
Nearly half of respondents selected “public support and a whole-of-society” approach, while “political will” drew the next highest number of votes, followed by financial and technological resources, and lastly, regional and international collaboration.
Mr Heng agreed with the number one pick but noted that all the factors were correlated. The importance of technology, for example, can be seen in the Covid-19 response, he added.
“If not for the amount of R&D work that had been done over the last many, many years, where we understand what a genome is about… there’s no way we could have vaccines in their current form,” said Mr Heng, referring to the mRNA technology used to make the body produce a protein as a shield against the disease.
He was also asked how cities could speed up their recovery from a disruptive event like the pandemic.
Mr Heng said it was key to expect and prepare for more frequent disruptions - and to learn from past crises. “To assume that the future is just like the good old days will be totally unrealistic and I will say irresponsible,” he noted.
The Deputy Prime Minister then highlighted two major areas to work on: Advancing society’s knowledge overall, and deepening the people’s trust in authoritative sources of information.
Citing the online spread of pandemic falsehoods on the virus’ origins and vaccines, Mr Heng said: “I’m all for good scientific debate… but it is dangerous when people exploit social media to purvey their own misguided views and hope to turn it to some political advantage.
“Social media companies must take responsibility for their business,” he added.
“In a pandemic like this… good, accurate information is quite critical to the response - not just of you and I, but really of everyone in the world.”
from straitstimes.com:
Covid-19 pandemic presents rare opportunity to reinvent cities, says Heng Swee Keat
SINGAPORE - Cities may have taken a hit because of Covid-19, but they will continue to remain relevant and attract people, and the pandemic presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reimagine the cities of tomorrow, said Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat on Monday (June 21).
He added that the pandemic has reinforced the value of building liveable cities, which are also resilient and not just efficient.
"I believe cities will remain powerful magnets, bringing people together to explore, learn, create, and interact with one another. Urbanisation will remain a powerful force driving growth post-Covid-19," Mr Heng said at the World Cities Summit.
Around the world, cities emptied out and became quieter during the pandemic, with people leaving for the countryside to escape the high population densities and concentration of activities that increased the risk of coronavirus infection.
But Mr Heng, in his keynote speech at the summit, said the reality is far more complex and nuanced, and different cities were affected to different degrees.
"Population densities matter, but other factors such as access to quality healthcare, trust in government, and compliance with safe management measures matter just as much, if not more," he added.
A key takeaway from the pandemic is the need to develop cities that are resilient, sustainable and also liveable, he said.
The pandemic is a sharp reminder that countries must work together to better respond to complex global challenges like climate change. Cities will play a critical part in any solution, as they account for more than half the world's population and 70 per cent of global carbon dioxide emissions.
More broadly, he said, Covid-19 has reinforced the value of building liveable cities, which go beyond resilience and sustainability.
"Liveability is fundamentally about people - enabling people to flourish, and improving their quality of life," he added.
"This includes fair and inclusive access to basic necessities, such as clean water, sanitation and affordable housing. And the good redesign of spaces, including indoor and common spaces, to enhance the health and well-being of residents."
He offered three suggestions on how to build such cities of tomorrow.
First, to push the bounds of urban liveability and sustainability, people will need to innovate, he said.
Governments will need to explore new possibilities in how to plan and run cities, for instance bringing work and amenities closer to homes, to reduce the need for people to commute, and integrating green spaces within urban landscapes, he said.
Singapore has already started to build polycentric cities and is on track to making sure that every household will be within a 10-minute walk to a park by 2030, and the pandemic has given fresh impetus to these efforts, he added.
Apart from shifts in urban planning, innovative solutions will also be needed to make cities more sustainable and resilient, he said, and this will require investing in research and development.
He added that Singapore has a US$19 billion (S$25 billion) Research, Innovation, and Enterprise plan for its R&D efforts over the next five years, and one major focus is on urban solutions and sustainability, to ensure that Singapore's highly built-up environment remains climate-resilient and liveable.
One example of this effort is a project called "Cooling Singapore", to explore the use of cool paints and reflective glass coatings, among other things, to cool down the country, which is heating up twice as fast as the rest of the world because of global warming and the urban heat island effect.
"The solutions developed will be useful not only for reducing urban heat in Singapore, but also for cities around the world," he added.
Second, to build liveable and sustainable cities post-Covid-19, countries will need to invest in transport, telecommunications, social and digital infrastructure, and the flow of capital across borders will need to be improved to meet the financing needs, said Mr Heng.
