Three Key International Organisations set up Asia Pacific bases in Singapore

Singapore will welcome 500 young “United Nations Ambassadors” from all over the world next month, in the first Model United Nations Conference for students to be held in Singapore. The city-state will be the first Asian country to host the conference, which is organised by The Hague International Model United Nations (THIMUN), a non-profit educational foundation affiliated to the United Nations Economic and Social Council.

The conference from 9-13 November 2005 will see the students, aged between 14 and 18 from more than 40 schools in 15 countries, taking on the role of United Nations delegates and ambassadors representing the interests of UN member states in a simulation of the proceedings of the United Nations General Assembly, its Security Council and its Economic and Social Council.

The THIMUN-Singapore conference will be held at Hwa Chong Institution and aims to give young people the opportunity to seek, through discussion, negotiation and debate, solutions to various global problems. It is hoped that through the conference, students can gain a better insight into the problems faced by the world, the causes of disputes between nation-states and how these can be resolved at an international level.

The conference will be among the first initiatives of THIMUN’s Asia Pacific headquarters in Singapore, which was set up earlier this year. The THIMUN-Singapore office is the first THIMUN office to be located outside of its home base in The Hague, The Netherlands.

In addition to THIMUN’s Asia Pacific headquarters, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and the Economic Development Board (EDB) also facilitated non-governmental organisations (NGOs) Habitat for Humanity International and World Vision International to set up their Asia Pacific Satellite Regional Offices in Singapore this year. These organizations join a growing list of International Organisations (IOs) to set up operations in Singapore.

“Asia’s economic dynamism has led to increasing interest among IOs to boost their Asian presence. We are excited that the three organisations have selected Singapore to set up their regional bases,” said Mr Aloysius Arlando, STB’s Acting Assistant Chief Executive for its Business Travel and MICE (Meetings, Incentive Travel, Conventions and Exhibitions) Group.

“The benefits are mutual. On the one hand, the IOs can use Singapore’s strong regional influence as a springboard to promote their cause across the Asia Pacific region. On the other hand, Singapore benefits from the IO’s contribution to the economy via the generation of more MICE events and business spending, and this supports our push to become a hub for intellectual exchange,” added Mr Arlando.

IOs in Singapore organise conferences, seminars, conventions, exhibitions, training sessions and other business and intellectual events, helping to generate a steady flow of business traffic and tourism receipts. There are currently 41 major IOs with a presence in Singapore, including the World Intellectual Property Organisation, the International Air Transport Association and the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Secretariat.

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