Centre Activities
2024
Mr Julius Trajano, Research Fellow, and Ms Jeselyn, Research Analyst, participated in the 11th Asian Conference on Safety and Education in Laboratory held at Kyushu University School of Medicine in Fukuoka, Japan from 28 to 29 November 2024. This international conference focuses on safety and security in chemical, biological, health and radiological laboratories in Asia. They had discussions with scientists on developing a positive safety culture and a security culture, norms, and practices while pursuing scientific innovations.
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Head of NTS Centre, Prof Mely Caballero-Anthony, participated in the Trilateral Commission Asia-Pacific Group Regional Meeting held in Manila, Philippines on 22-23 November 2024. Prof Anthony spoke at the panel on ‘Climate Change and Energy Policy’ highlighting how important it is for the region not to ignore the complex adaptation challenges faced by states in the developing world, while advancing the goal of low-carbon energy policy.
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The Humanitarian Futures Forum (HFF) 2024, co-organised by RSIS | S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies and the Changi Regional Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Coordination Centre (Changi RHCC) on 29 October 2024, is in its third iteration. The Forum focused on discussions to strengthen support systems for policy planners and decision-makers with a focus on futures-thinking to better anticipate, prepare for and respond to humanitarian challenges. HFF 2024 brought together over 150 local and overseas participants from militaries, international organisations, government agencies, Non-Government Organisations, academia, civil society, as well as the philanthropic and private sectors.
Click here to view more photos.
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On 28 October, Prof Mely Caballero-Anthony spoke as part of the Session 8 panel on ‘What does the Rest of the World Expect from the EU?’ at the Council of Councils (CoC) fifteenth regional conference and hosted by Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) in Brussels. In her speech, Prof Mely outlined that as a normative power, it is vital for the EU to strengthen and promote the international Rules-Based Order, especially with the rise of conflicts around the world. The EU must rally behind and advocate multilateral platforms and the UN system to safeguard global peace and security. As the world shifts toward multipolarity, both the EU and ASEAN should work together to adapt multilateralism to integrate these new realities, demonstrating how the Rules-Based Order can be inclusive of the Global South, but yet resilient in upholding its principles of peace and multilateral institutions.
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Danielle Lynn Goh, Associate Research Fellow at the NTS Centre, participated in the Asia-Pacific Roundtable on Climate change and Environmental Security, organised by the Asia-Pacific Leadership Network (APLN) on 17 October.
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On 14 October, Prof Mely Caballero-Anthony spoke at the 25th Asia-Pacific Programme for Senior Military Officers (APPSMO 2024) at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront, Singapore, on Navigating Regional Uncertainty: Continuity and Change in the ASEAN Way. In her speech, she elaborated on the impacts of geopolitical rivalry on security and the challenges that ASEAN faces to its unity and centrality, with the rise of minilateral arrangements, sense of drift in addressing the South China Sea disputes, the 2021 Myanmar coup and the Rohingya crisis.
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SWP-RSIS-KAS Workshop on the Emergence of Greater Asia in Energy and Climate
The Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS Centre) at RSIS, with the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) and Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, co-organised a workshop on “The Emergence of Greater Asia in Energy and Climate” in Singapore from 9 to 10 October 2024. Prof Mely Caballero-Anthony, Head of NTS Centre, discussed major trends in energy transition, climate security and geopolitics in Southeast Asia. Mr Julius Cesar Trajano, Research Fellow at NTS Centre, delivered a presentation on the role of small modular nuclear reactors in Southeast Asia’s clean energy transition. This workshop brought together 20 experts in geopolitics, energy, and climate security from Europe and Asia to address one of the most pressing questions of our time: How are shifts in geopolitical power, energy policy, and climate governance reshaping Greater Asia?
Workshop participants actively contributed to academic panels, keynote debates, and policy discussions, along with foresight sessions to explore key trends, uncertainties, and potential wild cards — such as climate-induced disasters or conflicts — that could reshape the Asian energy landscape.
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Last 9th October, NTU was visited by representatives from the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), which is a specialist organisation established in 1996 by the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO), and headquartered in the Philippines. The meeting was chaired by Dr Jose Ma. Luis Montesclaros, Research Fellow (Food Security) at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), with the participation of representatives from members of the NTU Food Community as well as RSIS including Prof Paul Teng (Adjunct Senior Fellow), Mr Eddie Lim (Head of Outreach), and Ms Jeselyn (Research Analyst). SEARCA representatives included Dr Gerlie Tatlonghari, Program Head, Research and Thought Leadership Department (RTLD), and Ms Bernice Anne D. De Torres, RTLD Program Coordinator.
The purpose of the visit was to inform the NTU Food Community of a new initiative, the Consortium for Agricultural Development, Research, and Extension (CADRE) in Southeast Asia as a network of high-caliber, like-minded institutions with a unified goal of driving agricultural transformation toward sustainable and inclusive development in Southeast Asia, and to explore potential interest as well. CADRE was first proposed by SEARCA during the 18th ASEAN Technical Working Group on Agricultural Research and Development (ATWGARD) working meeting last 25 April 2024 in Singapore. Underpinning CADRE will be a commitment to research (biological, physical, social, policy) that supports knowledge generation for development and the subsequent extension of this knowledge to stakeholders along the agriculture value chain.
For background, the NTS Centre’s Food Team (Dr Montesclaros, Research Fellow, and Prof Teng, Adjunct Senior Fellow) was involved during CADRE’s launch at the Regional Stakeholders’ Consultation Workshop for CADRE in July 2024, in collaboration with the ASEAN, which was attended by some representatives from ATWGARD as well as various stakeholders from the government, academe, industry, farmers’ and civil society. During this meeting, Prof Teng led the Workshop for the Theory of Change, Mission and Vision, which and Dr Montesclaros co-facilitated.
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Prof Mely Caballero-Anthony spoke as a panellist alongside Professor Ken Jimbo from Keio University and Managing Director, International House of Japan during a webinar co-organised by RSIS and the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS), Japan on 18 September 2024. Prof Mely discussed the impact of current geopolitical upheavals on the region, the impact on ASEAN and recommendations on how to strengthen the existing regional security architecture. Ambassador Ong Keng Yong, Executive Deputy Chairman, RSIS, and Professor Narushige Michishita, Executive Vice President and Professor, GRIPS and Director, Yokosuka Council on Asia-Pacific Studies (YCAPS), Japan delivered the closing remarks.
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Mr Ronaldo Reario, Visiting Senior Fellow, RSIS, and Lead for Natural, Environmental and Technological (NEaT) Emergencies, Civil-Military Coordination Service of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, held a seminar on Thursday, 29th August 2024. Mr Reario discussed the added value of Civil-Military coordination in optimising the use of available capacity and resilience-building drawing from practical applications in the context of disaster preparedness and response.
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The ASEAN Strategic Policy Dialogue on Disaster Management (SPDDM) was held on 23 August at the Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel, Singapore. The event was co-organised by the Singapore Civil Defence Force, the ASEAN Secretariat, and the AHA Centre, with the RSIS HADR Programme and Nexus Resilience Group participating as knowledge partners for the event. The Welcome Remarks were delivered by Mrs. Josephine Teo, Minister for Digital Development and Information and Second Minister for Home Affairs, Republic of Singapore. The Opening Remarks were given by H.E. Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Ahmaddin bin Haji Abdul Rahman, Minister for Home Affairs, Brunei Darussalam, and Chair of the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Disaster Management 2024. The Secretary-General of ASEAN, H.E. Dr Kao Kim Hourn and the Ambassador of European Union to ASEAN, H.E. Sujiro Seam, also gave remarks. Under the theme “It Takes a Village: Inclusive Approaches to Enhance Disaster Resilience”, this year’s event allowed stakeholders with a plurality of perspectives on disaster management to discuss and emphasize the importance of engaging the community to enhance disaster resilience in the region.
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Mr Keith Paolo C. Landicho, Associate Research Fellow, held a seminar to discuss the progress and prospects of the multi-phase database project of the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) programme. In his presentation, he discussed the factors and dynamics of HADR provision, referencing disaster events from 2018 to 2024. He also discussed civilian-to-military and military-to-military relations by investigating assets and equipment trade, deployment missions, and participation in exercises and training. This highlighted the central and influential actors in the network and how HADR governance is shaped in the region.
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The NTS Centre co-organised with the Australian National University (ANU) the ANU-RSIS Synthetic Biology Ethics Workshop in Singapore on 15 August 2024. Around 25 biosecurity and synthetic biology experts from various Asia-Pacific countries, including Australia, Singapore and India, discussed key issues and challenges related to potential ethical frameworks for deployment of synthetic biology in the Asia-Pacific.
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Held from 16th – 18th July 2024, Ms S. Nanthini, Associate Research Fellow, participated in the Track II Network of ASEAN Defence and Security Institutions (NADI) Meeting on the topic of “Evolving and Emerging Non-Traditional Security Challenges in the Era of Disruptive World” as part of the RSIS delegation. Representing Singapore, she delivered a presentation on the non-traditional security challenges facing Southeast Asia and highlighted the role of the military in responding to these challenges, particularly in cases of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) and climate security.
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The NTS Centre hosted a roundtable on the emerging biosecurity landscape in Southeast Asia on July 23 and 24, 2024, at One Farrer Hotel in Singapore. The event gathered 25 participants from various fields, representing five Southeast Asian countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. The primary objective of the roundtable was to facilitate a candid exchange of views on the biosecurity risks and challenges facing Southeast Asia, to examine the current state of biosecurity governance in the region, and to recommend policies for improving biosecurity governance moving forward.”
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Julius Trajano, Research Fellow at NTS Centre, attended the International Conference on Nuclear Security, organised by the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, Austria from 20 to 24 May 2024. He delivered a presentation on the role of think-tanks and universities in enhancing nuclear security in Southeast Asia as part of the panel on the role of civil society in nuclear security.
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S. Nanthini, Senior Analyst, delivered a presentation on climate security in Southeast Asia during a visit to RSIS by the Indonesian Naval Command and Staff College on 28 May 2024. She discussed the implications of climate change on militaries in the region, and suggested future pathways for climate adaption, mitigation and preparation.
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On 8 May 2024, Prof Mely Caballero-Anthony was part of two panels with other internationally distinguished speakers at the Stockholm Forum on Peace and Development 2024 organised by SIPRI. She spoke alongside Nathalie Chuard, Juliana Villegas, Sanam Naraghi Anderlini and Yero Baldeh on “Intersecting Crises and Joint Solutions” and on “Ecological Security” with former Foreign Minister of Sweden Margot Wallstrom, Leonardo Simão, Florian Krampe and Dan Smith from SIPRI. The panels engaged in intensive discussions on the intersecting poly-crises of climate change, food security, Ukraine and Gaza crises, developments in the Red Sea, peacebuilding, human security, and international norms.
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On 19 April 2024, Ambassador Ong Keng Yong launched the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) Report on Climate Change and its Impact on Peace and Security in Southeast Asia at the 2024 Planetary Health Summit and 6th Annual Meeting, held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The report was well received and sparked constructive discussion and dialogue among participants from ASEAN, ASEAN governments, civil society, academia and the private sector.
In addition, RSIS, in partnership with the Sunway Centre for Planetary Health, convened a roundtable discussion on Climate, Peace and Security in ASEAN, as a follow-up to the ASEAN-UN Regional Dialogue on Climate, Peace and Security (AURED VI) in November 2023. Prof Mely Caballero-Anthony presented the report and its key recommendations at the session with participation from a diversity of stakeholders, to identify potential pathways for the implementation of the recommendations.
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S.Nanthini, Senior Analyst from the HADR Programme at the NTS Centre, recently participated in the last of a 3-stop study tour as part of the Disaster Resilience Programme of the Indo-Pacific Cooperation Network, from 11th – 17th March 2024. Jointly organised by the Australian Institute of International Affairs and Japan Foundation, the tour began in Fiji where delegates were able to meet with officials working in disaster resilience from several institutions including the Pacific Islands Forum, the National Disaster Management Office as well as the Australian High Commissioner and the Japanese Ambassador to Fiji. Delegates also visited Tonga where they were able to engage in discussions with Ministry of Meteorology, Energy, Information, Disaster Management, and Climate Change, as well as the Tupou Tonga Institute on Tongan perspectives on climate change and the broader security landscape in the Pacific. As part of their study of disaster resilience, delegates were also able to visit sites where the 2022 Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai eruption and tsunami hit the island kingdom.
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Keith Paolo C. Landicho, Associate Research Fellow from the HADR Programme at the NTS Centre, was recently invited to participate in the 2nd Training for ASCEND Competency Assessors from 18th – 23rd February 2024 in Penang, Malaysia. Jointly organised by the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA Centre) and the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) of Malaysia, the training aimed to build the capacity of assessors to conduct certification following the regionally recognised ASCEND Competency Standards for disaster management professionals. The ASCEND certification serves as an official ASEAN recognition of competence in the disaster management sector and aims to help develop capacity and disaster preparedness in the ASEAN region. Along with 34 other participants from different humanitarian sectors across the region, Mr Landicho became a “Certified Competency Assessor in Disaster Management”.
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The NTS Centre held a closed-door roundtable discussion with Dr Catherine Bragg, Visiting Senior Fellow, RSIS, and Senior Fellow, Monk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto, Canada, on Wednesday, 28th February 2024. Participants discussed the humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence in the 21st Century, the dynamics and trajectory of the entities involved in humanitarian work both inside and outside the formal humanitarian system, and the implications for and the role of crisis-affected people and communities.
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Julius Trajano, Research Fellow at NTS Centre, delivered a presentation on national and regional concerns in Southeast Asia related to biological, chemical and nuclear weapons at the Pacific Forum Workshop on Managing the Future Weapons of Mass Destruction Environment of Southeast Asia. The workshop was held in Singapore on 1 February 2024 and was attended by disarmament and security scholars from the Southeast Asian region and the United States.
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RSIS Research Fellow Jose M.L. Montesclaros was invited to participate in the “2nd Online Forum of the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) Research and Development Platform for Poverty Action” on 20 Feb 2024.
The event was part of the ASCC Research and Development Platform Programme of the The ASEAN Secretariat on Poverty Action, and supported by the ASEAN-China Cooperation Fund (ACCF) and the advisory team from The Habibie Center.
During the discussion, Jose emphasised digitalisation’s role in enhancing resilience and stability in the food and agricultural sector to benefit farmers’ well-being in rural communities, and suggested directing innovation towards empowering grassroots digitalisation initiatives.
The forum was opened by ASCC Deputy Secretary-General, DSG Ekkaphab Phanthavong; closed by Mr Miguel Musngi (Head of Poverty Alleviation at ASec). Other speakers included the Philippines’ Undersecretary (USec) for ICT Industry Development, Department of Information and Communications Technology, USEC Jocelle Batapa-Sigue; Dr Ramez Abubakr Badeeb, Assistant Professor of Business Economics at Nottingham University Business School Malaysia; and Dr. Ardimas Purwita, Senior Manager at eFishery Indonesia. The discussions were moderated by Dr. Shofwan Al Banna Choiruzzad of The Habibie Center.
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The Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS Centre) in the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) held a round-up Planetary Health proposal development meeting and workshop at The Key Point, RSIS, on 2 February 2024.
Adopting an interdisciplinary approach, researchers from various fields at Nanyang Technological University from the RSIS, Nanyang Business School (NBS), College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Asian School of the Environment (CoHASS) and Lee Kong Chian (LKC) School of Medicine, discussed and provided inputs to finalise the proposal.
Prof Mely Caballero-Anthony, Head of Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies, RSIS delivered the opening remarks. She highlighted that since the COVID-19 pandemic, Planetary Health has gained momentum, with the rise of climate-induced health and biosecurity threats, such as an increase of zoonotic pathogens and CO2 pollution’s impact on health. Key research areas of the proposal could include the impact of business activities on the health of the environment and people, issues of climate justice and groups that are vulnerable to Planetary Health-related disruptions.
Margareth Sembiring, Associate Research Fellow, NTS, RSIS, then shared on the project overview and recap, outlining the key research advancements in Planetary Health, as well as the need for more of a focus and buy-in on the protection and conservation of the environment and biodiversity. Jose Ma. Luis P. Montesclaros, Research Fellow, NTS, RSIS, presented the proposal writing briefing and facilitated discussion among the participants. He highlighted the research objectives and questions of the proposal, how the research is relevant to Singapore, and the outcomes which aim to include journal articles and a potential Planetary Health Scorecard. The discussion was fruitful and demonstrated the value of collaboration across different disciplines. Following this meeting, the team plans to submit the proposal for the Social Science Research Thematic Grant (SSRTG) mid this year.
2023
Dili, Timor Leste, 4 to 7 December 2023: Dr Alistair D. B. Cook and Dr Lina Gong attend the 9th Session of the Regional Consultative Group (RCG) on Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination in the Asia-Pacific in Dili, Timor Leste from the 4th to 7th December 2023. Dr Alistair D. B. Cook presented a research update to the work “Integrating Disaster Governance in Timor Leste: Opportunities and Challenges” along with an overview of the ASEAN Disaster Resilience Outlook on the 5th December. Dr Lina Gong presented “Strategic Foresighting – Importance for humanitarian sector and Civil-Military coordination” and shared an overview of topics covered at our recent Humanitarian Futures Forum on the 7th December. The 9th Session of RCG was attended by around 100 local and international participants from across the region.
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Dr Lina Gong, Research Fellow from the HADR Programme at the NTS Centre, was invited to speak on the panel on “The geopolitics of HADR: HADR as an instrument of global strategic competition” at the Future of Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR): Co-operations in the Indo-Pacific on 12th December. The event was jointly organised by the European Council on Foreign Relations and the National Maritime Foundation in India.
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The Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS Centre) in the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) hosted a RSIS Webinar on “Climate Security and the Women, Peace and Security Agenda. Moderated by Dr Tamara Nair, Research Fellow at the NTS Centre, and Coordinator of Special Projects (Women and Children in ASEAN) in the Office of the Executive Deputy Chairman, both in RSIS, this webinar was delivered by Professor Margaret Alston, Newcastle University, Professor Helene Maisonnave, Le Havre Normandie University, Professor Soumita Basu, South Asian University, as well as Ms Merita Tuari’i, Te Puna Vai Mārama – Cook Islands Centre for Research. In this webinar, the speakers examined the connection between the traditional and human security implications of climate change and its effects on women in various regions, with a focus on the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda and how this framework might be used to address the national and regional concerns affecting women’s ability to adapt to the intensifying climate landscape.
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Prof Mely Caballero-Anthony presented the RSIS Report on Climate Change and its Impact on Peace and Security in Southeast Asia at the ASEAN-UN Regional Dialogue VI on Climate, Peace and Security at the ASEAN Headquarters, Jakarta, Indonesia, on 21-22 November. The report was well-received by all attendees from ASEAN member states, civil society, UN agencies and research think-tank institutions. In the closing remarks, Mr. Khaled Khiari, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Middle East, Asia and the Pacific, Departments of Political Affairs and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations said that the study “will be remembered as a valuable contribution, that will take the process forward.”
NTS Research Fellow Mr Jose Ma Luis Montesclaros presented on the linkages between climate change, food security, and peace in the region, and potential solutions in digital technologies in agriculture.
NTS Research Fellow Mr Julius Trajano and Associate Research Fellow Ms Danielle Lynn Goh participated in the dialogue and provided further inputs.
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S.Nanthini, Senior Analyst from the HADR Programme at the NTS Centre, recently participated in the 2nd part of a 3-stop study tour as part of the Disaster Resilience Programme of the Indo-Pacific Cooperation Network, from 11th November – 15th November 2023. Jointly organised by the Australian Institute of International Affairs and Japan Foundation, the study tour consisted of participating in research sessions, attending masterclasses conducted by experts in the field at the Australian National University, a reception at the Japanese Embassy, attending the 2023 AIIA National Conference on “Navigating the Perfect Storm: Australian Foreign Policy and the Polycrisis”, as well as a visit to Australia’s National Emergency Management Agency.
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On Thursday 16th November, the HADR and Malaysia Programmes co-organised a webinar on “Is Malaysia Ready for its Next Major Flood? History, Politics, and Policy Challenges in Flood Governance.” The discussion included Associate Professor Fiona Williamson, an environmental historian at Singapore Management University; Mr Said Alhudzari, a humanitarian and development practitioner; and Professor Ong Kian-Ming, Program Director, Philosophy Politics & Economics, at Taylor’s University, Malaysia and Digital Economy and Business Transformation Impact Lab Director. It was moderated by Dr Alistair D. B. Cook, Coordinator of the HADR Programme and Senior Fellow. Ms Ariel Tan, Coordinator of the Malaysia Programme and Senior Fellow served as the discussant.
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Head of NTS Centre, Prof Mely Caballero-Anthony, attended the 14th Council of Council Meeting held at the Fundacao Getulio Vargas (FGV) Headquarters, Rio de Janiero, Brazil on 5-7 November 2022. The meeting was jointly organised and hosted by Fundacao Getulio Vargas and the Council of Foreign Relations.