Even prior to Covid-19, there was recognition of the infrastructure financing gap in many cities, and in Asia alone, the Asian Development Bank had estimated an infrastructure gap of US$1.7 trillion per year till 2030, he noted.
To help bridge this gap, Singapore has set up Infrastructure Asia - to facilitate the flow of funds and expertise into Asia, said Mr Heng.
Another important aspect to this is to catalyse green financing, he added, and Singapore accounts for over one-third of the sustainability-linked loan market in the Asia Pacific today.
He also suggested nature-based solutions for carbon abatement, to complement efforts to introduce cleaner and more efficient use of energy in cities, noting that South-east Asia is home to the largest blue carbon stock in the world, with the largest areas of mangrove swamps and seagrass meadows in Indonesia and the Philippines.
Mr Heng said the region would need to attract investments to realise the potential of the carbon stock, and one way is to develop vibrant exchanges for the trading of carbon credits.
Singapore will do its part by launching a global carbon exchange - "Climate Impact X" - later this year, he added.
Third, countries will need to better integrate their efforts using one another's strengths to build more sustainable and liveable cities, said Mr Heng.
He urged countries to build on the unprecedented level of information sharing and cooperation in science and technology sparked by the pandemic.
For instance, he said countries should work to harmonise data standards to facilitate the growth of the digital economy, and cities can also build networks of collaboration to prototype ideas across different contexts, such as in the Smart City partnership between Singapore and Shenzhen to pilot paperless cross-border trade.
Concluding his speech, Mr Heng said: "Covid-19 has disrupted our way of life, especially in cities. But I believe cities are here to stay. Cities will remain the best venues for humans to explore, learn and interact, to flourish as individuals and to collaborate and achieve more, together."
Knowledge, trust to aid recovery
Later, in a dialogue moderated by Ambassador-at-large Ong Keng Yong, Mr Heng was asked to comment on the result of a straw poll of event attendees, which asked which factor was most critical for cities to emerge more resilient and sustainable.Nearly half of respondents selected “public support and a whole-of-society” approach, while “political will” drew the next highest number of votes, followed by financial and technological resources, and lastly, regional and international collaboration.
Mr Heng agreed with the number one pick but noted that all the factors were correlated. The importance of technology, for example, can be seen in the Covid-19 response, he added.
“If not for the amount of R&D work that had been done over the last many, many years, where we understand what a genome is about… there’s no way we could have vaccines in their current form,” said Mr Heng, referring to the mRNA technology used to make the body produce a protein as a shield against the disease.
He was also asked how cities could speed up their recovery from a disruptive event like the pandemic.
Mr Heng said it was key to expect and prepare for more frequent disruptions - and to learn from past crises. “To assume that the future is just like the good old days will be totally unrealistic and I will say irresponsible,” he noted.
The Deputy Prime Minister then highlighted two major areas to work on: Advancing society’s knowledge overall, and deepening the people’s trust in authoritative sources of information.
Citing the online spread of pandemic falsehoods on the virus’ origins and vaccines, Mr Heng said: “I’m all for good scientific debate… but it is dangerous when people exploit social media to purvey their own misguided views and hope to turn it to some political advantage.
“Social media companies must take responsibility for their business,” he added.
“In a pandemic like this… good, accurate information is quite critical to the response - not just of you and I, but really of everyone in the world.”
HSK's second new career is to refurbish laptops!
This laptop I helped to refurbish will find its way to a new home with a deserving beneficiary. This was my first time refurbishing a laptop — achievement unlocked! To the family receiving it, I hope it will unlock many new achievements for you!
This is part of our work to achieve Digital Access for All, a key plank of our East Coast Digital Blueprint under our East Coast Plan.
We launched our East Coast Digital Blueprint on Saturday with the aim to provide the right tools, skills and tips to our residents and heartland businesses to be able to live fully and safely in a digital world.
Thanks to volunteer group SGbono for working with us to refurbish and distribute laptops to families in need. If you would like to donate laptops or volunteer, please reach out to them. There will also be more digital skills workshops in the coming weeks — please check out East Coast Buzz’s Facebook Page to find out more.
Heng Swee Keat is with Cheryl Chan 陈慧玲 and 2 others.
15 hrs·This laptop I helped to refurbish will find its way to a new home with a deserving beneficiary. This was my first time refurbishing a laptop — achievement unlocked! To the family receiving it, I hope it will unlock many new achievements for you!
This is part of our work to achieve Digital Access for All, a key plank of our East Coast Digital Blueprint under our East Coast Plan.
We launched our East Coast Digital Blueprint on Saturday with the aim to provide the right tools, skills and tips to our residents and heartland businesses to be able to live fully and safely in a digital world.
Thanks to volunteer group SGbono for working with us to refurbish and distribute laptops to families in need. If you would like to donate laptops or volunteer, please reach out to them. There will also be more digital skills workshops in the coming weeks — please check out East Coast Buzz’s Facebook Page to find out more.
East Coast Plan MPs together.
Heng Swee Keat
Like This Page · Yesterday · Edited·
In this COVID-19 world, we all have to learn, work, play and connect digitally as we restrict our face-to-face interactions. This is why achieving Digital Access for All is a key plank of our East Coast Digital Blueprint. The others are Digital Literacy and Skills for the New Normal, and Digital Business Models for our Heartland.
My thanks to everyone who joined us on Saturday! — with Dr Maliki Osman, Jessica Tan Soon Neo and Cheryl Chan 陈慧玲.
Heng Swee Keat
Like This Page · Yesterday · Edited·
In this COVID-19 world, we all have to learn, work, play and connect digitally as we restrict our face-to-face interactions. This is why achieving Digital Access for All is a key plank of our East Coast Digital Blueprint. The others are Digital Literacy and Skills for the New Normal, and Digital Business Models for our Heartland.
My thanks to everyone who joined us on Saturday! — with Dr Maliki Osman, Jessica Tan Soon Neo and Cheryl Chan 陈慧玲.
There is already a full ministar in East Coast GRC - Maliki Osman. But LHL may send over a heavyweight ministar to replace Runway Heng, when he almost certainly retires before the next election. It is unlikely that LHL will concede East Coast to WP by putting JoJo there. JoJo will look like a dodo against Nicole.
from channelnewsasia.com:
Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat speaking at the World Cities Summit on Jun 21, 2021. (Photo: Ministry of Communications and Information)
SINGAPORE: Investing in the future and ensuring trust in authoritative sources of information are some key strategies that will speed up recovery after a disruptive event, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, said Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat on Monday (Jun 21).
Mr Heng was speaking at the World Cities Summit in response to a question by a member of the audience on what strategies cities could adopt to hasten recovery after a disruption, based on Singapore’s experience.
Mr Heng acknowledged that more disruption must be expected as the world becomes more integrated and interdependent.
The first step, he said, is to treat each event as a "different crisis", adding that although they "may look the same", the causes and solutions for each will differ.
“Being clear that each one is different, so that we don't end up fighting the last war and deploying the wrong tools for doing that,” he said.
It is also important to learn from past crises, said Mr Heng, referencing Singapore’s decision to build the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) following the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) crisis of 2003.
The COVID-19 pandemic has emphasised the need to be resilient to future pandemics, which are bound to occur again at some point, he said.
Mr Heng added: “Out of that learning must translate into action, and the action must be to invest in our future. After such a major crisis, to assume that the future is just like the good old days will be totally unrealistic and I would say, irresponsible.
“We'll have to think about: ‘What does the future mean for individuals, for communities, for businesses of various shapes and sizes?’”
In addition, it is important to ensure that people are well-informed and that there is "a level of trust" in society in the authorities.
“If good, credible science-based evidence is ignored, you can't do anything about it. And therefore, how do we advance the knowledge of people in that area? And how do we deepen the trust that our people have authoritative sources of information?" said Mr Heng.
"Even during this pandemic, you see the amount of false information that is spread on the Internet, whether it's about the virus, the origin of the virus ... the vaccines are better, the vaccines will do you more harm and so on.
“I'm all for good scientific debate … but it is dangerous when people exploit social media to purvey their own misguided views and hope to turn it into some political advantage.”
Social media companies must "take responsibility for their business", said Mr Heng.
"Because for us to just argue that: ‘No, I'm just a neutral platform and anybody can put information and this is the freedom of speech ... we have seen how many social media companies have been under a lot of pressure, especially last year during the US election for them to have to respond, to take down blatantly false facts and allegations.
"So I think it's important for us to maintain trust in the information, especially in a pandemic like this, where good, accurate information is quite critical to the response – not just of you and I, but really of everyone in the world."
FACTORS FOR RESILIENCE
The audience was also polled on what they believed to be the most critical factors in helping a city be more resilient and sustainable: Public support, political will, financial and technological resources, as well as regional and international collaboration.
Mr Heng said all four factors were "highly correlated", and "fully agreed" with the majority of audience members that public support is the most important factor.
“If you have public support, that will be very helpful with the whole-of-society approach, because none of these problems can be solved in isolation," added the Deputy Prime Minister.