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Prof Anthony speaking at the Public Session on “The Future of the World Order: Perspectives from the BRICS, the West, and Beyond”. Speakers from left:
Alex Benkenstein, South African Institute of International Affairs; Michael Froman, Council of Foreign Relations; Thomas Gomart, French Institute of International Relations, Carlos Ivan Simonsen Leal, President, Fundacao Getulio Vargas, and Mely Caballero-Anthony, RSIS, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
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The HADR programme, RSIS and the Changi Regional HADR Coordination Centre (RHCC) jointly organised the Humanitarian Futures Forum to strengthen support systems for policy planners and decision-makers on ways to better prepare for and respond to humanitarian challenges in this decade and beyond. The 2023 Humanitarian Futures Forum was the successor iteration of a series of events focused on humanitarian futures in various formats during the COVID-19 pandemic. The forum brought together over 130 local and overseas participants from various sectors including the military, civilian government agencies, academia, private sector, philanthropic entities, local civil society, as well as international NGOs and international organisations. Through the course of the one-day event, participants and speakers shared their experiences and contributed towards the overall development of an anticipatory, adaptive, and innovative humanitarian sector in the region.
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Dr Alistair D.B Cook, Dr Lina Gong, Ms S. Nanthini and Mr Keith Paolo Landicho from the HADR Programme participated in Exercise COORDINATED RESPONSE (Ex COORES) 2023. This multi-national HADR exercise was held at the Changi Naval Base from 30th October – 2nd November 2023. Ex COORES was co-organised by the Disaster Management Committee, Ministry of National Defence, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Changi Regional HADR Coordination Centre (Changi RHCC), and the United States (US) Center for Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance (CFE-DM). The aim of this tabletop exercise was to strengthen cooperation for HADR operations, establish civil-military linkages, as well as enhance mutual understanding and interoperability in the event of future disaster situations. The exercise was attended by 26 militaries and 25 organisations which interacted over four days to improve preparedness for and situational awareness in humanitarian emergencies.
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RSIS Workshop on “Humanitarian Policy and Action in Asia”, 16-17 October 2023: The HADR Programme, NTS Centre, organised the RSIS Workshop on “Humanitarian Policy and Action in Asia” at the Park Royal on Beach Road Hotel, Singapore, on 16-17 October 2023. This workshop brought together scholars from across the region for two days in Singapore to deliver papers and to discuss the emerging humanitarian policy landscape in Asia, its challenges, and the new dynamics of reform. Throughout the two-day event, the workshop delved into complex issues, showcased local and regional experiences, and explored conversations concerning humanitarian policy and action. Further discussions complemented the evolving humanitarian landscape providing an essential context for the forthcoming special edition on humanitarian policy and action in Asia with the Journal of Asian Public Policy.
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Jose M.L. Montesclaros, Research Fellow with the NTS Centre, presented on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Singapore’s rice sector and its implications for food security strategies during the recent launch of the Food Politics and Society Cluster at the Asia Research Institute (ARI), National University of Singapore (NUS) last 12 September 2023.
The seminar also included the launch of a recently edited volume by the Assoc Prof Jamie Davidson (NUS), cluster head, on the impacts of the pandemic in Southeast Asian countries including Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, and Singapore. Dr Shumeng Li, a recent graduate of Cornell University and the cluster’s inaugural postdoctoral fellow, also presented her research on sales organizations and consumers trust in the informal organic food market in China as work representative of the research interests of FPS. The presentations were followed by a panel discussion moderated by Prof Tim Bunnell, Director of the ARI, and Professor in the Department of Geography of NUS.
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S.Nanthini, Senior Analyst from the HADR Programme at the NTS Centre, recently participated in a study tour as part of the Disaster Resilience Programme of the Indo-Pacific Cooperation Network, from 13th September – 20th September. Jointly organised by the Australian Institute of International Affairs and Japan Foundation, the journey began in Minamisanriku and Ishomaki, towns on the Tohoku coast of Japan, which were affected by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. There she, along with her fellow participants, spoke to officials about their experience in policy formation in the wake of the disaster. Participants visited other areas of Japan including the Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institute in Kobe to speak to experts in the field and visit the museum memorialising the 1995 Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. In Yokohama, they were delegates at the national Disaster Resilience Congress where they discussed disaster resilience with academics, officials and NGOs. Finally, the study concluded with a tour, which saw participants in Tokyo for meetings with officials at the Japanese Cabinet Office and the Australian Embassy as well as a demonstration of a disaster drill at NHK World, the international arm of the Japan Broadcasting Corporation.
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The ASEAN Strategic Policy Dialogue on Disaster Management (SPDDM) was held on 24 August at the One Farrer Hotel. It was the concluding event of the inaugural ASEAN Disaster Management Week 2023. The event was co-organised by the Singapore Civil Defence Force, the ASEAN Secretariat, the AHA Centre, and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, with the RSIS HADR Programme participating as knowledge partner for the event. The Welcome Remarks were delivered by Mr. Pham Duc Luan, Chair of the ASEAN Committee on Disaster Management. Under the “Disaster Resilience: Understanding What Lies Ahead”, this year’s event allowed stakeholders with a plurality of perspectives on disaster management to engage with each other, enhancing discussion and acting as a catalyst for forward-looking ideas that can be used to strengthen disaster resilience in ASEAN.
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Jose M.L. Montesclaros, Research Fellow with the NTS Centre, presented on Food Security at the “Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies” event organised by the Singapore Cooperation Programme (SCP) under Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 21-25 August, 2023. It was attended by an eclectic mix of government officials in agriculture, academia, engineering, banking, and climate resilience, from diverse regions such as Europe, West, South and Southeast Asia, and South America. Jose’s invited presentation focused on the interface of climate change and food security; Singapore’s approaches to sustainability (including the carbon tax) and food security; and further lessons from China, India and ASEAN. The discussion was facilitated by Assoc Prof Robert Tiong of NTU’s Centre for Professional and Continuing Education (PACE@NTU).
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Prof Mely Caballero-Anthony and Mr Julius Cesar Trajano co-chaired with Pacific Forum the annual meeting of the CSCAP-Nuclear Energy Experts Group held in Singapore from 2-3 August 2023. Mr Trajano delivered presentations on the role of nuclear power in the Philippines’ clean energy transition and on business and technological partnerships in Small Modular Reactor (SMR) deployment and development in East Asia. Around 40 participants from Asia-Pacific countries discussed key nuclear governance issues related to nuclear energy and the clean energy transition, the impact of SMR and other emerging reactor technology, and the key roles of the ASEAN Network of Regulatory Bodies on Atomic Energy and other Asia-Pacific networks.
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Head of NTS Centre, Prof Mely Caballero-Anthony joined the dialogue on Human Security organised by JICA Ogata Sadako Research Institute for Peace and Development. Held online on 2 August, the dialogue focused on the theme, “Politics and Societies under Compounded Crises and Human Security”. It featured JICA President, Professor Akihiko Tanaka and Executive Director JICA Research Institute, Professor Yoshei Mine.
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Prof Mely Caballero-Anthony and Mr Julius Cesar Trajano attended the annual meeting of the International Nuclear Security Education Network (INSEN) organised by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria from 17 to 21 July 2023. They delivered presentations to present major findings from their recently published journal article on ASEAN member states’ shared norms and agenda on nuclear disarmament and nuclear security.
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Jose M.L. Montesclaros, Research Fellow with the NTS Centre, presented in the Singapore Climate Impact Science Research (CISR) Programme stakeholder engagement workshop.
The workshop was organised by the Centre for Climate Research Singapore (CCRS), under the Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS), National Environment Agency (NEA), on 23-25 May, 2023. Jose’s invited presentation focused on the multifaceted and cross-border impacts of climate change on food security, and was co-prepared with Prof Paul S. Teng, Adjunct Senior Fellow with the NTS Centre, RSIS. His presentation was followed by a Q&A panel session with Prof Koh Lian Pin, Director of the NUS Centre for Nature-based Climate Solutions, who presented on “Climate Impacts on Biodiversity and Food Security – Nature-based Solutions for Climate Change Mitigation,” moderated by Dr Aurel Moise of CCRS.
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Mr Julius Cesar Trajano, Research Fellow at NTS Centre, delivered a presentation at the International Conference on Computer Security in the Nuclear World, organised by the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, Austria from 19 to 23 June 2023. Mr Trajano was invited to present his paper on regional cooperation on cyber-nuclear security in ASEAN and to be part of the panel on International Cooperation on Computer Security for the Nuclear Security Regime.
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Prof. Mely Caballero-Anthony speaking at the Inaugural Southeast Asia Regional Geopolitical Update, held at the Australian National University on 1 May 2023, organised by the ANU Southeast Asia Institute (SEAI).
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Head of NTS Centre, Prof Mely Caballero-Anthony at the Policy Retreat on “Reconstituting or Replacing the Liberal International Order” held in Tokyo on 22-23 May 2023, organised by the Toda Policy Institute, Japan.
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Dr Alistair D.B. Cook, Senior Fellow and Coordinator of the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Programme, NTS Centre, and Dr Lina Gong, Research Fellow of the HADR Programme attended the Annual Civilian-Military Humanitarian Coordination Research Symposium and Workshop from 22 to 24 May in Providence, USA. This was the 7th iteration in the series of civilian-military humanitarian coordination events organised by the Center for Human Rights & Humanitarian Studies at Watson Institute of International & Public Affairs, Brown University. Dr Cook and Dr Gong delivered a presentation titled “Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination (CMCOORD) in the Indo-Pacific” in the research symposium. They also joined the thematic discussions in the workshop.
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The relevance of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda in Southeast Asia lies in the region’s ability to use WPS to address emerging non-traditional security issues facing it, such as digital security and climate change. This point as well as other issues around women and girls was the focus of discussion during a meeting with Canada’s Ambassador of Women, Peace and Security and Research Fellow at the Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies, Dr Tamara Nair. The meeting was also attended by Lt. Colonel Melanie Lake, as well as other members of the Canadian High Commission, in Singapore. Dr Nair discussed issues surrounding the security of women and girls online as well as the potential impacts of climate change on both men and women in the region. The pleasant session on exchange of ideas ended with photo-taking, and with the Ambassador drawing attention to Dr Nair’s book chapter on WPS and digital security.
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“Security threats look different in a relatively peaceful country like Singapore. Though there is no armed conflict, Singapore is challenged by emerging issues in cybersecurity, climate change, and public health”. Research Fellow at the centre, and Singapore’s member for the ASEAN Women for Peace Registry, Dr Tamara Nair, talks about the role women can and should play in crisis prevention and post-crisis rehabilitation in Singapore and the region. Dr Nair was invited to share her views on the podcast, She Talks Peace, where she discussed issues outlined above with host, Ms Amina Rasul-Bernardo, President of the Philippine Center for Islam and Democracy. Podcast can be found here.
The podcast is also available on Spotify.
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Dr Lina Gong, research fellow at the NTS Centre, presented a seminar on disaster management in Southeast Asia on 6 May in the International Academy of Red Cross and Red Crescent at Suzhou University, China. Dr Gong talked about changing disaster risks facing Southeast Asia, some of which include climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical tensions, and how cascading disasters impact countries in the region. Then she discussed how disaster management has been a channel for multiple purposes in regional cooperation, such as building confidence and solving practical challenges. She also reviewed the progress and weakness in regional disaster management and identified opportunities to strengthen regional cooperation to deal with disasters.
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Seminar on Disaster Policy Reform in ASEAN 2003-2023, 20th February
The Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS Centre) in the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) hosted a seminar on ‘Disaster Policy Reform in ASEAN 2003-2023: Progress and Challenges’ on the 20th February at the RSIS Lecture Theatre. This seminar was delivered by Dr Jonatan Lassa, Senior Lecturer, Emergency & Disaster Management, Faculty of Arts and Society, Charles Darwin University, Australia and moderated by NTS Centre Head, Professor Mely Caballero-Anthony.
Dr Lassa presented on the fragility of disaster reform in ASEAN based on long-term data from disaster trends and recovery trajectories. Despite the perception that disaster risk reduction policy in ASEAN has improved, ASEAN member states are still unlikely to meet the Sendai targets by 2030. Across the region, there is a lack of a systematic commitment to sustainable recovery and the ‘build-back better’ framework. In the region, we still see a large number of preventable hazard events which turn into disasters. Dr Lassa argued that a ‘creative recovery’ process is needed which commits states and societies to not only reach the same development levels at the time of the hazard but to reach the development levels should the disaster not have occurred. Without a commitment to reaching these levels then the affected communities are effectively returning to the past. This seminar concluded with Q&A on topics of discussion from the role of market mechanisms in providing disaster financing to the impact of anticipatory action on recovery.
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Planetary Health Proposal Development Meeting, 13 February.
The Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS Centre) in the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) hosted a proposal development meeting on planetary health on the 13th February at Orchard Hotel in Singapore. This meeting brought together the principal investigator and co-investigators of the SSHR seed grant on planetary health to share perspectives from their respective disciplines and further develop the proposal, along with other potential partners, including Prof Tan Sri Dr Jemilah Mahmood, Executive Director and Professor, Sunway Centre for Planetary Health, Sunway University, Malaysia.
Prof Mely Caballero-Anthony, Head of Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies, RSIS delivered the welcome remarks. She highlighted the particular relevance of the planetary health concept in the face of the unprecedented degradation of our natural systems and the emergence of the triple planetary crises of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. Prof Jemilah then began the opening panel with a discussion on the need to pay attention to the declining state of planet earth in order to advance humanity’s wellbeing.
The second panel on ‘International Research Collaboration’ was moderated by Dr Alistair. D.B. Cook. Prof Jemilah introduced the Sunway Centre for Planetary Health, and expanded upon its priorities, collaborations, and research work, in addition to exploring potential inter-linkages with the planetary health proposal. In the afternoon, Dr Zhu Qifei (Nanyang Business School) led the discussion on the development of a scorecard to assess the impact of individual companies on planetary health and Associate Prof Md Saidul Islam (College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences) led the discussion on the status of planetary health and the disproportionate socio-economic impacts on poorer communities. Participants then reflected on the research framework and discussed potential new ways to enhance research collaboration.
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Harnessing Space Technologies for Disaster Management, 16 February
At the Global Space Technology Convention (GSTC) 2023, Dr Alistair D. B. Cook moderated a panel discussion on ‘Harnessing Space Technologies for Disaster Management.’ Mr Christian Patouraux, CEO, Kacific Broadband Satellites Ltd, Mr Joseph D. Martin, Director, Center for Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance (CFE-DM), Mr Aviv Kanelbaum, Business Development & Marketing Manager, Space Division, Israel Aircraft Industries Ltd, and Mr Mohammad Fadli, Pacific Disaster Centre Liaison in The ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre) shared their views on the biggest challenges in disaster management today, the role of the space industry, and what governments and industry can do to accelerate developments of practical solutions. The main challenges identified by panelists were: (1) the lack of coordination; (2) limited connectivity between satellite systems and countries most affected by natural hazards; (3) the reluctance of governments to invest in preparedness activities as viewed in competition with other pressing needs; (4) identification of dependable partnerships between the space industry and in-country players; (5) system maintenance once established; and (6) feeding available scientific information into the right decision-making processes. Overall, the panelists saw the convention as an important meeting point to bring together the space industry and disaster management professionals. They encouraged participation in each sectors activities to explore partnerships and contribute to the development of practical solutions. The GSTC ran from 15 to 16 February 2023 at Sheraton Towers Singapore.
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The RCRC-RSIS Climate Change, Environment and Humanitarian Action Workshop 2023 was held on 27th January. It was hosted online by the HADR Programme, NTS Centre Singapore Red Cross Society, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
The workshop brought together thirty academics and senior management from the humanitarian community in Southeast Asia to examine climate adaptation and resilience in disaster, conflict & fragile settings. Participants also discussed the bridging of climate change, environment and humanitarian action to inform standards and target setting in the climate realities of today and tomorrow. They then shared their views on the significant role of humanitarian organisations and how the Climate and Environment Charter for Humanitarian Organisations can be used to guide humanitarian action. Several participants were from humanitarian organisations that have signed the Climate Charter and shared their approaches to implement the charter commitments. Many participants noted the significant challenges that climate change poses for the humanitarian community both in terms of their own contributions to climate change as well as climate impacts on humanitarian crises.
Click here to watch the podcast.
2022
The HADR Programme, NTS Centre, participated in the 8th session of the Regional Consultative Group (RCG) on Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination for Asia and the Pacific in Hua Hin, Thailand from 1-3 December 2022. The meeting was jointly hosted by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA), the United States Centre for Excellence in Disaster Management (CFE-DE), and the Australian Civil-Military Centre (ACMC). Dr Alistair D.B. Cook presented on “The Climate and Environment Charter for Humanitarian Organisations – Implications for RCG” in the session on “Climate Change Adaptation and Humanitarian Civil-Military-Police Coordination: Lessons from Countries and Organisations in the Region”. Dr Lina Gong moderated the session on “Contextual Humanitarian-Civil-Military Coordination in Asia Pacific”. Timor-Leste will be the chair of the 9th RCG in 2023.
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RSIS Roundtable on Climate Security in the Indo-Pacific, 2 November 2022: The HADR Programme, NTS Centre, organised the RSIS Roundtable on “Climate Security in the Indo-Pacific: Strategic Implications for Defense and Foreign Affairs” at the Orchard Hotel, Singapore on 2nd November 2022. This closed-door roundtable was the third in the series of climate security events and brought together local and overseas experts in person to discuss climate security in the Indo-Pacific. Throughout the one-day event, participants shared their views on the perceptions of climate change and its implications for security in the region including at the regional level as well as case studies from India and Japan. Further deliberations focused on the conceptual development and impact of climate security on policy debates across the Indo-Pacific.
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The HADR programme, NTS Centre, RSIS and the Changi Regional HADR Coordination Centre (RHCC) jointly organised the Humanitarian Futures Forum to strengthen support systems for policy planners and decision-makers on ways to better prepare for and respond to humanitarian challenges in this decade and beyond. This forum, the third iteration in the series of humanitarian futures events, brought together local and overseas participants from the military, government agencies, academia, non-governmental organisations, and the private sector. The RSIS-RHCC team facilitated discussion about ongoing crises, as well as those in our immediate and long-term future. The first panel of invited speakers explored emerging trends and risks of human-induced climate change, health threats, urban resilience, and complex emergencies in Southeast Asia. The second panel of invited speakers provided a briefing on humanitarian preparedness, planning and response in recent and ongoing humanitarian responses. The panellists shared their experience of the conflict in Myanmar, the Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai volcanic eruption and tsunami in Tonga in January 2022, the Armed Forces of the Philippines Civil-Military Coordination Centre and its role during calamities, and the Australia Assists programme. The third panel of invited speakers provided insights into the role of disinformation and mapping technologies and their impact on humanitarian work. Through the course of the one-day event, participants shared experiences, explored overlaps and potential collaboration to overcome some of the shortfalls in and around the humanitarian system.
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CSCAP Nuclear Energy Experts Group Meeting, San Francisco, USA, 27-29 September 2022
Prof Mely Caballero-Anthony, Head of NTS Centre, and Mr Julius Cesar Trajano, Research Fellow, attended the annual meeting of the Nuclear Energy Experts Group of the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia-Pacific in San Francisco, California, USA from 27 to 29 September 2022. They delivered a book presentation titled “Nuclear Governance in the Asia-Pacific.” Around 30 nuclear experts from the Asia-Pacific countries discussed the role of nuclear energy in addressing energy security and climate change, nuclear governance in the region, and significant developments in Small Modular Reactors, including their nuclear safety, security and safeguards concerns. They also visited the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University and met its nuclear security and non-proliferation experts.
Planetary Health Workshop, 22nd August 2022: The Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS Centre) hosted a RSIS Workshop on “The Future of Planetary Health: Lessons from a Global Pandemic” at The Hive. This workshop brought together researchers at Nanyang Technological University from the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Business School, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Asian School of the Environment, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine and the Earth Observatory of Singapore to share their unique perspectives on planetary health. The Opening Remarks for this workshop was delivered by Dr Alistair D.B Cook, Senior Fellow and Coordinator of the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Programme, NTS Centre, RSIS. Ms Margareth Sembiring, Associate Research Fellow at the NTS Centre provided an overview of the Planetary Health concept and its focus on the links between human health and the health of natural systems. The second discussion session was led by Associate Professor Tao Chen from Nanyang Business School, on the development of a Planetary Health Scorecard Design and Assessment. The third session was led by Associate Professor Md Saidul Islam, Coordinator of the Environment and Sustainability Cluster, School of Social Sciences and centered on the Justice and Societal Impacts of Planetary Health. The workshop concluded with a discussion of the project’s research framework and next steps. Participants reflected on potential areas for development, identified inter-linkages between each project and discussed further collaboration between the researchers from across Nanyang Technological University.
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The ASEAN Strategic Policy Dialogue on Disaster Management (SPDDM) was held on 19 August at Mandarin Oriental, Singapore. The event was co-organised by the Singapore Civil Defence Force, the ASEAN Secretariat, the AHA Centre, and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, with the RSIS HADR Programme participating as knowledge partner for the event. Mrs Josephine Teo, Singapore’s Minister for Communications and Second Minister for Home Affairs, gave the opening remarks as the guest of honour. Under the theme “The Future of Disaster Resilience is Now: Are We Ready?”, this year’s dialogue facilitated discussion on forward looking ideas that can potentially enhance disaster resilience in the future with an emphasis on the importance to act and invest now.
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On 18th August 2022, the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Programme of the Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS Centre) hosted a webinar titled, ‘Anticipatory Action in Humanitarian Responses: Local Perspectives’ to commemorate World Humanitarian Day. This webinar brought together Singapore-based humanitarian workers to raise public awareness in Singapore and the wider region. Konstantinos Antonopoulos (Doctors without Borders’ (MSF) representative to ASEAN) discussed on the relatively recent adoption of the Anticipatory Action within the Planetary Health framework by MSF and its relevance in the allocation and prioritisation of resources. As preparation and mitigation take centre stage in a time of increasing climate disasters, these organising principles are gaining momentum. Mathilda Leong (Resource Development Manager World Vision Singapore) shared World Vision’s preference for projects lasting 10 – 15 years to ensure sustainability in the long-run. For World Vision, lessons learnt from COVID-19 include the importance of localisation and the need for pre-positioned resources. Angelina Ong (Executive Director, Mercy Relief) shared the importance of localisation and highlighted Mercy Relief’s long-time practice of partnering with local organisations to run projects, with oversight from Singapore – a practice which proved particularly useful during COVID-19. To hear a recording of the webinar, please visit here.