Mr Heng said that public support also translates into political will, as politicians have to respond to it, although there is a difference between how governments around the world respond to this.
He acknowledged that financial resources are also important in helping projects get off the ground, while technological resources are key to future solutions.
PLANNING FOR THE NEW NORMAL
When asked about what the next generation of leaders will have to plan for in a new normal, Mr Heng said: “I have a simple answer to that … Whatever we plan, focus on what people need.
“What do we need to learn, work, play, interact with other people, to connect with people?"
He added that cities will become "more important". Building resilient and sustainable cities cannot be done alone.
“If we can bring together a partnership within our society, and with people around the world, we can build our new normal," said Mr Heng.
Investing in future, ensuring trust in authorities are key to recovery after disruptive event such as COVID-19: DPM Heng
Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat speaking at the World Cities Summit on Jun 21, 2021. (Photo: Ministry of Communications and Information)
SINGAPORE: Investing in the future and ensuring trust in authoritative sources of information are some key strategies that will speed up recovery after a disruptive event, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, said Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat on Monday (Jun 21).
Mr Heng was speaking at the World Cities Summit in response to a question by a member of the audience on what strategies cities could adopt to hasten recovery after a disruption, based on Singapore’s experience.
Mr Heng acknowledged that more disruption must be expected as the world becomes more integrated and interdependent.
The first step, he said, is to treat each event as a "different crisis", adding that although they "may look the same", the causes and solutions for each will differ.
“Being clear that each one is different, so that we don't end up fighting the last war and deploying the wrong tools for doing that,” he said.
It is also important to learn from past crises, said Mr Heng, referencing Singapore’s decision to build the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) following the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) crisis of 2003.
The COVID-19 pandemic has emphasised the need to be resilient to future pandemics, which are bound to occur again at some point, he said.
Mr Heng added: “Out of that learning must translate into action, and the action must be to invest in our future. After such a major crisis, to assume that the future is just like the good old days will be totally unrealistic and I would say, irresponsible.
“We'll have to think about: ‘What does the future mean for individuals, for communities, for businesses of various shapes and sizes?’”
In addition, it is important to ensure that people are well-informed and that there is "a level of trust" in society in the authorities.
“If good, credible science-based evidence is ignored, you can't do anything about it. And therefore, how do we advance the knowledge of people in that area? And how do we deepen the trust that our people have authoritative sources of information?" said Mr Heng.
"Even during this pandemic, you see the amount of false information that is spread on the Internet, whether it's about the virus, the origin of the virus ... the vaccines are better, the vaccines will do you more harm and so on.
“I'm all for good scientific debate … but it is dangerous when people exploit social media to purvey their own misguided views and hope to turn it into some political advantage.”
Social media companies must "take responsibility for their business", said Mr Heng.
"Because for us to just argue that: ‘No, I'm just a neutral platform and anybody can put information and this is the freedom of speech ... we have seen how many social media companies have been under a lot of pressure, especially last year during the US election for them to have to respond, to take down blatantly false facts and allegations.
"So I think it's important for us to maintain trust in the information, especially in a pandemic like this, where good, accurate information is quite critical to the response – not just of you and I, but really of everyone in the world."
FACTORS FOR RESILIENCE
The audience was also polled on what they believed to be the most critical factors in helping a city be more resilient and sustainable: Public support, political will, financial and technological resources, as well as regional and international collaboration.
Mr Heng said all four factors were "highly correlated", and "fully agreed" with the majority of audience members that public support is the most important factor.
“If you have public support, that will be very helpful with the whole-of-society approach, because none of these problems can be solved in isolation," added the Deputy Prime Minister.
Mr Heng said that public support also translates into political will, as politicians have to respond to it, although there is a difference between how governments around the world respond to this.
He acknowledged that financial resources are also important in helping projects get off the ground, while technological resources are key to future solutions.
PLANNING FOR THE NEW NORMAL
When asked about what the next generation of leaders will have to plan for in a new normal, Mr Heng said: “I have a simple answer to that … Whatever we plan, focus on what people need.
“What do we need to learn, work, play, interact with other people, to connect with people?"
He added that cities will become "more important". Building resilient and sustainable cities cannot be done alone.
“If we can bring together a partnership within our society, and with people around the world, we can build our new normal," said Mr Heng.
HSK visiting hawkers in Bedok South.
Dropped by Blk 16 Bedok South for a short walkabout after an event on Saturday to catch up with some stall owners who were only doing takeaways then. As it was mid-afternoon, many stalls were already winding up for the day while others were busy preparing for the next working day.
I was glad to hear that most of them managed to cope during the Heightened Alert period. As we exchanged our well-wishes, I reminded them to take care of their health, and also shared with them our reopening plans which started on Monday (21 June). We must continue to observe the safe management measures and do our part to be socially responsible. When our situation improves, we can look forward to a further easing of restrictions.
#EastCoastCares
Heng Swee Keat
6 hrs·Dropped by Blk 16 Bedok South for a short walkabout after an event on Saturday to catch up with some stall owners who were only doing takeaways then. As it was mid-afternoon, many stalls were already winding up for the day while others were busy preparing for the next working day.
I was glad to hear that most of them managed to cope during the Heightened Alert period. As we exchanged our well-wishes, I reminded them to take care of their health, and also shared with them our reopening plans which started on Monday (21 June). We must continue to observe the safe management measures and do our part to be socially responsible. When our situation improves, we can look forward to a further easing of restrictions.
#EastCoastCares
Heng Swee Keat
1 hr·Does the first photo show an insect trap, an art installation, or a fridge?
It is actually a special kind of fridge that is part of a quantum computer, the very future of computing technology! And it will house a home-grown quantum chip — developed by our Centre for Quantum Technologies (CQT) at the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, and manufactured with support from the Microsystem Technologies Development Centre.
It was exciting to meet up virtually with our team at the CQT. Scientists there are working on technologies of tomorrow that could better encrypt our communications, and perform challenging computations that even the most advanced supercomputers today are not able to solve.
Quantum is a key technology area under the Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) 2025 plan, which we have built up over the last two decades. Looking to the future, the National Research Foundation Singapore is working with key stakeholders to develop a National Quantum Strategy that further unlocks the potential of this technology.
from businesstimes.com:
ASEAN can do more to pursue digital economy agreements with other partners in the world as a way to catalyse new areas of growth following the Covid-19 pandemic, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat said on Tuesday.
"We need to think about new areas of growth - and the new areas of growth will be in areas like the digital economy as well as the green economy," Mr Heng said during a fireside chat moderated by Ambassador Ong Keng Yong on the opening day of the World Cities Summit.
This comes alongside the region's pursuit of economic integration, which is even more critical during this pandemic period where "the consensus for globalisation is fraying", he said.
Singapore, for example, has entered such digital economy agreements with New Zealand, Australia and Chile, he noted.
Within Asean, businesses and business chambers should be encouraged to work more closely together, he said.
"We can do a lot more and to stay open to collaborating with partners all around the world. While (there are) trade tensions between the US and China, the global economy is more than just the US and China, and so we should collaborate across different parts of the world - particularly in new growth areas," said Mr Heng.
However, being exposed to globalisation means dealing with structural changes in the economy becoming even more important, he said.
"So how do we ensure that our people are equipped to deal with these structural changes; and there, I think, cooperation in the areas of training, in the areas of human capital development will be quite critical," he said.
Asean is in a very good state to make full use of this since many parts of the region have a fairly youthful population, he said.
Mr Heng also noted that green financing is an important part of the overall agenda as the region moves towards a green recovery.
"The question is how to do that well because the high quality projects are important. What you don't want is to have what some people call, cynically, 'greenwashing'," he said.
This means the verification of whether a project - as well as disclosures by financial institutions - is truly green is important, he said, adding that this is why the Monetary Authority of Singapore has set up a task force to set guidelines.
Meanwhile, Asean accounts for only 3 per cent of global green finance, he said, which means "there is quite a lot of catching up to do".
"I remain optimistic that the Asian region will recover from Covid-19, will continue to grow . . . the fundamentals have not been damaged," he said.
"If so, we really must aim for better recovery - and the green recovery must be an important part of our agenda," he added.
Asean should pursue digital economy, green economy as part of recovery: DPM Heng
ASEAN can do more to pursue digital economy agreements with other partners in the world as a way to catalyse new areas of growth following the Covid-19 pandemic, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat said on Tuesday.
"We need to think about new areas of growth - and the new areas of growth will be in areas like the digital economy as well as the green economy," Mr Heng said during a fireside chat moderated by Ambassador Ong Keng Yong on the opening day of the World Cities Summit.
This comes alongside the region's pursuit of economic integration, which is even more critical during this pandemic period where "the consensus for globalisation is fraying", he said.
Singapore, for example, has entered such digital economy agreements with New Zealand, Australia and Chile, he noted.
Within Asean, businesses and business chambers should be encouraged to work more closely together, he said.