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Book Launch of “Nuclear Governance in the Asia-Pacific”, co-edited by Prof Mely Caballero-Anthony and Mr Julius Cesar Trajano, 3 Aug 2022
Prof Mely Caballero-Anthony, Head of NTS Centre, and Mr Julius Trajano, Research Fellow, led the launch of their co-edited book “Nuclear Governance in the Asia-Pacific” at the Orchard Hotel in Singapore on 3 August 2022. Contributing authors from Australia, the United States, China and Thailand joined the book launch to present key findings from their respective chapters. The book (hardback and e-copy) is available at https://www.routledge.com/Nuclear-Governance-in-the-Asia-Pacific/Caballero-Anthony-Trajano/p/book/9781032130675 (20% Discount Available – enter the code FLE22 at checkout).
To watch the recording of the book launch, click here.
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The ASEAN Institute for Peace and Reconciliation (ASEAN-IPR) organised the second ASEAN Women for Peace Registry (AWPR) meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, with The Asia Foundation (TAF) on 25-26 July, 2022. This was a hybrid event. The meeting was supported by the Australian Government through the ASEAN-Australia Political Security Partnership (APSP), implemented by TAF. The meeting was attended by Dr Tamara Nair, Research Fellow at the NTS Centre, in her capacity as the Singapore member of the registry. After presentations from the Executive Director of ASEAN IPR, Ambassador I Gusti Agung Wesaka Puja, and Ambassador of Australia to ASEAN, Ambassador Will Nankervis, the first day focused on an overview of support from ASEAN-Australia Political Security Partnership (APSP) to raise the profile and visibility of AWPR, support the institutional and individual WPS expertise of AWPR, and to promote the AWPR as an advocate for WPS at ASEAN and at member states’ levels. The second day was the second formal meeting of the AWPR, which consisted of setting a workplan and brainstorming ideas on moving the registry forward.
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Last 21st July 2022, RSIS was visited by the Asia-Pacific Office of the Raoul Wallenberg Institute (RWI) of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law. The delegation consisted of Dr Tuti Alawiyah (fourth from left), Deputy Director of the Asia-Pacific Office in Jakarta, Indonesia, and Mr Victor Bernard (second from right), Program Officer. RWI seeks to integrate human rights within current approaches to international development, including climate change adaptation. The Asia-Pacific Office, a fruit of bilateral discussions between the embassies of Sweden and of Indonesia, serves as base to strengthen human rights within the region.
Professor Leonard Sebastian (centre), Head of RSIS’ Indonesia Programme, hosted the meeting together with Dr Alex Arifianto and Mr Gerardus Rino. The Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS Centre) participated in this meeting, including Mr Jose Ma Luis Montesclaros, Ms Margareth Sembiring, and Ms S. Nanthini. The NTS Centre team introduced the field of Non-Traditional Security Studies, touching on food security, climate change and environment, and climate-related disasters in the Asia-Pacific (including gender lenses). The team shared copies of related publications, including the recent RSIS Monograph on Non-Traditional Security Concerns in the New Normal, and the ASEAN Disaster Resilience Outlook, among others. The discussion was insightful, with potential ideas to jointly explore moving forward, including private sector involvement in financing climate change adaptation and human rights promotion; climate risks and conflict (including food security); and gendered approaches to human rights in climate adaptation and within disaster settings. Subsequently, RWI delegates met with Dr Shashi Jayakumar, head of the Centre of Excellence for National Security (CENS) at RSIS.
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Prof Mely Caballero-Anthony, Head of NTS Centre, and Mr Julius Trajano, Research Fellow, delivered a book presentation at the Annual Meeting of the International Nuclear Security Education Network, organised by the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, Austria on 19 July 2022. They introduced their new edited book titled Nuclear Governance in the Asia-Pacific, recently published by Routledge.
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As a follow up to the ASEAN-IPR Focus Group Discussion entitled The Role of Information & Communication Technology (ICT) as a Tool in Mitigating Conflict and Fostering Peace, in January 2021, the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue and ASEAN-IPR organised an online workshop on 13 July 2022 on Addressing Disinformation to Promote Peace. The main objectives of the workshop were to: explore the impact of disinformation on peace processes and how it affects conflict transformation, and to identify the scope for regional cooperation to prevent disinformation moving across borders. With instability and threats growing in cyberspace, the workshop aimed to enhance and modernise the traditional mediation processes and efforts on conflict prevention. Dr Tamara Nair, Research Fellow at the NTS Centre, was invited to be a reactor to presentations made during the workshop. Dr Nair’s main takeaways were: understanding the importance of social cohesion as a weapon against disinformation, building trust in official sources of information, and analysing public perceptions on disinformation. Most importantly, Dr Nair emphasised the intersection of misogyny and the spread of disinformation as a serious factor in undermining democratic processes. She emphasised how the targeting of female politicians erodes democratic institutions and rights, and as a result efforts at building peace and stability are compromised.
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Mr Julius Trajano, Research Fellow at NTS Centre, conducted fieldwork research at the Philippines’ nuclear power plant on 24 May 2022. He met the power plant’s nuclear engineers and maintenance staff to have comprehensive understanding of the Philippines’ nuclear energy plans, issues and opportunities.
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Mr Julius Cesar Trajano, Research Fellow, NTS Centre, delivered a presentation at the International Conference on the Safety and Security of Radioactive Sources: Accomplishments and Future Endeavours in Vienna, Austria on 22 June 2022. The conference was organised by the International Atomic Energy Agency. His presentation is titled “A Regional Approach to Radiological Safety and Security in Southeast Asia: Accomplishments and Future Opportunities.” The conference had brought together more than 600 senior government officials, representatives from international organisations, research think tanks and universities involved in radiological safety and security.
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Dr Alistair D.B Cook, Dr Lina Gong, Mr Christopher Chen and Ms S. Nanthini from the HADR Programme visited the Mercy Relief team at their Singapore headquarters on 20 June 2022. As part of this visit, they shared their recent humanitarian research and response activities, and how the Singapore humanitarian network can work and support each other. Their discussions also included the effect of COVID-19 on HADR in the region, as well as other emerging trends and issues of humanitarian work.
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The Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific (CSCAP) Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Study Group had their third virtual meeting on the 23rd – 24th June 2022. This meeting aimed to build on the first and second meetings held in 2021. The third meeting hoped to encourage academics, researchers, and policymakers from CSCAP member committees to engage in discussions of past and present work and share ideas about future activities. Based on thematic areas identified in the second meeting, issues related to WPS, notably disaster (including COVID-19 and climate change) management, countering terrorism, managing digitalisation/cybersecurity, women in conflict, and women in security forces, where followed up by having brief presentations on the sustainable integration of WPS into these areas of concern by selected expert speakers. Dr Tamara Nair, Research Fellow at the NTS Centre, attended the meeting in her capacity as the CSCAP WPS study group member from Singapore. She highlighted the need to incorporate WPS initiatives in the ASEAN Economic Community in addition to its incorporation in the socio-cultural and political communities. Economic security, especially in crises and post-crises situations really highlight gendered suffering starkly, hence the need to include a WPS perspective in the economic sphere.
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RSIS-SIPRI Report Launch on “Environment of Peace: Security in a New Era of Risk” by Dr Dan Smith, Director of Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)
The State of the World
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute’s (SIPRI) latest report divulges the global twin crisis that the world faces – environmental deterioration and a darkening security horizon. From a security perspective, the number of war casualties in the second decade of the 21st century is twice that of the first decade, and the number of refugees in 2020 has doubled since 2010, due to armed conflicts and climate-induced displacement. Military spending is reflective of how the world perceives the global outlook and in 2021, global military spending was 2.1 trillion, nearly doubling since 2000. The ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine has further exacerbated the security crisis, and nations are scrambling to defend themselves. From an environmental perspective, the 21st century has witnessed 19 of the 20 warmest years. Every region is progressively getting warmer, from unprecedented warming in Greenland to an alternation between terrible flooding and catastrophic droughts in Somalia. Sea level rises are harrowing due to intermittent sea level surges that used to occur once every 50 years but will occur more than once a year from 2050 onwards, posing a seismic threat to human security.
The Conflation of Security and the Environment
The deficiency of governance links environmental and human crises, and governance has failed in the management of natural resources and services provided by the biosphere. There is no purely environmental problem, for these problems are manufactured by human relationships with the natural environment. Environmental crises lead to insecurity, which consequently lead to conflicts and disputes within society. These conflicts and social unrest may escalate towards violent conflict and internal armed conflict, as seen in Somalia. In Somalia, when sudden shocks like floods occur, governments are slow to react, and the first response parties are usually politically dangerous entities. In the case of slow onset droughts, agricultural workers are forced to sell animals and livestock at an unsustainable lost and are subsequently displaced to slum areas. These circumstances offer the displaced little to no prospects, and the youth may feel aggrieved and unsettled, and present recruitment opportunities for Islamic extremists in Somalia to tap into the resentment of those affected by climate-induced disasters and recruit them. Conversely, where there is conflict, there is greater difficulty in handling local environmental problems. There is a critical urgency for those who deal with security issues to understand that one of the biggest sources of insecurity is environmental change, thus environmentalists and security associates need to understand each other’s language. Climate and conflict are so closely interlinked, that if one damages the environment, one damages peace and vice versa. If peace is enhanced, there is a chance to protect and enhance the natural environment, and potentially foster peaceful relations which are fundamental to tackling the twin crisis.
Guiding Principles
Cultivating the ability to identify risks and exercise strategic foresight is quintessential to a nation’s ability to counteract climate and security threats. These are one of the guiding principles set out by SIPRI, and countries ought to adopt this principle as a guiding framework in policymaking. ASEAN hosts 8 of the 10 countries most vulnerable to climate change, therefore the principle of strategic foresight is pivotal to this region to detect potential threats early to minimise the damage to infrastructure and the loss of human lives. Furthermore, when countries possess foresight and are able to anticipate risks, they will be able to design policies that protect citizens from both climate and security threats. These policies may include humanitarian aid in the event of a crisis, or the creation of climate-resilient infrastructure to minimise displacement and enhance safety.
Ensuring a just and peaceful transition, from a carbon-emissions heavy economy to one that decouples resource use from environmental degradation, is another guiding principle proposed by SIPRI. Ministries in charge of security and the environment alone cannot carry out the transition, given the numerous other factors at play. When Sweden wanted to be the first fossil-free social democracy in the world, it was astonishingly difficult to move the statistics along and achieve the improvement. Carbon emissions barely changed, and it was realised that transitioning to a green economy is a mountainous challenge. The challenge is to continue operating with a degree of familiarity and efficiency while unsustainable practices are phased out. Operating in the given state of the global economy is destructive, however a just and peaceful transition entails involving all stakeholders in the inclusive transitional process, using the principle of “by us, for us”, to ensure that workers and communities have the time and space to adapt. Backtracking on 150 years of economic models and practices will not be achieved in a day or two, and instead requires global cooperation to allow for minimal disruption and inconveniencing.
Adaptation and resilience are also salient traits that will be definitive of a countries’ success in the face of the twin crisis. Singapore for instance is a nation that has displayed innovative adaptation in the face of a warming globe, using anticipatory urban planning to combat rising temperatures. Seeking alternative clean sources of energy such as hydropower is of paramount importance to phasing out the burning of fossil fuels, however, there have been human rights issues with the construction of dams historically, and adequate legislative measures and regulations must be put in place to ensure fair and just adaptation that does not occur at the expense of workers.
Challenges to achieving an Environment of Peace
Given that environmental issues respect no boundaries, likewise international cooperation must transcend boundaries. Nations must get together to engineer solutions, and multilateralism is a pre-requisite to resolving complex transboundary problems. Nations will act in their own interests and in the case of environmental deterioration and the darkening security horizon, cooperation is undoubtedly in the interests of nations. Regionalism is a positive starting point, for example the European Green Deal which strives to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. Individually, governments are more risk-averse, however they may be willing to take up more risks if the risks are taken at a regional level.
International cooperation is inescapable, as seen in the Covid-19 pandemic, where vaccine nationalism cost the world over a trillion dollars, and ironically helped the illness persist and further exacerbated inequalities. The Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs is exemplary is demonstrating the benefits of international cooperation, in this instance an important East-West contact point at a scientific expertise level. The collaboration of scientific experts on an international level has played an integral role in reducing the risk of armed conflict and confronting nuclear dangers since scientists first convened in 1957 and serves as a successful blueprint for the benefits of multilateralism.
Each nation faces different problems, thus the report offers guiding principles through which problems should be approached. These principles include identifying risks and strategic foresight, ensuring a just and peaceful transition, and effectuating adaptation and resilience. Although nations face differing challenges, the world is facing the twin crisis concurrently and as such international cooperation is not merely an option but an imperative. There needs to be a global radical shift in mindset, to think fast, act quickly and think ahead for the long term to achieve an environment of peace.
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An AIIA Asia Policy Forum was hosted by the Australian High Commission, Singapore, on 20 June 2022 on Regional Reflections on the Russia-Ukraine Conflict – Diplomacy, Conflict and the Future of Southeast Asia. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has caused shockwaves extending far beyond the localised conflict. Beyond military tactics and strategic analysis, there are significant diplomatic, political and regional lessons for South East Asia. The way states and global players like NATO, the EU, and the UN, have responded to the invasion has revealed realities and fault lines in global priorities. Questions of values, economic interdependencies, and regional alliances have been laid bare as states and international organisations grapple with their responses. Professor Mely Caballero-Anthony moderated a panel discussion on Narratives and Values which included Dr Alistair D. B. Cook (NTS Centre, RSIS), Lee Sue-Ann (ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute), Dr Melanie O’Brien (University of Western Australia) and Dr Sebastian Kaempf (University of Queensland).
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Dr Alistair D. B. Cook, Senior Fellow and HADR Programme Coordinator is a member of the Disinformation Expert Working Group (EWG). Hosted by the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies (APCSS), the EWG focuses on the development of a Human Security approach to disinformation. The multistakeholder group convened their first session from 1st to 5th May, at APCSS, Honolulu, Hawaii.
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Visiting Scholar, East-West Center and Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies. Dr Alistair D. B. Cook, Senior Fellow and HADR Programme Coordinator, was a Visiting Scholar concurrently at the East-West Center and the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies (DKI APCSS) in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, from 9 May – 3 June 2022. During his time at the two institutions he met with officials and researchers, participated in seminars, and developed a proposal on Disaster Governance in the Asia-Pacific: Capacity, Legitimacy and Proximity. He also participated in taro farming while in Honolulu to learn more about the local community and environment.
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The second technical briefing and brainstorming session for the ASEAN Regional Plan of Action on Women, Peace and Security (ASEAN RPA on WPS) was held on 10 June 2022. More broadly, the meeting covered the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda in ASEAN but also discussed some pertinent issues around the security and well-being of women in the region. These included leveraging a whole-of-ASEAN approach to implement the ASEAN RPA on WPS, followed by thematic discussions on: WPS and climate-related disaster and emergency response, gender dimensions of conflict prevention and protection from gender-based violence, and promoting leadership and other meaningful roles for women in peace and security decision making processes and gender-inclusive cybersecurity. Dr Tamara Nair, Research Fellow from the NTS Centre presented on her research on indigenizing the WPS agenda in ASEAN through women’s participation and sustained inclusion in disaster planning and management. Dr Nair argued for lifting women from the victim narrative and to use language around women’s agency and abilities on documents and policies. She also argued for the inclusion of data from women’s groups and local NGOs across the region in creating a regional plan of action. By highlighting the lived experiences of women across the region, in times of natural hazards, helps create an indigenized version of WPS agenda in ASEAN.
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Dr Tamara Nair, Research Fellow at the NTS Centre, was invited to be a discussant in the conference on the Prospect of Global Political Economy in the Post-Pandemic Era. This was a joint conference between the National Chengchi University, in Taiwan, and the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. The conference covered many topics of interests, including US-China competition in the post-pandemic era, global and Asian security in the post-pandemic era, and the international economics in the post-pandemic era. Dr Nair was discussant on the paper entitled: Gender-sensitive Climate Change Adaptation Aid: the case of Small-Island Developing States.
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The NTS Centre organised the RSIS Seminar on “A Nuclear 3S (Safety, Security, and Safeguards) Assessment for Small Modular Reactors in East Asia” on 31 May 2022 at the RSIS Lecture Theatre. The seminar was delivered by Dr Jorshan Choi, a retired nuclear scientist from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Dr Choi presented examples of emerging Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and assessed their nuclear safety, security and safeguards implications. He also discussed key challenges to introducing SMRs in Southeast Asia such as regulatory framework, operation and maintenance, spent fuel management, and nuclear 3S implications.
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NTS Centre Head, Prof Mely Caballero-Anthony, joins webinar panel on
“Assessing US-ASEAN Relations: The 2022 Special Summit and Beyond”
jointly organised by the East West Centre, Washington DC and ASEAN Studies Initiative, American University on 18 May 2022.
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6th NTS-Asia Consortium Annual Conference: Planetary Health and Managing Converging Risks in Asia
The opportunity to exchange views on the concept of planetary health provided the focal point for the 6ᵗʰ NTS-Asia Consortium Annual Conference held on 6 April 2022 at the Novotel Hotel, Singapore. Conducted in a hybrid format, the conference facilitated an exploration into the different aspects of planetary health across countries in Asia, with discussions covering the interpretations of and responses to the concept, specific risks to planetary health, and existing and/or hypothetical measures to operationalise the concept in each country.
Planetary health represents the highest standard of comprehensive health, without which human health would be under threat. The COVID-19 pandemic is a powerful reminder that the neglect of planetary health could cause significant losses across sectors. Although the occurrence of a global pandemic had been predicted long ago, the warning was not sufficiently heeded and countries were not prepared, as evidenced by the ongoing pandemic. Unfortunately, our collective capability to deal with global public health emergencies would be insufficient if we continued the current approach to public health and the broader socio-economic model, even after the ongoing pandemic ends. Rather, a preventive or anticipatory approach should be taken as the cost for effective prevention would be much lower than the post-pandemic losses.
A holistic approach that takes into account the respective planetary boundaries would be needed to ensure the sustainable development of societies. This would entail system-level thinking, coupled with a multi-sector, multi-scalar, and multi-stakeholder approaches, to bring together different nodes of environmental and health policies. The idea would be to empower the processes underlying the co-production of knowledge, joint monitoring and review, networking between different levels of governance (central, state, local), and fairness and efficiency in legal procedures.
To effectively address these multifaceted and interlinked issues, it would be vital to infuse the concept of planetary health into national political will, before it can be reflected in national policy frameworks.
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ASEAN-IPR Module Development for WPS Training Programme for mid- to senior level government officials in ASEAN
The increased interest in UN Security Council Resolution 1325: the Women, Peace and Security agenda in Southeast Asia presented an opportunity for the ASEAN Institute of Peace and Reconciliation (AIPR) to work towards a more sustainable, regular, standardised, and modular training designed to enhance and support women’s participation in conflict resolution and peacebuilding. These modules focus on grassroots efforts and integrating UNSCR 1325: prevention, protection, participation, and peacebuilding and recovery into negotiations and decision-making to support communities and lives to ensure women are not merely observing from the side-lines. The AIPR Secretariat organized a series Expert Meetings to develop the training module to achieve this objective. Together with seven other experts in the region, Dr Tamara Nair of the RSIS Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies was actively involved in curriculum development in three areas:
- Conflict Analysis and Management for Mid-Level officials
- Formulating Inclusive Post-Conflict Recovery and Reconciliation Sustainable Peace Strategy
- Policy Formulation for Senior Level officials
The training modules, targeted at mid- to senior level government officials and other stakeholders across the ASEAN Member States was sent out in early 2022.
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NinetyPercent IV: Situating Feminism in Singapore
In this fourth iteration in a series of panel discussions on Singapore politics, organised by the National University of Singapore’s Political Science Society, NinetyPercent IV aimed to engage multiple perspectives in meaningful discussions on the future of women’s role and position in politics. The topics discussed included feminism in institutional politics, and the role of women in participative politics in Singapore. Understanding the role of women in institutional and participative politics is important in bridging the polarisation between conservatives and women. Hence, it is here that NinetyPercent IV hoped to delve deeper into these topics by understanding the context, perspectives and compromises relating to the issue, and the possibilities that lie ahead. These include the portrayal, purpose, and participation of women in politics. Mdm Rahayu Mahzam, MP for Jurong GRC and Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Communications and Information & Ministry of Health, Dr. George Baylon Radics, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Sociology, NUS, Ms. Guadalupe Lazaro, Co-founder, Ease Healthcare, and Dr. Tamara Nair, Research Fellow at the RSIS Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies participated in this discussion series that covered key topics surrounding the increased presence of women in leadership and politics in Singapore. The event took place on 11 March 2022 and was attended by students from National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University and Singapore Management University.