"We can do a lot more and to stay open to collaborating with partners all around the world. While (there are) trade tensions between the US and China, the global economy is more than just the US and China, and so we should collaborate across different parts of the world - particularly in new growth areas," said Mr Heng.
However, being exposed to globalisation means dealing with structural changes in the economy becoming even more important, he said.
"So how do we ensure that our people are equipped to deal with these structural changes; and there, I think, cooperation in the areas of training, in the areas of human capital development will be quite critical," he said.
Asean is in a very good state to make full use of this since many parts of the region have a fairly youthful population, he said.
Mr Heng also noted that green financing is an important part of the overall agenda as the region moves towards a green recovery.
"The question is how to do that well because the high quality projects are important. What you don't want is to have what some people call, cynically, 'greenwashing'," he said.
This means the verification of whether a project - as well as disclosures by financial institutions - is truly green is important, he said, adding that this is why the Monetary Authority of Singapore has set up a task force to set guidelines.
Meanwhile, Asean accounts for only 3 per cent of global green finance, he said, which means "there is quite a lot of catching up to do".
"I remain optimistic that the Asian region will recover from Covid-19, will continue to grow . . . the fundamentals have not been damaged," he said.
"If so, we really must aim for better recovery - and the green recovery must be an important part of our agenda," he added.
HSK encourages all sinkies to get vaccinated.
COVID-19 is likely to become endemic and remain with us for some time. We will need to adapt and learn to live normally with the virus in our midst.
Vaccination is a key enabler to keep our people safe. So far, we have made steady progress. The Multi-Ministry Taskforce announced our plans to accelerate our vaccination programme, to have two-thirds of our population fully vaccinated by National Day. See https://go.gov.sg/moh-update-24jun2021 for details.
I strongly encourage those who are eligible to get vaccinated, especially our seniors.
#SGUnited
(MCI Photo by Ngau Kai Yan)
Heng Swee Keat
2 hrs·COVID-19 is likely to become endemic and remain with us for some time. We will need to adapt and learn to live normally with the virus in our midst.
Vaccination is a key enabler to keep our people safe. So far, we have made steady progress. The Multi-Ministry Taskforce announced our plans to accelerate our vaccination programme, to have two-thirds of our population fully vaccinated by National Day. See https://go.gov.sg/moh-update-24jun2021 for details.
I strongly encourage those who are eligible to get vaccinated, especially our seniors.
#SGUnited
(MCI Photo by Ngau Kai Yan)
HSK talks France.
When you think of France, do you think of croissants, the Eiffel Tower, the city of lights?
Or do you think of strong universities, Artificial Intelligence, and quantum technologies?
Indeed, for a group of us yesterday, the second set of topics was what we had in mind during our second meeting of the France-Singapore Joint Committee on Science and Innovation (JCSI). Scientists and researchers from Singapore and France met up virtually for rich discussions on how we can strengthen cooperation in S&T. Our universities signed MOUs with their French counterparts, further strengthening our partnerships in areas such as clean energy, circular economy and entrepreneurship.
And I trust, when our friends in France think of Singapore, they will think of an innovative, enterprising people, and our commitment to international cooperation to improve lives. This was the tone of my virtual meeting with French Minister for Higher Education, Research and Innovation, Frédérique Vidal. We had a good exchange of views. I thank Minister Vidal for her strong support of the JCSI, and look forward to further collaborations between our two countries. My thanks also to the Ambassador of France to Singapore, HE Marc Abensour for contributing to the good progress.
Heng Swee Keat
1 hr·When you think of France, do you think of croissants, the Eiffel Tower, the city of lights?
Or do you think of strong universities, Artificial Intelligence, and quantum technologies?
Indeed, for a group of us yesterday, the second set of topics was what we had in mind during our second meeting of the France-Singapore Joint Committee on Science and Innovation (JCSI). Scientists and researchers from Singapore and France met up virtually for rich discussions on how we can strengthen cooperation in S&T. Our universities signed MOUs with their French counterparts, further strengthening our partnerships in areas such as clean energy, circular economy and entrepreneurship.
And I trust, when our friends in France think of Singapore, they will think of an innovative, enterprising people, and our commitment to international cooperation to improve lives. This was the tone of my virtual meeting with French Minister for Higher Education, Research and Innovation, Frédérique Vidal. We had a good exchange of views. I thank Minister Vidal for her strong support of the JCSI, and look forward to further collaborations between our two countries. My thanks also to the Ambassador of France to Singapore, HE Marc Abensour for contributing to the good progress.