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The HADR Programme hosted an online closed-door roundtable on Climate Security in the Indo-Pacific: Strategic Implications for Defence and Foreign Affairs from 1pm to 3pm on Wednesday, 23rd March 2022. It follows on from the public online webinar held in October 2021. Joining Professor Mely Caballero-Anthony, Dr Al Cook and RSIS researchers for discussion were Professor Cheryl Durrant, Councillor, the Climate Council; Executive Member, Australia Security Leader’s Climate Group; Adjunct Associate Professor, UNSW; Dr Kameyama Yasuko, Director, Social Systems Division, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Japan; Dr Dharnasree Jayaram Assistant Professor, Department of Geopolitics & International Relations, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, India; Professor Tokuichi Hideshi, President, Research institute for Peace and Security, Senior Fellow, National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS), Japan; Dr Sekiyama Takashi, Associate Professor, Graduate School of Advanced Integrated Studies in Human Survivability, Kyoto University; Professor Hasui Seiichiro, College of Humanities and Social Sciences Department, Ibaraki University, Dr Robert Glasser, Head of Climate, Australian Strategic Policy Institute; and Dr Pichamon Yeophantong, Senior Lecturer, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, UNSW Canberra, Australian Defence Force Academy.
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Global Space Technology Convention 2022: On 9th February, Dr Alistair D.B. Cook, Coordinator of the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Programme and Senior Fellow at the NTS Centre, joined the panel “Disaster Management: Preparing for Future Demands” at the Global Space Technology Convention 2022 in Singapore, which is a premier space and technology event in Asia. The panel discussed how space technologies can contribute to disaster management now and in the future. Dr Cook’s fellow panelists included Col. Melvin Tan, Director / Deputy Chief Guards Officer, Changi Regional HADR Coordination Centre; Mr. Alex Da Silva Curiel, Head of International Business, Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd; Mr. Alex Da Silva Curiel, Head of International Business, Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd; Mr. Naveen Menon, Vice President Strategic Executive Office, CISCO; and Mr. Terry Bleakley, Regional Vice-President, Asia-Pacific, Intelsat.
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The NTS Centre welcomed Professor Benjamin Cashore, who delivered an RSIS Seminar entitled “Designing Thermostatic Institutions for Ameliorating the Climate and Species Extinction Crises: Lessons from Covid-19 Management” on 7th February 2022. Prof Cashore is the Li Ka Shing Professor in Public Management, and the Director of the newly established Public Policy Initiative for Environment and Sustainability (PPIES) at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore. The seminar was moderated by the Head of the NTS Centre, Professor Mely Caballero-Anthony.
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The Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Programme and the Changi Regional HADR Coordinati`on Centre (RHCC) co-organized the Workshop on Humanitarian Futures in the Southeast Asia on 27th January at NTU@One North, Singapore. The workshop invited speakers from international and regional organisations, foreign government officials and academia to talk about the riskscape in Southeast Asia as well as some of the tools available for institutions to manage ongoing crises, and those in the immediate and long-term future. Participants were from the military, civilian government officials, think tanks, NGOs, and UN agencies in Singapore. Following the presentations by the speakers, the participants were divided into small groups to develop analysis and planning for different emergency settings.
2021
SEAFORE Masterclass 6: Feminism, Policy and Women’s Empowerment in South East Asia
The Southeast Asia Forum for Reporting (SEAFORE) and Kiniacademy, the training arm of Malaysiakini that provides journalism training and investigative reporting, organised as part of its masterclass series, a session to discuss feminism and women’s empowerment in Southeast Asia on December 4, 2021. The session was attended by reporters and members of the media in the region. In this masterclass, participants gained a deeper insight into feminism, policy and women’s empowerment within a Southeast Asian context. Placing the topic within the context of the media, speakers looked at the historical background underlying Southeast Asian struggles for women’s rights. The session also explored role of social policy in women’s issues, specifically in relation to period poverty, gender, and inequality in the public space. Together with Ms Tehmina Kaoosji, Independent Broadcast Journalist, Gender Activist and Communications Consultant, Sr. Mary John Mananzan, OSB, Missionary Benedictine sister, Superior of the Manila Community of St. Scholastica’s College, Feminist Activist, and Dr Fatimah Al-Attas Assistant Professor of Sociology at the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), Dr Tamara Nair, Research Fellow at RSIS Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies explored the many avenues for women’s empowerment in policy-making in the region as part of creating more cohesive and egalitarian societies in the region. Dr Nair closed the session with her presentation on women’s rights and empowerment from an economic standpoint, looking at the issue of women and economic security in the region – from an historical analysis to contemporary times. The recording of the session can be found here.
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Canadian High Commission-CENS Online Webinar Series on Gender, Security and Digital Space :
Panel 1 – securing digital space with attention to gender
RSIS Centre for Excellence in National Security (CENS) and the Canadian High Commission in Singapore jointly organised a 3-part webinar series on gender, security, and digital space in May 2021. The series featured experts from around the world who examined the national security implications of gender-based concerns in digital space. Issues such as contemporary security including disinformation campaigns, hate speech, and Internet shutdowns, were examined through a gendered lens. The discussions involved policy recommendations of relevance to governments, social media companies, and others who work on digital issues. Panel 1 in this series, “securing digital space with attention to gender” held on 11 May 2021, focused on discussions around specific gendered security concerns such as the targeting of female users online and online abuse and harassment. The speakers were Dr Katharine M. Millar, Assistant Professor, London School of Economics (LSE), Department of International Relations, Dr Fitriani B. Timur, Researcher, Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Indonesia, and Dr Sarah Shoker, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Waterloo.This first session was moderated by Dr Tamara Nair, Research Fellow at the RSIS Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies.
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Head of NTS Centre, Prof Mely Caballero-Anthony joins discussion at the Southeast Asia Multilateral Biosecurity Dialogue Virtual Meeting, organised by the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, held virtually on 14 December 2021.
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Mr Julius Trajano, Research Fellow at the NTS Centre, delivered a presentation on marine plastic pollution and cooperation in Southeast Asia at the virtual international conference, “Strategic High Tide in the Indo-Pacific: Economics, Ecology and Security,” organised by the Observer Research Foundation in Kolkata in collaboration with the Government of Japan on 10 November 2021.
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Prof Mely Caballero-Anthony speaking on ‘Non-Traditional and Evolving Security Challenges in ASEAN’ at the 6th Pilipina Conference panel on ‘Advancing Multilateralism and Strategic Partnership’, held on 25th November 2021.
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Head of NTS Centre Prof Mely Caballero-Anthony presenting on ‘Food Security in Southeast Asia: Challenges and Regional Frameworks of Cooperation’ at the 8th GEAR UP Forum held on 23 November 2021. The Forum was jointly organised by the ASEAN Research Institute for Strategic Studies and Enterprise, National Chung Hsing University, Taiwan and the Texas A&M University, United States.
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The global challenges of climate change, supply chain disruptions induced by Covid-19, and growing global demand for food put pressure on Singapore’s ‘30-by-30’ food security strategy. One way to produce more food locally would be to use unconventional means, a so-called a “fourth basket”, according to Jose M L Montesclaros, a research fellow with the Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS Centre), at NTU’s RSIS and Paul Teng, an adjunct senior fellow with the same centre as well as managing director and dean of NTU’s NIE International. Community Gardens are the potential “Fourth Basket” for leafy vegetables. “Kampong” clusters where communities cluster together within their neighbourhoods to form a corporate entity and digital technologies can be leveraged to increase productivity levels of community gardens as well as farmer expertise and marketing information on crops and pricing.
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On 28 October 2021, Al Cook, Coordinator of the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Programme and Senior Fellow at the NTS Centre participated in a roundtable discussion titled “Is Climate change our greatest global and national security threat?” hosted by The Azure Forum for Contemporary Security Strategy. Opening Remarks were provided by Vice Admiral Rtd. Mark Mellett, Chair of the Advisory Council of The Azure Forum for Contemporary Security Strategy & Former Chief of Staff of the Irish Defence Forces. His fellow panelists were Laura Birkman, Senior Strategic Analyst & Head of the Climate and Security Program at The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies & Member of the International Military Council on Climate and Security; John Conger, Director Emeritus at the Center for Climate and Security, Senior Advisor to the Council on Strategic Risks & Senior U.S. Advisor to the International Military Council on Climate and Security; and Mark Nevitt, Associate Professor of Law at Syracuse University College of Law & Former Distinguished Professor of Leadership and Law at the U.S. Naval Academy. The discussion was moderated by Caitríona Heinl, The Azure Forum for Contemporary Security Strategy & Adjunct Research Fellow, School of Politics and International Relations, University College Dublin.
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On 25th October 2021, RSIS hosted a virtual roundtable on “Climate Security in the Indo-Pacific: Strategic Implications for Defence and Foreign Affairs”. The roundtable was chaired by NTS Centre Head, Professor Mely Caballero-Anthony. The panelists included Ms Rachel Fleishman (Center for Climate and Security), Dr Dhanasree Jayaram (Manipal Academy of Higher Education), Colonel Ian R. Cumming (Ret), Professor Ono Keishi (National Institute for Defense Studies), Dr Alistair D. B Cook (RSIS) and Dr Pichamon Yeophantang (University of New South Wales).
Click here to watch the podcast video.
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On the 14th October, Singapore led the commemoration of the ASEAN Day of Disaster Management with the theme “Strengthening Partnership and Innovation for Disaster Management in ASEAN”. This year’s AMMDM chair, Singapore officially launched the “ASEAN Disaster Resilience Outlook: The Future Beyond a Resilient ASEAN by 2025”. This key publication of the AADMER Work Programme 2021-2025 was prepared by the HADR team, NTS Centre, RSIS over the past six months and endorsed at the 39th Meeting of the ASEAN Committee on Disaster Management.
To view the event recording, please visit: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9SYoHUilDsM
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On the 11th October, Singapore hosted the 39th Meeting of the ASEAN Committee on Disaster Management online. During the Open Session, Dr Alistair D. B Cook, Coordinator of the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Programme and Senior Fellow at the NTS Centre, presented the findings of the “ASEAN Disaster Resilience Outlook: The Future Beyond a Resilient ASEAN by 2025 ” to the ASEAN Committee on Disaster Management. These findings are the result of a six-month ASEAN research project undertaken by the HADR team, NTS Centre, RSIS.
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Hosted by the ASEAN Institute for Peace and Reconciliation (AIPR), Ms S. Nanthini joined the AIPR Discussion Series as a speaker for Session 4: “COVID-19 and Peace in the Region” on 22 September 2021. She discussed the effect of COVID-19 on natural disaster response and vulnerable populations, as well as ASEAN’s response to the pandemic.
Click here to watch the video.
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Indo-Pacific Geopolitics and Political Economy, 2021
Ms Margareth Sembiring, Associate Research Fellow at the NTS Centre, is presenting her view on the possible implications of the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) on decarbonisation processes in Southeast Asia.
Sino-US competition and its spill over effects are affecting every Asian economy. Supply chains, economic retreats, investment retrenchments and politically motivated reallocation of resources haunt the growth prospects of the Indo-Pacific region. As the two powers vie for influence and strategic advantage, economies in the region face more challenges in their management of the COVID-19 pandemic and the severe disruptions inflicted on them. There is also increasing concern about the impact of climate change and environmental degradation. With rising protectionism and declining support for multilateralism, there are significant long-term implications for everyone in the region. Taiwan’s southbound diplomacy may find the issues discussed in this Webinar relevant and insightful. Likewise, Singapore seeks to better understand the granularity of current trends in the region. The Taiwan WTO and RTA Center at the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research (CIER) and the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies of the Nanyang Technological University Singapore jointly host this closed-door Webinar.
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CSCAP Singapore, RSIS NTS Centre and Pacific Forum (US CSCAP) co-organised the annual meeting of the CSCAP-Nuclear Energy Experts Group held virtually on 28-29 September 2021. Around 50 nuclear energy governance experts and practitioners from Asia Pacific countries participated in the meeting. They deliberated on policy and technological aspects of nuclear governance in the Asia Pacific, focusing on the role of nuclear energy in climate change mitigation; advancing the peaceful use of nuclear technology; role of strategic trade controls in nuclear governance in the region; and the future of small modular reactors in Southeast Asia. Mr Kwa Chong Guan, RSIS Senior Fellow and Co-chair of CSCAP Singapore, Prof Mely Caballero-Anthony, Head of NTS Centre, and Mr Julius Trajano, Research Fellow, actively contributed to the discussions and co-chaired the sessions with Dr David Santoro, President of Pacific Forum.
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Dr Noeleen Heyzer speaking at the launch of her book “Beyond Storms and Storms” on 24 September 2021. Dr Heyzer is RSIS Distinguished Visiting Fellow. Guest of Honour of the book launch, former Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo, described Dr Heyzer’s outstanding work in the United Nations and international agencies as more than significant, making her a truly unique individual who worked tirelessly to improve the security and well-being of women and strengthen the “bonds of sisterhood” globally.
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On 20th September 2021, RSIS held the second of a two-part webinar series on “Non-Traditional Security Concerns in the New Normal”. Moderated by Dr Alistair Cook, this webinar featured Dr Lina Gong, Mr Christopher Chen and Ms S. Nanthini, from the Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief Programme at the Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS Centre) in RSIS as speakers. The panel discussion explored topics such as using the nexus approach to manage the concurrence of natural disasters and pandemics in Southeast Asia, the use of cash-based programming in the aftermath of humanitarian crises and the adoption of remote humanitarian programming during COVID-19.
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Head of the RSIS NTS Centre Professor Mely Caballero Anthony joined the panel on “The Future of Regional Order“, organised by CSIS, Indonesia on 16th September 2021, as part of its 50th Anniversary Foreign Policy Dialogue. The speakers included Prof Gareth Evans (Distinguished Professor, Australian National University), Prof Han Sung Joo (Professor Emeritus, Korea University), and Dr Philips Vermonte (Executive Director, CSIS). The panel was moderated by Dr Shafiah Muhibat (Head of International Relations Department, CSIS), and Vice Chairman of the CSIS Board of Trustees, Mr Jusuf Wanandi gave the opening address.
Click here to watch the video.
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On 24th – 26th August, the RSIS HADR Programme participated as the knowledge partner for the annual ASEAN Strategic Policy Dialogue on Disaster Management, which was co-organised by the Singapore Civil Defence Force, ASEAN Secretariat, the AHA Centre and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. Due to the constraints of COVID-19, the event was held online. Mr K Shanmugam, Singapore’s Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law as well as the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Disaster Management (AMMDM) Chair 2021, delivered this year’s opening remarks. With the theme, “Advancing Disaster Management: Into a Future of Possibilities”, this year’s event sparked discourse on future humanitarian trends as well as identified the challenges and opportunities of the current regional situation. Overall, the robust participant engagement ensured the strengthening of the building blocks of international multilateral cooperation.
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The NTS Centre’s Food Security group at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU) contributed to the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia’s (ERIA) working group meeting of the research project on ‘Enhancing Food Supply Chain Resilience and Food Security in ASEAN with Utilization of Digital Technologies’ on 16th July, 2021. This ERIA study involving a network of research institutes aims to examine 1) the impact of the COVID -19 on food security in ASEAN and 2) the status of utilizing digital technologies in food and agriculture sector. The presentation was delivered by Professor Paul Teng, Adjunct Senior Fellow with the NTS Centre, RSIS. He shared about the potential evolution or future of a digitally-integrated AEAN agricultural sector, including 1) ‘smart farming’ based on digitalized, aggregated and analysed data and information, 2) real-time information availability for farms and fisheries, 3) procurement of farming inputs and selling product through digital marketplaces and 4) food and agricultural products with digital ID for supply chain traceability. Some recommendations to achieving this include the sharing of best practices, the development of a harmonised language for inter-operability across data applications in agriculture, and exploring ‘quad-partnerships’ (private sector, universities and research centres, government, farmer cooperatives) for e-commerce and agricultural extension.
For more information, please refer to the news article on the ERIA website: https://www.eria.org/news-and-views/enhancing-food-supply-chain-resilience-and-food-security-in-asean-with-digital-technologies/
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Dr. Alistair Cook is the Coordinator of the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Programme and Senior Fellow at the Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS Centre), S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore. In this video, Dr. Cook explains the nexus between human security and disinformation. He also highlights the expert recommendations from the Disinformation Expert Working Group meeting held on June 10, 2021.
Click here to watch the video.
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RSIS Webinar on “Climate Change and Communities – a Human Security Perspective”
RSIS organised a webinar on “Climate Change and Communities – a Human Security Perspective” on 28 July 2021. Moderated by Dr Tamara Nair, Research Fellow at NTS Centre, this webinar brought together 4 experts from around the Asia-Pacific to investigate how framing climate change through a human security lens might ensure the security and stability of communities in a new climate future. The speakers included Assistant Professor Oscar A. Gómez, Assistant Professor at the Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University in Japan, Dr Maria Tanyag, Lecturer at the Australia National University, Dr Serina Abdul Rahman, Visiting Fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute and Adjunct Assistant Professor at the National University of Singapore and Associate Professor Alan Chong Associate Professor, Head of Centre for Multilateralism Studies, RSIS. During the webinar, the panellists discussed topics such as the human security perspective of climate change, the specific vulnerable communities affected by climate change in Southeast Asia, the importance of feminist perspectives on the causes and effects of climate change as well overall global environmental governance.
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RSIS Webinar on Nuclear Security Governance in the Asia-Pacific: Pathways to Cooperation
The NTS Centre organised a webinar on “Nuclear Security Governance in the Asia-Pacific: Pathways to Cooperation” on 29 July 2021. Chaired by Prof Mely Caballero-Anthony, Head of NTS Centre, this webinar featured eight nuclear governance experts from selected Asia-Pacific countries. The panel included Dr Trevor Findlay (Principal Fellow, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Melbourne); Dr David Santoro (President, Pacific Forum); Mr Tom Corben (Research Associate, United States Studies Centre); Dr Hosik Yoo (Vice President, Korea Institute of Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Control); Dr Zha Daojiong (Professor, School of International Studies, Peking University); Dr Masahiro Okuda, Engineer, Ms Naoko Noro, Chief Training Instructor (Integrated Support Center for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Nuclear Security, Japan Atomic Energy Agency); and Mr Julius Cesar Trajano (Research Fellow, NTS Centre, RSIS). The presentations and panel discussions explored key safety, security and non-proliferation issues in the Asia-Pacific as well multiple pathways to enhancing nuclear governance such as national actions, bilateral cooperation, ASEAN-led frameworks, and bottom-up approach involving NGOs, educational institutions and Track II networks. Around 80 participants attended the webinar.
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Ms. Margareth Sembiring, Associate Research Fellow with the Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), was interviewed by POWER98FM on the occasion of World Environment Day, June 5th, 2021.
Audio recording courtesy of POWER98FM News.
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Jose Ma. Luis Montesclaros, Research Fellow at the NTS Centre, spoke at the UN Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) Dialogues hosted by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) last 18th May, 2021. The theme of the event was “Breaking Silos: Transforming Agricultural Education and Research toward Sustainable Food Systems in Southeast Asia.” Mr. Montesclaros shared insights on food system transformation from the experience of Singapore, as Southeast Asia’s most food secure country based on the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Global Food Security Index 2020.
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“Non-Traditional Security Concerns in the ‘New Normal’: Food, Climate and Nuclear Security”
The COVID-19 pandemic has had important implications for Non-Traditional Security (NTS). This first part of the series on Non-Traditional Security Concerns in the ‘New Normal’ discussed perspectives on what this new normal looks like in the region, from perspectives of food security, climate security and nuclear security, examining the implications of COVID-19 for national and regional efforts to govern these issues, and explored possible pathways for future action.
Impacts of a Hybrid Health-Economic Crisis on Food Security: The first presentation, by Mr Jose Ma Luis Montesclaros, Associate Research Fellow, began by defining “new normal” relative to the sector of impact. Thus, from a food security perspective, COVID-19 is “new” if it significantly impacts on the 4 dimensions of food security (food utilisation, physical access, economic access, and availability); and it is a new “normal” if it is expected to stay; otherwise, it is only a new “abnormal”. To assess its “newness”, Mr Montesclaros shared the pathways through which COVID-19 has evolved into a hybrid health-economic crisis, through international and domestic lockdowns that have had recessionary effects. These impact on food security through disruptions to supply chains; crop planting cycles; production targets; and food trade (export restrictions). He concluded, it is indeed “new” for food security, but whether it will become a new “normal” depends on the state of pandemic preparedness of the world, moving forward.
The Triple Planetary Crisis: The second presentation, by Ms Margareth Sembiring, Associate Research Fellow, investigated different concepts in the attempts to solve environmental problems. In light of the triple planetary crisis, namely climate, nature, and pollution, that is confronting the world today, Ms Sembiring questioned whether the enduring human-centric approach to the care of the environment will be sufficient to solve the problems conclusively. Taking a historical perspective, Ms Sembiring traced the origins of such approach to the time when the first global conference on the environment was held in 1972, and saw its continuity in the upcoming COP26 later this year in Glasgow. She noted that alternative approaches to environmental predicaments were already existent fifty years ago, and that more alternative concepts that see these issues from a holistic perspective have come up since then. She concluded that dialogues with these alternative concepts are needed to formulate truly potent solutions to the world’s increasingly alarming issues related to the triple planetary crisis.
Role of Nuclear Technologies: The third presentation, by Mr Julius Trajano, Research Fellow, discussed the role of nuclear technology in addressing some of the NTS issues that we face today especially in COVID-19 era. Nuclear technology can help support disease surveillance and prevention through the use of nuclear-derived testing techniques. One example Mr Trajano cited is the real-time “reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction” or RT-PCR being used for COVID-19 testing. Another NTS issue where nuclear technology has a role is environmental protection. Marine plastic pollution has worsened since the COVID-19 pandemic. Nuclear technology provides a sustainable and scientific approach to tackling this environmental problem. Mr Trajano pointed out that the nuclear security regime needs to be continuously enhanced to ensure the safe and secure use of nuclear energy and technology in addressing many of the global issues and problems that we have.