HSK spending his precious time speaking to Rotary Club.
Back in my student days, I was a member of the Interact Club. I enjoyed and was invigorated by the challenge to make a difference in my school and community. The Interact Club’s motto of “Service Above Self” spoke to me, resonating with my own growing views of the importance of leading a meaningful, service-oriented and relationship-centred life.
The Interact Club was sponsored by the The Rotary Club of Singapore. So when I was invited to speak at the installation of its 87th Board, I readily agreed. COVID-19 did not dampen Rotarians’ commitment to care of the vulnerable and the needy in society. They launched new initiatives, including a health ambassador program to raise awareness about the importance of COVID vaccination.
There is a strong resonance between the work of Rotarians and Interactors, and the Singapore Together movement. By coming together in a spirit of partnership, we can emerge stronger from this crisis to a brighter future.
Heng Swee Keat
53 mins·Back in my student days, I was a member of the Interact Club. I enjoyed and was invigorated by the challenge to make a difference in my school and community. The Interact Club’s motto of “Service Above Self” spoke to me, resonating with my own growing views of the importance of leading a meaningful, service-oriented and relationship-centred life.
The Interact Club was sponsored by the The Rotary Club of Singapore. So when I was invited to speak at the installation of its 87th Board, I readily agreed. COVID-19 did not dampen Rotarians’ commitment to care of the vulnerable and the needy in society. They launched new initiatives, including a health ambassador program to raise awareness about the importance of COVID vaccination.
There is a strong resonance between the work of Rotarians and Interactors, and the Singapore Together movement. By coming together in a spirit of partnership, we can emerge stronger from this crisis to a brighter future.
I don't think this had anything to do with HSK stepping down as leader of the 4G ministars. It was LHL who did not want to give him a longer runway.
HSK fighting for low wage workers.
What is the future that Singaporeans hope for? Through the Emerging Stronger Conversations and partnership efforts such as the Alliances for Action (AfA), one sentiment kept coming up – Singaporeans wish for a more caring, just and equal society, and are prepared to take action to achieve it.
This came up again today at the workshop organised by the AfA for Lower-Wage Workers. I am glad to see Alliance members from different backgrounds working well together, bringing their perspectives and ideas to the table.
COVID-19, instead of throwing the #SingaporeTogether movement off course, has strengthened our sense of purpose. As we marked the second anniversary of #SingaporeTogether, I reflected on what we learnt. We learnt that when all parts of society come together to work on something, we can very quickly put thought into action, as seen from some of our early Alliances. We now have 25 Alliances, and will further grow our AfAs in the coming year.
The effort to build our nation will never end. But as we seek to emerge stronger from COVID-19, we must build on the bonds that have drawn us closer together during this crisis, step forward with our passion and energy, and create a better and brighter future together.
Speaking to Dawn Yip, Coordinating Director, Partnerships Project Office, Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth - MCCY and Lin Shilie, Deputy Director (Ops Development), Foreign Manpower Management Division, Singapore Ministry of Manpower ahead of the virtual workshop.
Heng Swee Keat is with Josephine Teo and Zaqy Mohamad.
Yesterday at 02:36·What is the future that Singaporeans hope for? Through the Emerging Stronger Conversations and partnership efforts such as the Alliances for Action (AfA), one sentiment kept coming up – Singaporeans wish for a more caring, just and equal society, and are prepared to take action to achieve it.
This came up again today at the workshop organised by the AfA for Lower-Wage Workers. I am glad to see Alliance members from different backgrounds working well together, bringing their perspectives and ideas to the table.
COVID-19, instead of throwing the #SingaporeTogether movement off course, has strengthened our sense of purpose. As we marked the second anniversary of #SingaporeTogether, I reflected on what we learnt. We learnt that when all parts of society come together to work on something, we can very quickly put thought into action, as seen from some of our early Alliances. We now have 25 Alliances, and will further grow our AfAs in the coming year.
The effort to build our nation will never end. But as we seek to emerge stronger from COVID-19, we must build on the bonds that have drawn us closer together during this crisis, step forward with our passion and energy, and create a better and brighter future together.
Speaking to Dawn Yip, Coordinating Director, Partnerships Project Office, Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth - MCCY and Lin Shilie, Deputy Director (Ops Development), Foreign Manpower Management Division, Singapore Ministry of Manpower ahead of the virtual workshop.
HSK's important task is to talk to dads and their children.
Thank you Jessica Tan Soon Neo for inviting me to join in your morning bonding with #SimeiDads on Sunday.
I had a nice time learning from fathers from different backgrounds, with children of all ages. We all agree — the important thing is spending quality time with our children while also appreciating our partners in our parenting journey. As parents, we are in such a special position to help shape our children's character and their attitudes towards their world and the people around them. When we do our best to teach and model positivity, compassion and tolerance, our children in turn build a society that is caring and harmonious.
Hope the rest of the dads taking part via Zoom had fun and found the sharing useful. Happy Father's Day again to all fathers!
#EastCoastCares
Heng Swee Keat
4 hrs·Thank you Jessica Tan Soon Neo for inviting me to join in your morning bonding with #SimeiDads on Sunday.
I had a nice time learning from fathers from different backgrounds, with children of all ages. We all agree — the important thing is spending quality time with our children while also appreciating our partners in our parenting journey. As parents, we are in such a special position to help shape our children's character and their attitudes towards their world and the people around them. When we do our best to teach and model positivity, compassion and tolerance, our children in turn build a society that is caring and harmonious.
Hope the rest of the dads taking part via Zoom had fun and found the sharing useful. Happy Father's Day again to all fathers!
#EastCoastCares
HSK shows interest in computer science.
Every year, the International Olympiad in Informatics - IOI brings together budding young computer scientists from various countries to compete in a variety of online coding and programming ‘tasks’.
COVID-19 has not stopped this competition from taking place. This is the second year that Singapore has hosted this event virtually. Some 360 participants from over 90 countries took part.
Congratulations to NUS School of Computing for successfully organising this competition twice in a row. At the closing ceremony on Saturday, we officially passed the baton to our friends in Indonesia, who will be hosting next year’s Olympiad.
Congratulations also to Team Singapore for doing us proud!
Heng Swee Keat
4 hrs·Every year, the International Olympiad in Informatics - IOI brings together budding young computer scientists from various countries to compete in a variety of online coding and programming ‘tasks’.
COVID-19 has not stopped this competition from taking place. This is the second year that Singapore has hosted this event virtually. Some 360 participants from over 90 countries took part.
Congratulations to NUS School of Computing for successfully organising this competition twice in a row. At the closing ceremony on Saturday, we officially passed the baton to our friends in Indonesia, who will be hosting next year’s Olympiad.
Congratulations also to Team Singapore for doing us proud!
Heng Swee Keat
Like This Page · 5 hrs · Edited·
Congratulations Team Singapore! This year’s results are the best yet — with our contestants clinching 3 Golds and 1 Silver medals. All four medallists from team Singapore are students from NUS High School of Mathematics & Science and also participated in last year’s competition. Half of them saw marked improvements in their performance this year. Congratulations!
[Front row L-R] Tan Si Jie (gold medallist), Shen Xing Yang (gold medallist), Tan Yi Kai (silver medallist), Ashley Aragorn Khoo (gold medallist).
[Back row L-R] Team Leader Huang Xing Chen, Deputy Team Leader Clarence Xuan Da Chew (kneeling), Team Leader Suhendry Effendy, and Deputy Team Leader Aaron Tan.
(Photo from IOI2021) — with International Olympiad in Informatics - IOI.
Like This Page · 5 hrs · Edited·
Congratulations Team Singapore! This year’s results are the best yet — with our contestants clinching 3 Golds and 1 Silver medals. All four medallists from team Singapore are students from NUS High School of Mathematics & Science and also participated in last year’s competition. Half of them saw marked improvements in their performance this year. Congratulations!
[Front row L-R] Tan Si Jie (gold medallist), Shen Xing Yang (gold medallist), Tan Yi Kai (silver medallist), Ashley Aragorn Khoo (gold medallist).
[Back row L-R] Team Leader Huang Xing Chen, Deputy Team Leader Clarence Xuan Da Chew (kneeling), Team Leader Suhendry Effendy, and Deputy Team Leader Aaron Tan.
(Photo from IOI2021) — with International Olympiad in Informatics - IOI.
Heng Swee Keat
Like This Page · 6 hrs · Edited ·
Gan Siow Huang (right most) and NUS President Tan Eng Chye (left most) passing the IOI flag to Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia Suryo Pratomo (second from right).
(Photo from IOI2021) — with Gan Siow Huang 颜晓芳 and International Olympiad in Informatics - IOI.
Like This Page · 6 hrs · Edited ·
Gan Siow Huang (right most) and NUS President Tan Eng Chye (left most) passing the IOI flag to Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia Suryo Pratomo (second from right).
(Photo from IOI2021) — with Gan Siow Huang 颜晓芳 and International Olympiad in Informatics - IOI.