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The 5th NTS-Asia Consortium Annual Meeting:
“Asian Security in a Post-COVID-19 Environment”
13-15 April 2021
The RSIS Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies convened the annual meeting of the NTS-Asia Consortium for the 5th time on 13 to 15 April 2021. The three-day conference of a two-hour panel session each day was held on Zoom platform. The conference brought together 12 speakers from member institutions and its non-member partner and was attended by about 40 participants each day. The theme for this year’s meeting was “Asian Security in a Post-COVID-19 Environment.” The conference provided a platform for Consortium members to exchange their perspectives and analyses on the continuing relevance of NTS issues amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
During the sessions, panellists shared their observations and findings on three key areas, namely crisis impact on inequality and vulnerable groups; cybersecurity and transnational crimes; and crisis response and sustainable future. The panellists of the first session reflected on the experiences of vulnerable groups including women in India and Indonesia who were affected disproportionately by the pandemic. The public health crisis has also demonstrated the scale of challenges that potential massive crises such as climate eventualities can pose on the different systems in the society. The panel highlighted the issues of environmental degradation and carbon emissions that are driven by human consumption, therefore the need to find an alternative model to economic development to avert climate crisis.
The panellists of the second session impressed on audience the increasing importance of governing the cyber space. The expanding use of digital equipment in human day-to-day life would challenge the definition and scope of security and potentially widen inter-generational gap. The increasing use of data may transform the society into a Digital Intensive Society and bring with it a set of new issues such as “who is safe” in view of data accessibility, use, and vulnerability. Additionally, the panel showcased the experiences of social media use to propagate cyber hate, as well as human and drug trafficking, in Sri Lanka.
Finally, the third panel discussed the various challenges that India and Malaysia are facing in their efforts to address the pandemic. Political distrust and vaccine imperialism are among issues that hamper effective responses. The panel also stressed the need to push for sustainability agenda that include food waste reduction and inclusive green growth for sustainable development and environmental protection.
In her closing remarks, Professor Mely Caballero-Anthony, Head of the NTS Centre at RSIS and Secretary-General of the NTS-Asia Consortium, highlighted the continuing necessity to exchange experiences to see how the pandemic has affected people in different regions and observe if there are any commonalities in responses and the kind of problems and insecurities being faced. The public health crisis is unusual and even extraordinary in the way its repercussions cutting across multiple security areas. Professor Caballero-Anthony emphasised that the multifaceted challenges brought about the pandemic affirm the relevance of the concept of security beyond national borders and highlight the critical importance of governance and multilateralism. She thanked the members of the Consortium for their active participation and valuable contributions that made this year’s conference successful.
You may view the event summary notes here.
Click here to download Panel 1 presentation slides.
Click here to download Panel 2 presentation slides.
Click here to download Panel 3 presentation slides.
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The Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Programme and the Changi Regional HADR Coordination Centre (RHCC) co-organized the Workshop on Humanitarian Futures in the Asia Pacific on 31st March at the Changi Naval base, Singapore, with support from the Humanitarian Futures team. The workshop brought together a group of participants from government agencies, think tanks, NGOs, the private sector, and the military, with the aim to inspire adaptation, innovation and renewal for our shared future. It was the second part of the two-part workshop.
On the second day of the workshop, the speakers and participants mapped out the evolving landscape in the humanitarian sector in the Asia-Pacific region, discussed the disruptions and opportunities caused by COVID-19 in different sectors, and explored how organisations with humanitarian roles and responsibilities could adapt to preferred futures.
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RSIS-ICRC Data Governance and Protection in Humanitarian Action Workshop 2021
The Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Programme and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) co-hosted a virtual workshop to discuss the relationship between data protection and humanitarian action with a focus on digital identity, artificial intelligence, and information-sharing platforms. This workshop brought together different stakeholders from humanitarian organisations working on innovation, academia, tech companies, civil society, data protection authorities, and line ministries. The participants had a healthy discussion about salient issues such as opportunities for humanitarian groups to incorporate digital identities in their work, practical and ethical challenges surrounding the use of AI and Machine Learning, and the state of information sharing in the region.
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The Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Programme and the Changi Regional HADR Coordination Centre (RHCC) co-organized the Workshop on Humanitarian Futures in the Asia Pacific on 16th March at the Changi Naval base, Singapore, with support from the Humanitarian Futures team. The workshop brought together a group of participants from government agencies, think tanks, NGOs, the private sector, and the military, with the aim to inspire adaptation, innovation and renewal for our shared future. It was the first of the two-part workshop, with the second part to be held on 31st March.
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Leadership Meeting of the International Nuclear Security Education NetworkMr Julius Trajano (3rd row, 4th column), Research Fellow at the NTS Centre, delivered a presentation at the Virtual Leadership Meeting of the International Nuclear Security Education Network (INSEN), organised by the International Atomic Energy Agency on 3 March 2021. Mr Trajano spoke on enhancing collaboration among INSEN members, educational institutions, and think tanks to advance nuclear security education and research.
RSIS Webinar on “Disaster Governance and Prospects of Inter-Regional Partnership in the Asia-Pacific”
On 25 February 2021, the Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS Centre) hosted a webinar on “Disaster Governance and Prospects of Inter-Regional Partnership in the Asia-Pacific”. Chaired by the Head of the Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies, Professor Mely Caballero-Anthony, this webinar was delivered by Dr Alistair D.B Cook, Senior Fellow, and Mr Christopher Chen, Associate Research Fellow, NTS Centre, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, both from the NTS Centre’s Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Programme.
Drawing from their recent journal article, “Disaster governance and prospects of inter-regional partnership in the Asia-Pacific”, the speakers reviewed the disaster management frameworks and initiatives in ASEAN countries. They also looked at how complementary efforts by the two neighbouring sub-regions could provide a platform for shaping the global agenda on disaster governance and climate change. Additionally, the webinar highlighted the various reasons behind the potential collaborations between ASEAN and the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF). These included the need to solve collective action problems and the similarities in articulations of a common regional identity, i.e., the “Pacific Way” and the “ASEAN Way”.
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Head of NTS Centre, Prof Mely Caballero-Anthony, spoke at the webinar on Vaccine Diplomacy in Southeast Asia, organised by the Stimson Centre on 17 Feb 2021.
Chaired by Prof William Wise, the other speakers were Prof. Yanzhong Huang of Council on Foreign Relations and Ambassador Robert Blake, former US Ambassador to Indonesia.
2020
Digital Nobel Event: Impact of the Nobel Prizes on Research and Innovation, hosted by Ambassador Niclas Kvarnstrom of Sweden to Singapore, 10th December and broadcasted to a wide group of scientists, business, government officials and diplomats. Opening panel speakers included Professor Subra Suresh President, Nanyang Technological University and Nobel Laureate Professor Konstantin Novoselov, National University of Singapore. Speakers in Singapore introducing Nobel Prize winners included Dean Prof. Simon Redfern, College of Science, NTU; Associate Prof. Kimberly Kline, School of Biological Sciences, NTU; and Dr. Noeleen Heyzer.
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Distinguished Dialogue on Multilateralism, Peace and Security: Strengthening the Rule-based Multilateral Framework to Sustaining Peace, organised by UN75, World Leadership Alliance Club de Madrid, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland, 8th October 2020. Moderated by Dr. Noeleen Heyzer. Dialogue members: Former UN SG Ban Ki Moon; Former Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Jordon Nasser Judeh; Former Deputy Foreign Minister of China He Yafei.
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High Level Side Event of the UN General Assembly “The Changing World Order and Its Implication for Multilateralism”
Session 1: The Pandemic and Its Consequences, 22nd September 2020. Moderated by Former Vice President of the World Bank Ismail Serageldin; the speakers included Nobel Peace Laureate Muhammad Yunus, Former Prime Minister of Belgium Yves Leterme, Former Prime Minister of Romania Petre Roman and Dr. Noeleen Heyzer.
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Strengthening South East Asia’s Democratic Health after Covid-19, organized by the Kofi Annan Foundation (KAF), 14th July 2020. Moderated by Veronica Pedrosa; speakers included Former President Ramos Horta of Timor Leste, Historian Thant Myint-U from Myanmar, Maria Ressa from the Philippines and Dr. Noeleen Heyzer, member of the KAF Global Commission on Democracy and Governance in the Digital Age.
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Professor Mely Caballero-Anthony, Head of Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies, and Dr Alistair D. B. Cook presented their policy paper on Collaborative Governance at the virtual ASEAN Symposium on ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Blueprint 2025 on 10 December 2020. The Symposium discussed challenges to the implementation of the ASCC Blueprint 2025 and identified ways to address gaps and challenges. The inaugural symposium sought to strengthen the ASEAN network with the research community and widen outreach of the ASCC Blueprint 2025 implementation to the wider public. The symposium was hosted by the Chair of Senior Officials’ Committee for the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (SOCA), Nguyen Manh Cuong, Director-General of the International Cooperation Department, Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, Vietnam and attended by SOCA members and invited officials from across ASEAN.
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RSIS Webinar by Dr Kilian Spandler: Saving People or Saving Face? Narratives and the Humanitarian Order in Southeast Asia
On 17th November, Dr Kilian Spandler, Researcher, School of Global Studies, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, gave a presentation titled “Saving People or Saving Face? Narratives and the Humanitarian Order in Southeast Asia”. The presentation was based on his recently published journal article. Dr Alistair D.B. Cook, Senior Fellow, HADR Programme Coordinator, Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies, was the Chairperson of the webinar.
Dr Spandler’s research aimed to answer the following key question: Why is there so much uncertainty in the regional governance of HADR in the Southeast Asian region? Using narrative analysis as a theoretical framework, he investigated how different agents construct the role of the AHA Centre through different narratives. In doing so, he argued that competing narratives serve to hamper the formation of a more coherent regional architecture for humanitarian governance, and that a regional humanitarian community does not yet exist in the region. Rather, various humanitarian networks exist, which require a more unifying, overarching narrative for them to coalesce into a community. His findings question traditional hegemonic liberal ideas about the regional humanitarian system, which have implications on authority relations and roles and responsibilities of humanitarian actors.
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Head of NTS Centre, Prof Mely Caballero-Anthony speaking at the Asia Pacific Leadership Network on Non-Proliferation (APLN) Panel, entitled ““Reinventing Multilateral Cooperation: Pandemic and Humane Security”, organised by the Jeju Peace Forum on 5 November 2020.
This pre-recorded event brought together members of the APLN: Chair of APLN Gareth Evans, Kevin Rudd, former PM of Australia, Des Browne, Vice Chairman of NTI, and Amb Shin Dong-ik of Korea.
The NTS Centre, representing CSCAP Singapore, and Pacific Forum (US CSCAP) co-organised the virtual meeting of the CSCAP Nuclear Energy Experts Group via Zoom from 10 to 11 November 2020. Prof Mely Caballero-Anthony, Head of NTS Centre, co-chaired the meeting while Mr Julius Cesar Trajano, Research Fellow, delivered a presentation on the role of nuclear technology in detecting infectious diseases such as COVID-19. Around 45 nuclear experts from Asia-Pacific countries discussed the role of nuclear energy in Asia’s energy mix; the future of peaceful use of nuclear technology in the region; the Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty and potential impact on non-proliferation and nuclear security treaties; the nexus between strategic trade control and nuclear governance; and how regional networks advance non-proliferation and nuclear security.
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Prof Mely Caballero-Anthony, speaking at the 35th ASEAN Roundtable webinar on “The COVID-19 Crisis: Impact on ASEAN and the Way Forward”, held on 21 October 2020.
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The Senior Executive Programme in Disaster Management (SEPDM) has been held annually in Singapore’s Civil Defence Academy (CDA) since 2015. Currently in its sixth run, the SEPDM has established itself as the flagship Senior Leadership Programme of the ASEAN Committee on Disaster Management (ACDM). Since its inception, the programme has built an alumni network comprising more than 90 members from over 10 international organisations in the region. In view of the COVID-19 pandemic and the travel restrictions imposed internationally, the 2020 edition of the SEPDM is conducted as a webinar, serving as an outreach platform to new participants from Emergency Response and Disaster Management Organisations in the region and members of the SEPDM alumni network.
The theme for SEPDM Webinar 2020 is “Enhancing Disaster Preparedness and Partnerships”. SEPDM Webinar 2020 comprises three webinar sessions: (1) Effective Leadership for Disaster Preparedness; (2) COVID-19 and its impact on operations and partnerships; and (3) Adopting INSARAG Guidelines 2020 to strengthen disaster resilience. Dr Alistair D. B. Cook, Coordinator of the HADR Programme and Senior Fellow at the NTS Centre moderated the first webinar panel session on “Effective Leadership for Disaster Preparedness” with panelists Ms. Victoria Saiz-Omenaca, Head, UNOCHA Indonesia Office; Dr Pedro Besabe, Senior Regional Disaster Risk Reduction & Rapid Response Advisor, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation; Dr Riyanti, Head Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance Division, ASEAN Secretariat; Ms Adelina Kamal, Executive Director, The ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre); and Mr Goh Boon Han Director, Crisis Preparedness Directorate, Ministry of Home Affairs, Singapore.
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ASEAN Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination Webinar 2020
He gave a presentation titled ‘Humanitarian Assistance in the Asia-Pacific during COVID-19’, which covered 3 main areas: 1) Challenges that governments and humanitarian personnel in the region face when trying to provide humanitarian assistance during a pandemic, 2) Ways that stakeholders can adapt to this ‘new normal’, 3) Key questions for the future.
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RSIS-AHA Centre World Humanitarian Day Webinar on “Humanitarian Assistance in Southeast Asia during COVID-19”
On 19th August, the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Programme of the Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS Centre) at RSIS co-hosted a webinar with colleagues from the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA Centre) in Indonesia to commemorate World Humanitarian Day. Professor Mely Caballero-Anthony, Head of NTS Centre, RSIS delivered the welcome remarks and Ms Adelina Kamal, Executive Director, AHA Centre moderated the session titled “Humanitarian Assistance in Southeast Asia during COVID-19”. The panel included Tan Sri Dr Jemilah Mahmood, Special Advisor to the Prime Minister of Malaysia on Public Health; Ms Carol Lee, Executive Director, Mercy Relief; Mr Masahiro Ishizeki, Head, International Programmes, Mercy Relief; and Dr Alistair D. B. Cook, Coordinator of the HADR Programme, NTS Centre, RSIS. The speakers examined how the region is coping with the dual challenges of a pandemic and the threat of natural hazards, while also preparing for simultaneous disasters in the future. Some of the insights from the webinar included the prospects for national One Stop Shops to facilitate the government’s relations with local and national partners, including the private sector, all of whom have strong networks within communities; the need to have a clear vision and goal when trying to effect change in the humanitarian sector; and the need for humanitarian practitioners to actively engage with other groups such as the private sector and academia.
The NTS-Asia Consortium organised a webinar on COVID-19 and Economic Crisis: Mitigating Impact and Sustaining Development in Asia on 5 August 2020. The online event, hosted by the Centre for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS) Indonesia in partnership with the Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS Centre) of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, successfully garnered more than 3,200 viewers on Youtube. The webinar featured senior scholars from Asia’s three sub-regions: East Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia.
Dr Julia Puspadewi Tijaja, Director of ASEAN Integration Monitoring Directorate of the ASEAN Secretariat, graced the webinar with an insightful keynote speech on ASEAN’s responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Acknowledging the importance of this webinar in facilitating a sharing of information across regions, Dr Tijaja underscored that the unprecedented challenges triggered by the pandemic are not unique only to Southeast Asia but also a reality in other places. Her presentation on the ASEAN experience therefore can provide some useful points for reflection for other regions.
Dr Tijaja began by highlighting the need to remain vigilant. Although at present ASEAN’s confirmed cases and confirmed deaths only make up of 1.6 percent and 1.1 percent of global numbers respectively, the figures are on the rise. She also pointed out a wide variation in virus containment progress across countries in the region. Some managed to meaningfully slow down the spread of the virus whereas some others still see more and more confirmed cases each day.
On the economic front, the current pandemic is estimated to result in a contraction that ranges between 5.2 percent and 8 percent. She stressed that even if the regional annual economic growth is expected to rebound to 5.2 percent by 2022, it will nowhere reach the pre-COVID-19 growth track. Economic slowdown has affected all sectors and 41 percent of ASEAN workforce. Travel, tourism, accommodation, and hospitality sectors where women are overrepresented are among the hardest hit. In view of these multi-faceted challenges, ASEAN member states have asserted their commitments to keep the regional market open. The regional body has also established ASEAN Coordinating Council Working Group on Public Health Emergencies and ASEAN COVID-19 Response Fund.
Dr Tijaja closed her speech with the following three optimistic points. First, the pandemic compels us to do things better moving forward. There is a need to look at how we can better address climate concerns, ensure inclusive growth, strengthen social protection, and give health and education the long overdue attention they need. Second, virus knows no boundaries and no country and region can fight against it alone. Cooperation and collective efforts will become more important now and ever. Third, while we do not know when this crisis will end, we know it will end. It is important for ASEAN and for any region not to lose sight of this long-term vision. For ASEAN, this means focusing on community building and regional integration agenda. Existing inequality that has become even more evident, thanks to the pandemic, necessitates inclusive digitalisation efforts, and inclusive, participatory growth and development that leave no one behind.
Prof. Miki Honda from Hosei University, Japan, gave a general overview of COVID-19 situation in Japan. Prof. Honda lamented the government’s late response that has led to business bankruptcies and closures, and insufficient PCR testing among high-risk population. She identified Japan’s vulnerable segments to include single-parent families in lower living standards, service sector workers, temporary workers, migrant workers, sick and injured people, medical experts and service workers and their families, and COVID-19 survivors. Although local and national governments have provided some form of assistance to the vulnerable groups, Prof. Honda opined that these are not sufficient. She highlighted some weaknesses in Japan’s COVID-19 response that included slow bureaucratic system, strained health care and fiscal capacity, and overreliance on people’s voluntary restraint. She closed her presentation by recommending the World Health Organization to provide unified direction and coordinate vaccine development worldwide, and the Japanese government to conduct data-based analysis for accurate information, strengthen policy cooperation with local governments, and enhance medical facility capacity.
Dr Jaehyon Lee from Asan Institute for Policy Studies in South Korea presented a rosier picture. He highlighted that South Korea has managed to contain the virus considerably well, and the economic contraction this year is likely to be much lower compared to other advanced economies. South Korean government has injected stimulus packages to cushion the economic impacts among its population and has laid out Korean New Deal 1 and 2 that iterate its recovery plans. Dr Lee identified temporary workers and migrants as part of the vulnerable groups. Although there were issues with access to information and government’s assistance, migrants in South Korea were given free testing and treatment. In closing, Dr Lee shared his reflections on the need to review regional posture against pandemic, region-wide standard coordination procedures and protection measures, and mutual economic assistance.
Dr Le Hong Hiep from ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore reported a similar victorious story in Vietnam. Dr Le attributed Vietnam’s early virus containment as a key success factor. Although Vietnam was also hit by economic downturn, income loss among population was not particularly serious. He warned, however, that the second wave of infections brought uncertainties that may lead to widening inequality, worsening poverty, and other social problems like increasing unemployment and crime rates.
Prof. Prijono Tjiptoherijanto from University of Indonesia acknowledged the gloom and doom repercussions of the pandemic but chose to focus on the brighter side instead. He pointed out to new jobs being created such as teleconferencing support specialists, online market start-ups, temperature screeners, and protective equipment manufacturers and installers. The pandemic has also resulted in many companies suggesting and even requiring employees to work from home. This has enabled flexible work arrangements that have allowed more time for employees to look after their wellbeing, support the learning and development of their children, and have quality interactions with other family members. Social capital can thus be strengthened during this pandemic period.
Maj. Gen. (ret’d) Dipankar Banerjee from India showed the struggle that the Indian society is currently facing in containing virus spread as daily infection rate exceeds 50,000. He stressed the need for inclusive and sustainable relief and economic stimulus, strengthening of public health infrastructure, and enhancing social protection for livelihood security. He further highlighted the urgency for regional cooperation that will assist countries to build back better.
The five presentations have shown that although countries were generally similar in their containment and support responses, there has been a wide range of variations in terms of progress. Constraints at the national level, as seen in the case of Japan, can hamper effective measures. On the other hand, early re-opening of the economy, presumably on the condition of a successful virus containment as seen in Vietnam and South Korea, seems to be an important factor that averts a country from plunging into deep economic recession. Against this backdrop, Indonesia’s policy to re-open its economy despite continuing COVID-19 cases thus presents an interesting strategy that merits an assessment as to whether this will indeed work. Above all, amidst the tendency for countries to look inward, cooperation among nations cannot be relinquished as it remains critical in this globalised world.
Click here to view the webinar.
Head of Centre, Prof Mely Caballero-Anthony gave webinar on “ COVID:19 and Global Governance: Implications on Indo-Pacific”, organised by Centre for Strategic Studies, Victoria University of Wellington, 21 May 2020.
Prof Mely Caballero-Anthony, Head of NTS Centre, speaking on the panel on Women in Nuclear Security at the International Conference on Nuclear Security at the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, Austria, 12 February 2020.
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Prof Mely Caballero-Anthony, Head of NTS Centre, and Mr Julius Trajano, Research Fellow, presented their study on nuclear security governance in the Asia-Pacific and the key role of Southeast Asia at the International Conference on Nuclear Security: Sustaining and Strengthening Efforts on 11 February 2020. The conference, which included a ministerial conference as well scientific and technical sessions, was organised by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria from 10 to 14 February 2020.
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The RSIS’ NTS Centre and Pacific Forum jointly organised the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia-Pacific- Nuclear Energy Experts Group (CSCAP-NEEG) from 6 to 7 February 2020 in Singapore. Prof Mely Caballero-Anthony, Head of NTS Centre, and Mr Julius Trajano, Research Fellow, presented their study on sustaining nuclear safety/security education in the Asia-Pacific.
Around 30 nuclear governance experts deliberated on the status of nuclear governance in the era of strategic competition, the role of the ASEAN Network of Regulatory Bodies on Atomic Energy (ASEANTOM), capacity-building and education on nuclear safety and security, the role of artificial intelligence and cyber technology in nuclear governance, nuclear energy development in the region, and emerging small modular reactor technology.
2019
The HADR Programme hosted the continuation of the 2-part conference series, “Asia-Pacific and the Humanitarian World” on 5th – 6th December 2019 at the NTU One-North campus. Created to understand perspectives from the Asia-Pacific region on the dynamics, limits and possibilities of humanitarian action, this conference brought together scholars focused on the various aspects of humanitarian work in the region. Topics of discussion included bilateral and multilateral cooperation as well as how different non-traditional actors engage in humanitarian work and the implications for the international humanitarian system. Some participants also focused on how individual countries such as China, Indonesia and Japan operationalize humanitarianism in their foreign policy.
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Head of NTS Centre, Prof Mely Caballero-Anthony, speaking on ASEAN mechanisms on conflict management at the 7th ASEAN-UN Workshop-5th Regional Dialogue on Political-Security Cooperation, jointly organised by the UN, ASEAN and Foreign Ministry of Vietnam. The Workshop was held on 3-4 December in Hanoi, Vietnam.
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RSIS Seminars delivered by Dr Kristie Barrow, Visiting Senior Fellow, RSIS, NTU, Singapore; Director of International and Domestic Engagement of the Australian Civil-Military Centre.
Dr Barrow gave two seminars titled “Australia’s Approach to HADR from a Civil-Military Practitioner’s Viewpoint” and “Challenges and Limitations to Foreign Military Responses to HADR in Asia-Pacific”.
The first seminar on 27th November 2019 discussed how Australia understands HADR preparedness and response in the Asia-Pacific region, and the factors that inform the way Australia undertakes HADR in the region – both in policy and practice. She stated that Australia’s approach to HADR centres on Civilian-Military-Police (Civ-Mil-Pol) coordination and a whole-of-government response. This approach is largely driven by the needs of the region and political dynamics, as well as the aspiration to balance both.
During the second seminar on 29th November 2019, Dr Barrow highlighted the theoretical, policy, and doctrinal challenges of foreign military engagement in HADR in the region. She presented the ways it affects non-military actors, the limitations and drawbacks of utilising extensive military assistance, and the structural issues and long-term viability of the current regional approach. In particular, she highlighted that an over-reliance on militaries in HADR creates the expectation that they can solve all problems. At the same time, this undermines the ability of civilian agencies to respond to disasters.
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Head of NTS Centre, Prof Mely Caballero-Anthony, speaking at the Conference in Rethinking AHA Centre, held in Jakarta, Indonesia on 18 November 2019. Prof Anthony spoke on Humanitarian Assistance and Emergency Response in Complex Conflict Environment.
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Philippines Fieldwork: 20 – 26 October 2019. The S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies’ Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Programme research team travelled to the Philippines to document the experiences and reflections of different actors involved in HADR efforts of the 2017 Marawi Conflict. Mr Angelo Trias and Dr Lina Gong conducted interviews with key informants to examine the disaster management structures, mechanisms and arrangements in the Philippines for addressing man-made hazards and threats. Data collected from the fieldwork will help identify the main challenges to address, broad trends to look out for, and key partnerships to develop to enhance capacities to protect and assist vulnerable communities in conflict-affected settings in the Philippines and the wider Southeast Asian region.
Initial analysis of findings reveal that: i) understanding and respecting religio-cultural norms are critical to humanitarian access, ii) strengthening civil-military-police relations is essential to aid and relief worker security, iii) disaster management and peace-building activities compliment and support each other, iv) communications remain to be strengthened between national governments and international donors, despite the existing mechanisms, v) local governments and community leaders play a critical role in disaster response and early recovery, vi) urbanisation should be considered in disaster management. The recent crisis highlights the changing risk environment and transforming humanitarian landscape, particularly the growing prominence of armed conflict and mass violence in the region.
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RSIS-IAEA Faculty Development Course on Nuclear Security
The RSIS Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) co-organised a faculty development course on nuclear security in Singapore from 21 to 25 October 2019. Around 20 faculty members and trainers from universities and training institutions in the Asia-Pacific region participated in a series of lectures and activities aimed at developing academic programmes and training courses on nuclear security education in their respective institutions. Key outcomes of this course are three draft graduate programme and training curricula on nuclear security in policy and social sciences, engineering and natural sciences.
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Mr Julius Trajano, Research Fellow at the NTS Centre, attended the Southeast Asia Security Sector Governance Forum held in Antipolo City, the Philippines from 7 to 9 October 2019. The Forum was jointly organized by the DCAF Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance and the Ateneo de Manila University. Mr Trajano spoke on best practices in maintaining good security sector governance and the impact of contemporary non-traditional security issues on security sector governance. The forum facilitated the first regional meeting of the network of security sector governance experts and practitioners from Southeast Asian countries.
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Head of NTS Centre, Prof Mely Caballero-Anthony delivering a keynote on “Deepening Cooperation between Asia and Europe in the Preservation of Global Public Goods”, at the International Conference on “The European Union and New Competition between China and the US “, jointly organised by Royal Elcano Institute, Madrid and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. The conference was held on 7-8 October, in Madrid, Spain.
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Pacific Islands (Fiji and Tonga) Fieldwork: 23 August – 6 September 2019. The S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies’ Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Programme research team travelled to Fiji and Tonga to conduct fieldwork. Dr Alistair Cook and Mr Christopher Chen conducted interviews with representatives from the Government, international organizations, regional bodies, NGOs, local community partners and faith-based groups to understand the disaster management structures, mechanisms, and arrangements in place in the two Pacific Island States. In the process, the team hoped to identify some of the challenges faced by small island states when responding to disasters. Data gathered from the fieldwork identified broad trends and key partnerships in the Pacific region. Some of the key findings from our forthcoming report are as follows: 1) positive perception of military involvement in HADR operations, 2) push towards integrating traditional knowledge into disaster preparedness initiatives, 3) openness towards ASEAN-PIS collaboration in disaster management.
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World Humanitarian Day 2019 celebrated Women Humanitarians and their undying contribution in making the world a better place. The RSIS World Humanitarian Day 2019 Public Panel & Exhibition was held on 19 August. The annual event brings together local players in the humanitarian sphere to celebrate the dedication of humanitarian workers around the world, and to remember those in most need of assistance. The event drew an audience of over 60 people including seven exhibitors – Mercy Relief, ReliefSG, Rahmatan Lil Alamin Foundation (RLAF), Singapore Red Cross, Yonah, World Vision, and the RSIS HADR Programme. The panellists this year included Mr Euan Wilmshurst, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility, IBM Asia Pacific; Mr Sim Zhi Min, Co-Founder, Yonah; and LTC Zhou Yan Sheng, Senior Assistant Director Force Transformation, Singapore Civil Defence Force. This year’s panel discussion focused on exploring ways to use “Technology for Good”. The panellists reflected on their engagements with technology and gave insights into how their respective organisations are employing new and innovative solutions in emergencies and disaster situations, particularly in saving lives and alleviating suffering.
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On 19 to 20 August, the HADR Programme of the NTS Centre hosted the RSIS Workshop 2019: “Realizing ASEAN Vision 2025 on Disaster Management, Making Strategy a Reality”. The workshop brought together more than 50 stakeholders in Southeast Asia to discuss practical ways to fulfil the strategy set forth by the ASEAN Vision 2025 on Disaster Management through a whole-of-society approach. The Workshop engaged existing and potential champions for cross-sectoral partnerships in disaster management to identify (i) what worked well and how, and (ii) what did not work and why in the past 5 years. This was followed by several breakout group sessions where participants discussed how to develop a working model to enhance successful sectoral partnerships and to build less-developed ones. Output from the workshop will be used to produce concrete recommendations for the development of 2021-2025 ASEAN Work Plan for the realisation of the declaration on One ASEAN, One Response: ASEAN Responding To Disasters As One In The Region And Outside The Region.
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On 21 August, the RSIS HADR Programme participated as the knowledge partner for the ASEAN Strategic Policy Dialogue on Disaster Management, which was co-organised by the Singapore Civil Defence Force, ASEAN Secretariat, and the AHA Centre in Singapore. Mrs Josephine Teo, Singapore’s Minister for Manpower and 2nd Minister for Home Affairs, gave the opening remarks as the Guest-of-Honour. The dialogue emphasized the need to continuously build ASEAN’s resiliency to disasters by forging multi-stakeholder partnerships for future challenges, leveraging on sustainable development efforts to mitigate disaster impacts, and adapting to localisation as a new norm in humanitarian response.
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Head of Centre, Prof Mely Caballero-Anthony, speaking at the panel on Challenges and Disruption: Leadership Resilience in an Age of Uncertainty, at the conference on “Australia-Japan-India Trilateral: Leadership, Partnership and ASEAN Centrality in the Emerging Indo-Pacific”, organised by the Griffith Asia Institute, Griffith University, on 6 August at Stamford Plaza Brisbane, Australia.
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Singapore Humanitarian Network (SHINE) Workshop 2019, NTU@One-North, Singapore: On 31st July 2019, the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Programme hosted the Singapore Humanitarian Network (SHINE) Workshop 2019. Nineteen researchers from different disciplines and twelve practitioners based in Singapore came together to discuss transdisciplinary research collaboration in humanitarian affairs. During the previous meeting in December 2018, the network established working groups on 3 key transdisciplinary areas: (1) Education, (2) Logistics, and (3) Data Management and Modelling. In the morning, the working groups presented on the progress of their respective projects. A World Café was then convened to encourage discussion between members of the the working groups and practitioners. In the afternoon, the participants talked about some of the gaps that exist between academia and practitioners, and identified potential ways to bridge these gaps.
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Singapore Red Cross Humanitarian Conference 2019, Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel, Singapore: On 20th July 2019, Alistair D. B. Cook, Senior Fellow, and Christopher Chen, Associate Research Fellow, participated in the Singapore Red Cross Humanitarian Conference 2019. Revolving around the theme of ‘Partnership and Volunteerism for Humanity’, the conference presenters reflected on the importance of volunteers to the Red Cross and Red Crescent movement, as well as the need to build transformational partnerships with various stakeholders in a community. The event was also a celebration of the Singapore Red Cross’s 70th anniversary. Other highlights of the conference included the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Aviva Singapore and the Singapore Red Cross, and acknowledgement of the graduates of the Singapore Red Cross’s Overseas Disaster Deployment training course.
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Prof Mely Caballero-Anthony, Head of NTS Centre, and Mr Julius Trajano, Research Fellow, attended the Annual Meeting of the International Nuclear Security Education Network (INSEN) at the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, Austria on 8-12 July 2019.
The INSEN meeting brought together 83 registered participants, who are mostly faculty members and researchers, from 49 countries. The meeting deliberated on enhancing collaboration among universities, research institutes, and other stakeholders involved in nuclear security education and research. Mr Julius Trajano was also nominated to serve as vice chair of Working Group II (Faculty Development and International Collaboration), one of the three working groups of INSEN.
IBM Call for Code 2019, Marina Bay Financial Centre, Singapore: On 10th July 2019, members of the RSIS HADR Team participated in the IBM Call for Code 2019. Held at IBM Studios in Singapore, the event included a knowledge sharing session in the morning and an interactive group hackathon in the afternoon. The Singapore Civil Defense Force (SCDF) presented on “Sense-making for Emergency Response in the Smart City”. With a specific focus on fires in an urban setting, the presentation also set the scene for the afternoon’s hackathon. Participants had to develop IoT solutions to provide early warning of fires. Dr Alistair Cook, Research Fellow and Coordinator of the HADR Programme, was on the judging panel for the ideation challenge, while Mr Christopher Chen, Associate Research Fellow, attended as an observer.
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East Asia, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Roundtable, Bangkok, 8 July: Alistair D. B. Cook, Coordinator of Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Programme and Research Fellow, NTS Centre, RSIS participated in a roundtable discussion on East Asia, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief in Bangkok.The University of St Andrews School of International Relations hosted the discussion with support from the Global Challenges Research Fund and the Scottish Funding Council. The Keynote Address was delivered by Vice Admiral Alexander Pama (ret.), Armed Forces of the Philippines. The first panel on Regional Challenges: lessons from practitioners included Antonio Loyzaga, President, National Resilience Council, the Philippines; Hilde Jakobsen, Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre, Bangkok, Thailand; Martin Sebastian, Maritime Institute of Malaysia; and Chris Ankerson from the Center of Global Affairs, New York University, USA. The second panel to disseminate research findings included Alistair D. B. Cook from RSIS; Miwa Hirono from Ritsumeikan University, Japan; Rikard Jalkebro and Cath Jones from the University of St Andrews; and Garren Mulloy from Daito Bunka University, Japan.
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Staff of the NTS Centre participated in the International Studies Association (ISA) Asia-Pacific Conference 2019 from 4th to 7th August 2019 in Singapore. With the theme ‘Asia-Pacific and World Order: Security, Economics, Identity and Beyond’, the conference provided scholars and practitioners with a forum to debate and discuss their new ideas and ongoing research projects.
The RSIS HADR team organised a panel titled ‘Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief in the Asia-Pacific: Perspectives, Challenges and Future Pathways’, which invited contributors to share their papers and research findings on HADR in the Asia-Pacific region. More specifically, it sought to provide an avenue for discussions surrounding (1) regional nuances, (2) various challenges in implementing humanitarian responses, and (3) future pathways for effective humanitarian action in the region.
Professor Mely Caballero-Anthony, Head of NTS Centre, chaired the panel, while Dr Alistair Cook, Research Fellow and Coordinator of the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Programme, was the discussant. Mr Angelo Trias, Associate Research Fellow, presented a paper highlighting his work on the RSIS HADR database. Mr Christopher Chen, Associate Research Fellow, presented a paper titled ‘Mapping the HADR Landscape in the Asia-Pacific: The Rise of Non-Traditional Humanitarian Actors’.
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Dr Lina Gong delivered a presentation on China’s cooperation with Southeast Asia in disaster response at the 6th Ulaanbaatar Dialogue on Northeast Asian Security, held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia on 5-6 June 2019.
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Staff of the NTS Centre participated in the 8th Australian & New Zealand Disaster & Emergency Management Conference from 12th to 13th June 2019 in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. Professor Mely Caballero-Anthony, Head of NTS Centre, presented a paper titled ‘Mapping the HADR Landscape in the Asia-Pacific: The Rise of Non-Traditional Humanitarian Actors’. Mr Christopher Chen, Associate Research Fellow, and one of the co-authors of the paper, attended as a delegate. The conference provided a forum for the exchange of current ideas and practices between emergency and disaster management practitioners from Australia and New Zealand and further afield.
Head of NTS Centre, Prof. Mely Caballero-Anthony joins members of Experts Group on Climate Security at the Berlin Climate and Security Conference held in Berlin, Germany on 4 June 2019.
German Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs addresses participants at the Opening Session of the Berlin Climate and Security Conference.
RSIS HADR Team Visit to HMAS Canberra: On 15th May 2019, Dr Alistair Cook and Mr Christopher Chen, along with RSIS students and colleagues from Mercy Relief, Singapore Civil Defence Force, and the Changi Regional HADR Coordination Centre, participated in a half-day guided tour of the HMAS Canberra. Docked at Changi Naval Base for the duration of the Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference 2019, the HMAS Canberra has unique capabilities that can be deployed to assist an affected state in HADR operations. The participants were given a short presentation of the Australian Defence Force’s HADR capabilities. This was followed by a guided tour around the vessel. They emerged with a better understanding of the Canberra’s capabilities, as well as how it fits into larger-scale HADR efforts.
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The 4th NTS-Asia Consortium Annual Meeting on “Bringing Back Multilateral Cooperation in NTS Governance” brought together 23 out of the 31 members of the NTS-Asia Consortium. It was held on 25-26 March 2019 in Singapore.
Click here to view more photos.
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RSIS Seminars on Disaster Risk Reduction delivered by Dr Tavida Kamolvej, Visiting Fellow, RSIS, NTU, Singapore; Dean of the School of Political Science, Thammasat University, Thailand; and Advisor to Director General of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, Thailand.
Dr Kamolvej gave two seminars titled “Glocalisation of Disaster Risk Reduction Frameworks: Implementing SENDAI and AADMER” and “Policy Instruments for Non-Structural Disaster Risk Reduction Measures: Building and Construction Safety in Thailand”. The first seminar on 13th March 2019 explored the mutually reinforcing components of the SENDAI Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) and the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER), while the second seminar on 14th March 2019 focused on some of the non-structural disaster risk reduction measures currently being implemented in Thailand.
Dr Kamolvej used to serve as Disaster and Emergency Management advisor to the National Disaster Warning Center, Thailand. She also joined the sub-committee on Disaster and Risk Communication of the National Committee of Broadcasting, Televising, and Telecommunication, to develop national and local communication regulations and a framework for action. At the international level, Dr. Kamolvej used to be communication and coordination instructor for the US State Department Senior Crisis Management Seminar Program in collaboration with American University, Washington DC, USA, and also represented Thailand in the Technical Expert Team to develop indicators and methodology for the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction with UNISDR.
RSIS organised a book launch seminar on Negotiating Governance on Non-Traditional Security in Southeast Asia and Beyond, authored by Dr Mely Caballero-Anthony, Professor of International Relations and Head of the RSIS Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies. Around 50 people attended the seminar, held at NTU@One North on 6 March. Ambassador Ong Keng Yong, Executive Deputy Chairman of RSIS, congratulated Prof Caballero-Anthony for writing an excellent book that would further advance the concept of non-traditional security in both academic and policy studies. In delivering her summary of the book, Prof Caballero-Anthony argued that in a region that is often described as zealous in protecting state sovereignty, security governance of NTS issues does exist, bringing together state and non-state actors who can set the security agenda, provide resources, push for observance of certain norms, and seek collaborative policy approaches.
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“NTU expert comment: Asia eyes a $65bn agtech transformation” (NTU in the News)
During an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Jose Ma. Luis Montesclaros, Associate Research Fellow, shared about climate-related agricultural risks in ASEAN, and the challenge that “climate adaptive agricultural technologies are hardly being scaled at a level that allows for maintaining, or even increasing, yield growth in the region.”
Date: 7 March 2019
Click here to read the article.
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Palu, Sulawesi and Jakarta Fieldwork: 3 – 9 March 2019. The S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies’ Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Programme research team travelled to Jakarta and Palu to document experiences, reflections and insights of different actors involved in HADR efforts after the 2018 Central Sulawesi disasters. Dr Alistair Cook and Mr. Angelo Trias conducted interviews with representatives from the Government, international organizations, regional bodies, NGOs, local community partners and faith-based groups to understand the scope of the emergency response and challenges encountered. Data gathered from the fieldwork will help identify broad trends, policy recommendations, and key partnerships to develop to improve future humanitarian action in Indonesia and the wider Southeast Asian region. One of the key findings from our forthcoming report is the transforming role of the AHA Centre and its importance will play in the region. This changing role and responsibilities of the AHA Centre will impact the way disaster responses are approached in Southeast Asia.
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RSIS Conference on Asia and the Humanitarian World, 28 Feb – 1 March: The HADR Programme, NTS Centre, hosted a conference on Asia and the Humanitarian World to understand perspectives from the region on the dynamics, limits and possibilities of humanitarian action. Speakers and participants discussed the current status of multilateral humanitarian settings, reviewed bilateral humanitarian cooperation in Asia, and investigated the role of militaries, the private sector and civil society in providing humanitarian assistance. The conference brought together scholars and practitioners focused on humanitarian action in Asia.
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Nepal Fieldwork: 18-22 February. The S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies’ Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) research team travelled to Kathmandu, Nepal to understand whether technology used during the 2015 Nepal earthquake had a longer term impact on the local population , and whether emerging technologies in humanitarian action can facilitate both the centralisation and decentralisation of disaster management. Mr Martin Stanley Searle and Mr Christopher Chen met with stakeholders from INGOs, government bodies, international and local innovation labs to discuss these two areas of research.
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Head of RSIS Centre for NTS Studies, Prof Mely Caballero-Anthony, speaking at the Workshop on ‘Unpacking Industry 4.0’, organised by NTU’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences on 8 February 2019.
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RSIS Seminars on the International Humanitarian System delivered by Dr Catherine Bragg, Visiting Senior Fellow, RSIS, NTU, Singapore; Adjunct Full Professor, Centre for Humanitarian Action, University College Dublin; and Governor of the University of Toronto, Canada. Dr Bragg is a former Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator in the United Nations (2008-2013). As the ASG, she was the deputy head of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Prior to her secondment to the UN, she spent 24 years in the federal public service of Canada. In total, she has visited over 100 countries and been involved in response to close to 30 humanitarian crises and situations. The first seminar on the 19th February 2019 assessed the development of the international humanitarian system over the last thirty years and the second seminar on the 21st February 2019 focused on the need to re-orient the international humanitarian system drawing on Dr Bragg’s experience in the field.
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Complex Humanitarian Emergencies & Disaster Management in Bangladesh Research Findings Seminar, 27 January 2019, Centre for Peace and Justice, BRAC University, Dhaka: Dr Alistair D. B. Cook delivered his team’s research findings from their trip to Bangladesh in early 2018. Professor Mohammad Tamim, Pro-Vice Chancellor, BRAC University chaired and delivered the concluding remarks in the lecture.
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Regional Consultative Group on Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination, Dhaka, 24 – 26th January 2019: Dr Alistair D. B. Cook, Coordinator of HADR Programme and Research Fellow, NTS Centre, participated in the Fourth Session of the Regional Consultative Group on Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination at the Intercontinental Hotel Dhaka, Bangladesh. The Fourth Session included highlights from country work plans; working groups on logistics and information sharing; standardisation: EMT and INSARAG; insight into an earthquake in an urban setting; thematic groups on assessment processes, coordination, and standards; recommended practices for foreign military assets in natural disaster response; and publication review of updating RCG reference materials. The Fourth Session concluded with the RCG 2019 Vision and Handover from Bangladesh as outgoing RCG 2018 Chair to Thailand as incoming RCG 2019 Chair.
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The NTS Centre, CSCAP Singapore and the Pacific Forum jointly convened the annual meeting of the CSCAP-Nuclear Energy Experts Group (NEEG) held on 24-25 January 2019. Prof Mely Caballero-Anthony, Head of NTS Centre, and Mr Julius Cesar Trajano, Research Fellow at NTS Centre, delivered a joint presentation on building nuclear governance in the Asia-Pacific and the pivotal role of Southeast Asia. About 40 nuclear experts and officials from Asia-Pacific countries attended the meeting. The discussions focused on global nuclear governance, strengthening nuclear governance in the Asia Pacific, the nuclear-export regime, and the impact of new technologies on nuclear governance.
2018
Head of NTS Centre, Prof Mely Caballero-Anthony moderating the panel on Role of Women in Conflict Resolution, Doha Forum, Doha, 15-16 December 2018.
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The NTS Centre organised a seminar on “Denuclearisation of North Korea: What Can be Learned from South Africa, Libya, Iraq and Iran” on 12 December 2018. Dr Olli Heinonen, Senior Advisor on Science and Nonproliferation at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, discussed the tedious process of denuclearisation as well as the requirements for the complete denuclearisation of North Korea. Dr Heinonen also shared his first-hand information on previous attempts to denuclearise North Korea and lessons learned from verification approaches in Iran, Libya, Iraq and South Africa.
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The NTS Centre organised a roundtable on “Nuclear Energy Development in Southeast Asia: Emerging Challenges and Opportunities” on 11 December 2018. Six nuclear experts from Southeast Asia, Japan, South Korea and the United States delivered presentations on nuclear energy plans in Southeast Asia, key contributions of nuclear science to dealing with climate change and other non-traditional security challenges, governance of radioactive materials, regional nuclear security cooperation, emerging nuclear safety-security issues in the region, and relevant lessons from Japan and South Korea. Around 100 participants from government agencies, NTU, NUS, research institutes, and the private sector attended the roundtable.
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Singapore Humanitarian Network and Research Meeting, 6 December. The Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Programme hosted the third Singapore Humanitarian Network and Research Meeting. Twenty-two researchers from different disciplines and universities in Singapore came together to discuss transdisciplinary research collaboration in humanitarian affairs. The participants resolved to formalise the network and established three working groups: education, logistics and data. The Singapore Humanitarian Network will meet twice a year going forward.
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Head of NTS Centre, Prof Mely Caballero-Anthony, speaking on “Asean Experiences in Conflict Management”, at the ASEAN-IPR-UN Workshop on Asean Perspectives in Conflict Management and Conflict Resolution in the Region, held on 5-7 December, Jakarta, Indonesia.
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The NTS Centre organised a seminar on “Science and Technology Needs in Nuclear Security Detection” on 20 November 2018. Dr Charles Massey, a nuclear security officer of the International Atomic Energy Agency, delivered the seminar. Dr Massey discussed the innovative use of science and technology to address the ever-evolving challenges in nuclear security around the world. He also highlighted how various disciplines, such as natural sciences, engineering, finance, and social sciences, can contribute to meeting the growing science and technology needs in nuclear security. Around 45 participants from Nanyang Technological University, National University of Singapore, government agencies, and the private sector attended this seminar.
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Mr Julius Trajano attended the ASEAN Regional Mine Action Centre (ARMAC) Regional Workshop 2018 held from 12 to 14 Nov 2018 in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Mr Trajano delivered a presentation on complex humanitarian crises involving disasters, conflicts and landmines in Southeast Asia. Jointly organised by ARMAC and the Government of Canada, the regional workshop tackled proposals to enhance regional capacity and cooperation so as to effectively address the issue of mines/explosive remnants of war in the Southeast Asian region. It brought together representatives of ASEAN Member States, Donor Countries, mine action organisations, the ASEAN Secretariat and selected ASEAN academic institutions.
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From 8-9 November 2018, the HADR Programme of RSIS’ Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies hosted a conference on “Cyclone Nargis Ten Years On: A Decade of New Humanitarian Partnerships in Southeast Asia” to share experiences of the disaster response, discuss innovations in HADR mechanisms since then, and consider changing humanitarian and disaster environments and needs.
The keynote address, delivered by Dr. Win Myat Aye, Union Minister for Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement, highlighted Myanmar’s progress in disaster preparedness in legal frameworks, institutional arrangements, mitigation measures, capacity building, hazard monitoring and early warning systems. A subsequent public roundtable on practitioner reflections by Dr. Noeleen Heyzer, Mr. Robert H.K. Chua, and Mr. Ye Htut emphasized the importance of (i) adopting people-centred approaches (ii) building trust before attempting to offer assistance, and (iii) forging multi-stakeholder efforts including civil-military relations. The public event was attended by over sixty people.
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Head of NTS Centre attends the Expert Group Meeting on Climate and Security in New York, USA from 29-31 October 2018. The Expert Group aims to analyse and examine the climate-related security risks around the world and their impact on international peace and security.
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Papua New Guinea Fieldwork – From 20-27 October 2018, the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies’ Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) programme travelled to Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea to conduct fieldwork. During the visit, Dr Alistair Cook and Ms Foo Yen Ne met with disaster management and humanitarian actors in Papua New Guinea, including the National Disaster Centre, Emergency Controller’s Office, UN agencies and non-governmental organisations to understand the humanitarian context as well as the disaster management challenges faced by the country. Data gathered from the fieldwork will help inform the HADR programme’s research into opportunities for collaboration between Southeast Asia and Papua New Guinea in the disaster management space.
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From 15th October to 19th October 2018, the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies and the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP) co-hosted a crisis management course on how to lead effectively in a turbulent and fast-moving world. Co-organised by Mr David Horobin from GCSP and Dr Alistair Cook, Research Fellow and Coordinator of the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Programme, the course sought to educate policymakers and executives to think and act more creatively in times of crisis, and to develop the skills and knowledge required to navigate through them. Over the course of five days, participants – which included Mr Angelo Trias and Mr Christopher Chen from the NTS Centre – learnt to recognise and adapt the psychological and organisational elements of crisis management. They also participated in real-time simulations that enabled them to put into practice the various theoretical concepts taught during the course.
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The 2018 Southeast Asia Disaster Risk Governance Academic Seminar, 24-26 September 2018, Bangkok, Thailand, was co-organised by ASEAN, Thammasat University and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent movement (IFRC) as an ASEAN-Canada project funded by the Government of Canada. The seminar was partnered with the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Asian Institute of Management, Ateneo de Manila University, Canadian Red Cross, Chulalongkorn University, Institute of Technology Bandung (ITB), and the Resilience Development Initiative. Alistair D. B. Cook served as a paper discussant and explored with the co-organisers and partners the establishment of a Disaster Law and Policy Platform for greater collaboration between academics, practitioners and policy-makers on disaster governance in Southeast Asia.
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Air Commodore Bill Boothby (Retd) Associate Fellow, Geneva Centre for Security Policy delivered a lecture titled ‘Cyber Operations in War and Peacetime – Fundamental Issues and Critical Reflections’ on 6 September. He discussed the development of international law to govern States’ cyber activity and exposed the complexities of regulating such a contested space. While there is wide disagreement in the international community on which rules apply on cyber activity, Air Commodore Boothby assessed the Tallinn Manual process, reports issued by the UN General Assembly-mandated Groups of Governmental Experts as well as an initiative from Russia and China to develop a Code of Conduct as a collection of ‘soft laws’ that can guide States’ behaviour.
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The S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, through Associate Research Fellows, Margareth Sembiring and Jose Ma. Luis Montesclaros, participated in an evaluation of Climate Change Adaptation Road Maps made by government officials of Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Viet Nam, last 30-31 August, in Siem Reap, focusing on addressing distributional impacts of disasters and climate change. This serves as a step towards becoming better prepared and more resilient, regionally, against potential threats to food security. The road maps are the culmination of efforts by the participants who have met and participated in four previous workshops on this issue. It included panel discussions on how the Road Maps could be implemented, with feedback from RSIS as well as other Knowledge Partners (see photo above), including the United States Department of Agriculture, International Food Policy Research Institute, the Asian Institute of Technology, the University of Technology, Vienna, Smart Farm Agriculture Center, Korea, and the National University of Singapore.
Source: Adopted from Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia
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Staff of the NTS Centre participated in the 5th bi-annual International Humanitarian Studies Association (IHSA) Conference from 27th to 29th August 2018 in The Hague, The Netherlands. Dr Alistair Cook, Research Fellow and Coordinator of the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Programme, presented a paper on the development of new mechanisms in Southeast Asia, and their role in the negotiating of humanitarian access in conflict and disaster situations. Mr Christopher Chen, Research Associate, presented a paper on knowledge management for humanitarian continuity, examining the role of knowledge management in HADR operations in the Asia-Pacific region. Both papers were well-received and garnered significant interest from practitioners and academics alike.
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Head of NTS Studies Prof Mely Caballero speaking on regional efforts on preventing atrocities in Asia at the High Level Regional Meeting on Strengthening Regional Co-operation for Atrocity Prevention in the Asia Pacific, Bangkok, Thailand, 23 August 2018.
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The ASEAN Strategic Policy Dialogue on Disaster Management (SPDDM) is co-organised by the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), ASEAN Secretariat and the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA Centre) and was held on 17 August in Singapore, to mark World Humanitarian Day. The Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Programme of the NTS Centre, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) served as the 2018 SPDDM knowledge partner for its theme “Strengthening a Disaster Resilient ASEAN through effective cooperation and innovation.” The dialogue focused on strengthening resilience by enhancing cross-sectoral bodies and multi-stakeholder cooperation; and cultivating innovation to enhance ASEAN’s disaster management capabilities.
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RSIS and Pacific Disaster Centre co-organise an ASEAN Workshop: Achieving the ASEAN 2025 Vision for Disaster Management: Lessons from a Worthy Journey
The Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Programme at the NTS Centre, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, in partnership with the Pacific Disaster Center (PDC-Global) and ASEAN convened a workshop to share ASEAN’s experience, architecture, and mechanisms which aimed to contribute to increasing HADR capacities while also exploring HADR’s broader linkages to disaster risk reduction and resilience building efforts more generally. While the various components of ASEAN’s HADR architecture have been tested in numerous disasters, there is a need to better understand and analyze how well they have fared relative to the expectations generated by their creation; what were the main challenges and how well they were overcome; how do the different pieces of this architecture work together and interact with national- and local-level HADR platforms; and how well or which partnerships helped fuel this regional initiative. This workshop shone a bright analytic spotlight on these questions to generate valuable insights regarding ASEAN’s past performance, what steps it might take to address future challenges, and the emulative value of its track-record for HADR capacity-building innovations in other regions. It was held on 15 and 16 August 2018 in Singapore and included participants from national governments, regional and international organisations, academia and think tanks, and non-governmental organisations.
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RSIS World Humanitarian Day 2018 Public Panel & Exhibition
The RSIS World Humanitarian Day 2018 Public Panel & Exhibition was held on 14 August. The panellists were Senior Lieutenant Colonel Lim Kok Kheng, Head Plans and Coordination, Regional HADR Coordination Centre; Masahiro Ishizeki, Senior Manager, International Programmes, at Mercy Relief; and Lieutenant Colonel Ow Yong Tuck Wah, Head of Specialist Fire Training Centre, Singapore Civil Defence Force, Civil Defence Academy. The panel was moderated by Dr Alistair D.B. Cook, Coordinator of the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Programme. It commemorated those who have offered their lives in humanitarian service and those in need of assistance, and celebrates the spirit that inspires humanitarian work. The panel discussion tackled the current nature of humanitarian engagement including the evolving landscape of complex humanitarian emergencies and international disaster relief in the Asia Pacific. It raised public awareness on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief in the region by providing a venue for exchange of ideas, insights and experiences from Singaporean citizens and residents of Singapore involved in the protection and assistance of vulnerable groups displaced by natural and manmade disaster. The exhibition provided a forum to meet academics, policy professionals and practitioners from the field of humanitarian affairs.
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Dr Catherine Jones, Visiting Fellow, RSIS; East Asia Research Fellow, Department Politics and International Studies, University of Warwick delivered an RSIS Seminar titled “Southeast Asian States and Peacekeeping: Niche Agency or No Agency?” on 1 August 2018.
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NTS Centre Head Assoc Prof Mely Anthony and Mr Julius Cesar Trajano participated in the Annual Meeting of the International Nuclear Security Education Network (INSEN) held at the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, Austria from 9 to 13 July 2018. During the regional group session, Mr Trajano was chosen to chair the INSEN-Asia Group for 2018-19.
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NTS Head Assoc Prof Mely Caballero Anthony speaking on migration challenges in Southeast Asia at the International Workshop on “Japan and Southeast Asia: Current Foreign Policy Issues in the Era of Global Change and Challenges” held at the Centre for Southeast Asian Studies ( CSEAS),Kyoto University on 29 June 2018. The workshop was jointly organised by CSEAS and the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung.
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The Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Programme of RSIS’s Non-Traditional Security Centre hosted a roundtable on 11th June. It discussed the critical questions that have arisen since humanitarian technology and innovation became a dedicated focus of the aid sector approximately ten years ago.
The first panel – comprising speakers from academia and the aid sector – raised three challenges stemming from the rapid adoption of new technologies in humanitarianism. These were first the legacy impact on local government/society relations of outside responders using new technologies to enable dialogue with those they are assisting, in pursuit of accountability to beneficiaries. The second was the particular challenge of privacy when collecting data in conflict or disaster settings, both of which can render data acutely sensitive in ways that do not apply in ordinary contexts. The third challenge noted how new technologies are being deployed by civil society disaster response actors in China in a way that challenges government monopolies on emergency action. This introduces a novel, technology-based tension into the relationship between aid and politics.
The second panel – consisting of NGO and private sector practitioners – discussed specific experiences of innovating in East and Southeast Asian humanitarian response, and the lessons learned. These covered some of the pitfalls NGOs and private sector actors can face when collaborating with each other on innovative projects. Those challenges were particular stark for smaller firms and aid organisations. Finally, there was discussion of “solutionism” – of focusing excessively on particular answers instead of properly understanding the questions being presented to innovators – and how it can lead to innovations that at best do not respond to particular needs, and at worst undermine the effectiveness of aid operations. Paraphrasing one presenter, 90 per cent of time spent innovating should be dedicated to understanding the problem, and 10 per cent on proposing solutions.
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Staff of the NTS Centre participated in the 59th Annual Convention of the International Studies Association (ISA) from 4th to 7th April 2018 in San Francisco, California. Associate Professor Mely Caballero-Anthony, Head of NTS Centre, chaired the panel on international politics of disasters and presented her paper on regional organization and disaster management. She was also on the panel honouring Amitav Acharya, International Organization Distinguished Scholar, and discussant of another on global disaster governance. Dr Alistair Cook, Research Fellow and Coordinator of the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Programme, presented papers on reforming the global humanitarian system and climate change and refugees. He also discussed papers on foreign aid and security. Dr Lina Gong, Research Fellow, delivered a presentation on China’s participation in international security governance through UN peacekeeping.
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NTS-Asia Consortium Conference on Resilience in the Face of Disruptions
The RSIS Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies convened the annual conference of the NTS-Asia Consortium in Singapore on 27-28 March 2018. The conference brought together around 50 participants from 31 member-institutions of the Consortium and its non-member partners. The theme for this year’s conference was “Resilience in the Face of Disruptions.” The conference provided an enabling platform for Consortium members to discuss multidisciplinary approaches to building and strengthening resilience in the face of complex challenges brought about by disruptions.
Ambassador Ong Keng Yong, Executive Deputy Chairman of RSIS, kicked off the conference with his keynote address on disruptions and resilience amidst climate change, environmental degradation, and the advent of new forms of technology. Ambassador Ong argued that while ‘disruption’ is not a new phenomenon, innovative and collaborative approaches are still needed to manage its implications. He emphasised that multilateralism and multi-stakeholder cooperation are crucial for finding sustainable solutions to transnational problems arising from disruptions.
During the panel sessions, Consortium members deliberated on disruptions and resilience-building in five key areas, namely environment and climate change, agriculture and food security, humanitarian crisis and forced displacement, cyber technology, and democracy. They jointly examined the drivers of disruptions in these areas and their implications for states and societies from an NTS perspective. They likewise put forward recommendations that can help cultivate resilience among state and non-state stakeholders amidst complex challenges from disruptions.
In her closing remarks, Assoc Prof Mely Caballero-Anthony, Head of the NTS Centre at RSIS and Secretary-General of NTS-Asia Consortium, highlighted the need to further understand the implications of emerging disruptions using an NTS lens and assess if there are sufficient governance mechanisms, institutions and norms to cope with the challenges. She thanked the members of the Consortium for their active participation and valuable contributions that made this year’s conference successful.
Click here for more photos.
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The NTS Centre hosted a seminar titled “AHA Centre – The First Five Years” on Friday, 9th February 2018 delivered by Said Faisal, Visiting Senior Fellow with the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief programme and former inaugural executive director of the AHA Centre. The ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA Centre) is an intergovernmental organisation, established by the ten ASEAN Member States with the aim to facilitate cooperation and coordination of disaster management amongst ASEAN Member States. The Agreement on the Establishment of the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management was signed by ASEAN Foreign Ministers on 17 November 2011, and witnessed by the Heads of States of all ten ASEAN countries. In operationalising its mandate, the AHA Centre primarily works with the National Disaster Management Organisations (NDMO) of the ASEAN Member States. The AHA Centre also partners with international organisations, private sector, and civil society organisations, such as the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, the United Nations, and AADMER Partnership Group. Said Faisal was appointed the inaugural Executive Director of the AHA Centre for a term of five years from 2011 to 2016. In this seminar Said Faisal reflected on his experience establishing the coordination centre, working with the Conference of the Parties to implement his vision and the challenges faced in operationalizing its mandate.
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The NTS Centre hosted a seminar titled “Mediation for Peace: Conflict Prevention and Early Action” on Wednesday, 7th February 2018 delivered by Dr Noeleen Heyzer, Distinguished Visiting Fellow and Former Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations. Dr Heyzer highlighted the international community’s inability to respond adequately to complex and protracted conflicts, which has led to unbearable human suffering and the largest forced displacement since World War Two. This has led to the new Secretary General of the United Nations being determined to prioritise early action and to leverage effective diplomatic networks to prevent wars, to build fairer, resilient and more inclusive societies. The UN Secretary-General has called for a surge in diplomacy for peace and has emphasized mediation and dialogue at the international, regional and local levels as important tools in this regard. As a member of his recently established High Level Advisory Board on Mediation, Dr Heyzer looked at some of the current challenges to mediation, factors that support mediation and the use of a more comprehensive approach for addressing both the drivers of conflict and the drivers of peace, bringing together the Sustaining Peace Agenda, UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, and the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda to “leave no one behind”.
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The NTS Centre hosted a seminar titled “The Challenge of Solutions for Refugee Crises in the World Today” on Wednesday, 31st January 2018 delivered by Janet Lim, Visiting Senior Fellow with the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief programme and former UN Assistant High Commissioner (Operations) for Refugees. Janet Lim explored the challenge of solutions from the perspectives of prevention and when refugees crises have already occurred. This focus is borne out of the refugee crises arising out of conflicts in different parts of the world increasing not only in numbers, but also in complexities. Janet Lim observed that the traditional solutions from the past are increasingly being challenged and instead countries are resorting to unilateral measures such as building walls and closing borders, which have aggravated the humanitarian costs.
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The NTS Centre hosted a seminar titled “Catalysts for change: Natural Disasters in ASEAN” on Thursday, 25th January 2018 delivered by Said Faisal, Visiting Senior Fellow with the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief programme and former inaugural executive director of the AHA Centre. Said Faisal shared his experience of how the devastating effects of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami and 2008 Cyclone Nargis were catalysts for change in regional cooperation on disaster management within the ASEAN context. These events ultimately led to the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response which came into effect on 24 December 2009, and subsequently led to the establishment of the AHA Centre in 2011. He shared with participants his personal experience in the evolution of regional cooperation in response to natural disasters.
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Head of NTS Centre, Associate Prof Mely Caballero-Anthony, presented the highlights of Report by the Global Reflection Group (GRG)on “Providing Security in Times of Uncertainty” at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), Washington and at the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) Office in New York. The GRG, supported by the FES and co-chaired by Associate Prof. Anthony, comprises 20 experts from around the world with different areas of expertise to raise awareness and important structural questions about the future of the state’s monopoly on the legitimate use of force. The New York Meeting brought together experts and representatives from the UN bodies, including Department of Peacekeeping Operations, UN Department of Political Affairs, UN Office of Disarmament Affairs and Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
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CSCAP-Nuclear Energy Experts Group Meeting
Assoc Prof Mely Caballero-Anthony, Head of NTS Centre, and Mr Julius Cesar Trajano, Associate Research Fellow, participated in the Seventh Meeting of the Nuclear Energy Experts Group (NEEG) of the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia-Pacific (CSCAP), held in Singapore on 22-23 January 2018. About 38 nuclear experts and officials from Asia-Pacific countries attended. The discussions focused on building global nuclear governance, strengthening nuclear governance in the Asia Pacific, nuclear safety, security, and safeguards culture in the Asia Pacific, bilateral and regional nuclear cooperation agreements in the region, and assessing nuclear trade and knowledge networks in Southeast Asia. Mr Trajano delivered a presentation on enhancing the nuclear safety-security culture in Southeast Asia and also focused on lessons learnt from the Japanese and South Korean experiences.
2017
RSIS’ Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS Centre) organised a seminar on the Rohingya crisis titled, ‘Rohingya Resettlement and Rehabilitation: Opportunities and Challenges’ on 13 December 2017. Dr Nehginpao Kipgen, an Assistant Professor and Executive Director at the Centre for Southeast Asian Studies in the Jindal School of International Affairs, O.P. Jindal Global University, India, delivered the seminar. The seminar was moderated by Dr Alistair Cook, Research Fellow at the NTS Centre and Coordinator of the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Programme in the school. The event was well received by an audience including university students, academics and government officials.
Dr Kipgen provided a well-rounded perspective on the historical background of the Rohingya people and what was perceived as the challenges in Rakhine state by the government and the international community. He also gave interesting insights on the various resolutions that were debated internationally on how the Rohingya crisis could be resolved. Some of the resolutions include the provision of citizenship to the stateless population, ordering a ceasefire in the state and depending on the international community to develop Rakhine. Dr Kipgen highlighted the potential challenges that could arise as a result of some of these recommendations and stressed that the current situation is extremely complex and there is a need for people to understand the problem in detail before determining how the situation can be improved. From Dr Kipgen’s perspective, the government, military and civil society have to play a role to ease the crisis in Myanmar. All three need to change their perspective on the Rohingya people. It is also critical for IDP and refugee camps to be closed to prevent further atrocities from occurring in them and to be able to make concrete changes to the living conditions of the Rohingya people.
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Consultation on the Sphere Handbook
On 13th November 2017, the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Programme at the Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS Centre) hosted a consultation on the fourth edition of The Sphere Project’s Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Humanitarian Response (the Sphere Handbook). Representatives from humanitarian organisations, the armed forces and academics participated in this closed-door discussion. This consultation is part of a global engagement of humanitarian actors to gather feedback and recommendations for the revision of the Sphere Handbook.
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Singapore Humanitarian Network Meeting
On 13th November, the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Programme at the Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS Centre) hosted the second Singapore Humanitarian Network meeting. The meeting brought together Singapore-based researchers who work on humanitarian affairs and disaster relief to share their research interests. It covered topics from emerging humanitarian landscape and trends, challenges in the field, research methodologies to opportunities for collaboration among researchers in Singapore.
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Roundtable with Said Faisal
On 14th November 2017, the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Programme at the Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS Centre) hosted a RSIS Roundtable with Said Faisal, former Executive Director of the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (the AHA Centre). In a presentation titled, “Key Strategic Issues in Managing Disaster”, Said Faisal share his experience on the importance of institutions and global engagement for disaster management, the use of innovation and technology and the need to professionalise the humanitarian sector.
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AVA Food Industry Convention 2017
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(left to right): Dr Phiphat Phruksarojanakun, Dr Su Jin Jung, Ambassador Ong Keng Yong, Dr Claude Guet, Ms Sabariah Bt Kader Ibrahim, Assoc Prof Mely Caballero-Anthony, and Dr Alvin Chew
The RSIS’ Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies, in coordination with the Energy Market Authority, organised a think-tank roundtable on “Nuclear Safety and Security Culture: Powering Nuclear Governance in East Asia” at the 10th Singapore International Energy Week on 27 October 2017. This roundtable facilitated policy discussions and constructive debates among nuclear energy experts on national and regional initiatives to promote nuclear safety-security culture in East Asia.
Roundtable speakers include Dr Phiphat Phruksarojanakun, Head of International Cooperation Section, Office of Atoms for Peace, Thailand; Ms Sabariah Bt Kader Ibrahim, Head of International Training Sector, Nuclear Malaysia Training Centre, Malaysia Nuclear Agency; Dr Alvin Chew, Adjunct Fellow, RSIS; Dr Claude Guet; Programme Director at Energy Research Institute at NTU and Senior Advisor to the CEO of CEA (French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission); and Dr Su Jin Jung, Manager of Strategy and Performance Department, Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety.
A total of 80 delegates from Singapore government agencies, energy companies, academia, regional think-tanks, and NGOs participated in the roundtable discussions.
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On 26th October 2017, Baroness Valerie Amos, CH who is the current Director of SOAS, University of London, UK and served as the eighth UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator began her visit to Singapore to deliver the S T Lee Distinguished Annual Lecture, accompanied by Professor Stephen Hopgood. Her first day included a briefing with RSIS and the Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies. It was followed by a closed-door roundtable discussion with RSIS faculty, staff and students on the future of humanitarianism. In the afternoon she paid a visit to the Changi Regional HADR Command and Control Centre. On 27th October 2017, Baroness Valerie Amos delivered the S T Lee Distinguished Annual Lecture titled A World Turned Upside Down at the Intercontinental Hotel, Singapore.
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Head of NTS Centre, Associate Prof Dr Mely Caballero Anthony at the High Level Forum on ASEAN@50, organised by Department of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Service Institute of the Philippines, and Economic Research Institute for ASEAN (ERIA) on 19 October, Manila, Philippines.
(Left to right): Prof Mely Caballero Anthony, Dr Mari Pangestu (former Minister of Trade and Minister of Creative Economy, Indonesia) and Ambassador Delia Albert(former Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Philippines).
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Seminar on “Mass Movement of Refugees and Migrants: How is the world community dealing with one of the biggest problems of our time?”
The S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies organised a seminar titled, ‘Mass Movement of Refugees and Migrants: How is the world community dealing with one of the biggest problems of our time?’ at the RSIS Seminar Rooms 1 and 2 on 17 October 2017. The former UN Assistant High Commissioner (Operations) for Refugees, Ms Janet Lim, who is currently a Visiting Senior Fellow at RSIS, delivered the seminar and was moderated by Associate Professor Mely Caballero-Anthony, NTS Centre Head.
Ms Janet Lim discussed the adoption of the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants and its relevance to the movement of people in Asia, particularly in the current crises in Myanmar, Bangladesh and the Philippines. She elaborated on whether such global compacts will be successful when implemented in the region. She explored ideas on how the region could be more operationally ready to deal with the refugee crisis and how regional organisations could play a role to overcome some of the challenges. The event was well-received by audience from various institutions and embassies.
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The S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies visited Yangon and Naypyidaw from 13th to 15th September 2017 to engage with Think Tanks and educational institutions and to co-host a seminar with the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement led by Union Minister Dr Win Myat Aye. The seminar was co-hosted for  the Myanmar National Natural Disaster Management Committee drawing participation from across government ministries and the national red cross society. The RSIS delegation was led by Ambassador Ong Keng Yong and accompanied by Associate Professor Mely Caballero-Anthony, Ms Kang Siew Kheng, Dr Alistair D. B. Cook, Ms Hnin Nu Wai and Ms Rajni Gamage. In addition to the seminar the delegation met with Thayninga Institute for Strategic Studies, Centre for Strategic and International Studies, National Defence College, Myanmar Institute for Strategic and International Studies, Enlightened Myanmar Research Foundation, Tampadipa Institute and the University of Yangon to explore potential collaboration and share views on current trends on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief and maritime security.
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The RSIS’ Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies and the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD) co-organised a public seminar on the Mindanao conflict at RSIS Lecture Theatre on 18 September 2017. The seminar featured two researcher-practitioners working at the frontlines of the conflict in the southern Philippines. They are Mr Benedicto Bacani, Executive Director of the Institute for Autonomy and Governance (IAG), and Ms Rosemain “Dadang†Abduraji, Executive Director of Sulu-based NGO Tumikang Sama-Sama (TSS).
Mr Bacani shared the findings of IAG’s research on youth vulnerability to violent extremism in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao. He pointed out that until now; there has been no evidence-based data to develop policies and programmes that effectively respond to the Muslim youth’s vulnerability to extremism. IAG’s research findings show that awareness among youth on what constitutes extremism is limited and their attitude is ambivalent. Poverty, limited access to education, and corruption are among the most commonly identified push factors that may drive young Filipino Muslims to join extremist groups. Meanwhile, recruitment through the charismatic influence of extremist leaders, cash incentives, and the promise of fraternal bonding are identified pull factors.
Ms “Dadang” Abduraji narrated how TSS, an organisation of community mediators, helps resolve Rido or clan wars, in Sulu Province, Mindanao. She noted that clan wars have further complicated the delicate security situation in Sulu, the hometown of the Abu Sayyaf Group and the Moro National Liberation Front. Rido creates demand for weapons, forces people to align with hard-line groups to protect themselves, breeds a culture of violence, and prevents economic development. TSS uses a combination of legal mechanisms and indigenous traditions, which are central to the lives of Tausugs (people of Sulu), to mediate clan conflicts. It also seeks the participation of community elders, religious leaders, and village officials. TSS also facilitates ceasefire agreements and traditional peace covenants between warring families.
Both speakers emphasised that the proposed creation of an autonomous ‘sub-state’ for Muslim Mindanao and federalism are not the antidotes to counter extremist narratives. Through collective leadership and greater inward reflection, the Muslim community itself should be at the forefront of crafting long-term solutions to extremism and orchestrating the ending of the decades-long armed conflict in Mindanao
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2017 will be a decisive year for global agriculture and trade. Recent political changes will have a profound impact on the way we produce and distribute food. In this, Asia will play a critical and leading role. The region has more than half of the world’s population, is home to fast growing economies and faces numerous environmental challenges.
At this year’s conference in Singapore, the World Agricultural Forum (WAF) will provide new insights on how governments, the private sector and non-governmental organisations are preparing for the future of agriculture in Asia.
Co-hosted by the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University, on 6-7 July, the conference will serve as a global platform to encourage dialogue among those who can and will create an impact. It will brainstorm the following themes: 1) Agriculture and Food Trade in the New World Order; 2) Imperatives for Securing the Food Production Base; 3) Technologies to Promote Sustainable Farming and Food Security; and 4) Good Governance, Partnerships and Agricultural ProductivityÂ. The conference also seeks to provide recommendations for policymakers and investors.
Political and business leaders around the world will benefit from this event as the World Agricultural Forum is a unique platform where new technologies and innovations in agriculture converge.
For more information on the forum, please visit www.wafsingapore2017.com
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The RSIS Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies and the Embassy of the Philippines jointly organised a panel discussion on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) in Southeast Asia at the RSIS Lecture Theatre on 21 July 2017. The Ambassador of the Philippines H.E. Antonio Morales and Assoc Prof Mely Caballero-Anthony, Head of the NTS Centre, in their welcome remarks, highlighted the achievements of ASEAN in promoting and protecting women’s rights in recent years and the relevance of the WPS agenda in the region where women are among the vulnerable groups in both conflict and natural disaster settings.
Panel speakers include Dr Ma. Lourdes Veneracion-Rallonza, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, Ateneo de Manila University; Ms. Rahimah Abdulrahim Executive Director, The Habibie Centre in Jakarta; and Ms. Katrina Jorene Maliamauv Programme Officer, Tenaganita Sdn Bhd in Kuala Lumpur. Dr Rallonza argued that the WPS agenda needs to be applied to both natural disaster and armed conflict settings. Given that several ASEAN Member States have been plagued by protracted conflicts and natural disasters, there is a need to locate gender issues, particularly the protection of women’s rights, in the interface of armed conflicts and natural disasters. Dr Rallonza reviewed several institutional mechanisms and policy initiatives of the Philippines, along with other ASEAN Member States in enhancing the WPS agenda. She proposed the creation of a regional technical working group in ASEAN to draft a regional plan of action on mainstreaming women’s rights protection in both conflict and disaster situations in Southeast Asia.
Ms. Rahimah discussed the level of women’s participation in politics and public policymaking in Southeast Asia. To illustrate the limited participation of women in politics, she cited the low percentage of female members of parliaments and cabinets in ASEAN Member States. Due to deeply rooted institutional limitations to increased female participation in politics, she recognized the role of CSOs in advancing civic engagement for women by women. CSOs can provide women the political space to organise and articulate their rights. Nonetheless, there is an urgent need to have institutional reforms to increase women’s access to politics and policymaking.
Ms. Maliamauv focused on the plights of abused female migrants, refugees, and victims of human trafficking in Southeast Asia. She presented case studies of abused female domestic workers and Rohingya refugees and accentuated the lack of protection agenda for this vulnerable sector at the regional and national levels in Southeast Asia. The particular use of language and its power in determining mindsets, with reference to female migrant workers especially in national legislation, was also a concern that was highlighted by Ms Maliamauv.
The open forum discussions explored several mechanisms that can mainstream the WPS agenda at various levels, from ASEAN, to national governments, business sector and down to communities. The security sector, including the military, for instance, needs to be constructively engaged in and sensitised to the protection of women’s rights, given that the military is a main actor in both armed conflicts and disaster response operations in the region. More importantly, there must be a change of mindset at various levels in terms of the role of women, their access to security, including human security, and their inherent vulnerabilities in conflict and disaster settings.
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The S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies and the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies co-hosted a workshop titled “Disaster Response Regional Architectures: Assessing Future Possibilities” from 18th to 20th July 2017 to facilitate analysis among relevant stakeholders and subject matter experts to achieve a common understanding of challenges and opportunities associated with regional disaster response coordination in four distinct Asia-Pacific regions; identify current and emerging response-related issues, trends and strategic implications; and make recommendations for improved and collaborative regional disaster response architectures. The workshop findings will be jointly published by RSIS and DKI APCSS in a report for public distribution.
A total of 43 participants from 14 Indo-Asia-Pacific states and Taiwan attended the workshop. Workshop participants had a mixture of professional backgrounds leading and/or coordinating disaster management sharing efforts to include international, regional and civil society organizations, defence ministry officials, foreign affairs and national disaster management bodies. U.S. participants included the United States Agency for International Development, Office for Foreign Disaster Assistance, Joint U.S. Military Advisory Group, Center for Excellence in Disaster Management (CFE-DM). Non-national participants included representatives from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the ASEAN Humanitarian Assistance Centre (AHA Centre), and the South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Disaster Management Centre, the World Food Programme (WFP), and the International Council of Volunteer Agencies (ICVA).
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Lecture by Prof Edward Waller (centre) on Nuclear Safety-Security Interface and Emergency Preparedness and Response
The RSIS Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies organised a special one-day lecture on “Nuclear Safety-Security Interface and Emergency Preparedness and Response” at the RSIS Keypoint on 19 June 2017. The special lecture was delivered by Dr. Edward Waller, Professor at the Faculty of Energy Systems and Nuclear Science, University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT), Canada. 22 participants from government agencies and research institutes of NTU and NUS attended the lecture.
This lecture considered the similarities and differences between accidents and malicious acts involving nuclear or radiological material, and the contrast in response from planning, preparation, assessment, resourcing and execution. Specific topics included safety-security culture, security by design, material control and accountancy, reliability-centred maintenance and the use of modelling and simulation. A framework for emergency response personnel to work with security responders was also presented for discussion. This lecture discussed, in broad terms, the major components related to international guidance on radiation emergency management, based primarily on IAEA GSR Part 7. It was proposed that the topics discussed form the basis of local training in emergency preparedness and response. This lecture is a collaboration on nuclear security education and research between two members of the International Nuclear Security Education Network (INSEN).
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JUN 1, 2017: The S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) hosted the University of Southern California – Singapore Management University undergraduate summer programme titled “America’s Pacific Century: Dialogue between the United States and Asia’ to interview experts and policy professionals (May 15 – 19 in Washington, D.C.; and May 22 – 26 on USC campus in Los Angeles; and May 29 to June 8 in Singapore). RSIS’ Evan Resnick, Rini Astuti and Jo Franco discussed the new US administration and its impact on East Asia, which was moderated by Al Cook. The students are expected to produce a task force report on the New US Administration and will make a presentation at a public forum to be hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce, Singapore. Geanina Bujoreanu discussed the postgraduate programmes on offer at RSIS.
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Assoc. Prof. Mely Caballero-Anthony, Head of the Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies, RSIS, contributes the NTS perspective on civic engagement driving urban solutions at the 4th Singapore Sustainability Symposium
“We focus on regional frameworks, and emphasize the need to work together because when it comes to sustainable development and sustainable security, it is not possible to go it alone.” This was a key message that Assoc. Prof. Mely Caballero-Anthony, Head of the Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies, RSIS, contributed at the opening discussion panel of the fourth annual Singapore Sustainability Symposium (S3) in Singapore on 3-5 May 2017 at Grand Hyatt Singapore.
S3 is an initiative of Nanyang Technological University (NTU), in partnership with Singapore’s Ministries, Singapore university partners and private sector collaborators. Themed “Civic Engagement Driving Urban Solutions”, the event looked at topics such as innovation and technology, governance and laws, and economics and financial incentives.
Prof Alexander J.B. Zehnder, member of NTU’s Board of Trustees and Chair of the Sustainable Earth Office, set the scene by highlighting the interactive nature of S3, wherein solutions would come not only from the speakers but from the participants as well. Discussions brought forth insights such as the need for a “chief silo buster” in any organization wishing to develop resilience; the role of consumers in demanding more sustainable products; and how members of civil society, as data generators, are instrumental to sustainable policy-making. Another interesting insight was that during crises, debates between top-down and bottom-up governance become secondary to the need to bring everyone together. Last, to address the critical concern of waste management, there were proposals of transforming business and financial models to allow for a “circular economy” economy to emerge. In such an economy, products would no longer be purchased, but rather, rented out so that as a service. That way, products can be recycled and resold by the lessors at the end of their lifetime.
Guest-of-Honour Dr. Koh Poh Koon, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Trade and Industry & Ministry of National Development, gave a foresighted speech at the opening night, when he stressed the importance of conducive environments for experimentation, collaboration across partners, and frameworks that can guide and scale up successful urban solutions. The forum has shown that universities can provide venues for furthering all these, by sharing latest knowledge and developing new thinking on how to solve urban problems, both old and new.
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The RSIS Centre for Non-Traditional Studies (NTS) hosted the NTS-Asia Consortium Annual Conference “Climate Change and Sustainable Development Goals in the Asia Pacific” in Singapore on 30-31 March 2017. The Conference brought together members of the Consortium from India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines, and invited guests from Nepal, Taiwan, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Brunei Darussalam, and Timor Leste. The RSIS Centre of NTS Studies serves as the Secretariat of the Consortium.
Dr Noeleen Heyzer, Former Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations (2007-2015) and Distinguished Visiting Fellow at RSIS, delivered the Keynote Address at the Opening Session of the Conference. Over a hundred people, including some students from Cedar Girls’ Secondary School, attended the opening session. In her speech, Dr Heyzer remarked that climate change is a real concern, and while plans and frameworks such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are already in place, implementations remain a challenge. She highlighted five ways or ‘transmission mechanisms’ by which climate change can affect human lives: 1) agri-culture production and food security, 2) water stress and water insecurity, 3) rising sea levels and exposure to climate disasters, 4) ecosystems and biodiversity, and 5) human health. Dr Heyzer called for shared responsibilities and collective leadership, and proposed a Public-Private-People Partnership model as a way to tackling climate change and its potential debilitating impacts on human civilisation. She especially emphasised on the ‘people’ element, and suggested that efforts can begin locally and within households. Dr Heyzer also pointed out that technology can play a significant role in addressing some climate-related challenges. In conclusion, Dr. Heyzer reminded the audience that while efforts to counter climate change seem rather slow, there is so much goodness, inspiration and idealism in the world that one can tap into in order to continue to carry out the good work towards sustainable development.
Four panel sessions then followed, with the NTS-Asia Consortium members and some selected guests participating as speakers, moderators and discussants. Panel 1 discussed about Climate Change and SDGs on Food, Energy and Water. The effects of climate change on water shortage were increasingly evident, and enhancing climate projection capability is important to enable better anticipatory responses. The unabated use of fossil fuel since the 18th century Industrial Revolution is among the primary drivers of climate change. As human civilisation has signifcantly impacted the nature, climate change issues need to be analysed from both nature and human lenses. Regardless of the numerous climate challenges, many countries have come together to build a climate change regime that is participatory and inclusive. This multi-stakeholder involvement model can be replicated in the efforts to achieving SDGs.
Panel 2 talked about Climate Change and SDGs on Education, Sustainable Cities and Life below Water (Fisheries)/Life on Land (Forestry). The Philippines’ experience in addressing climate change shows that there is a need for capacity building, a more robust database and a stronger institution to support and implement existing mechanisms, a clear finance roadmap, and increased private sector participation. Singapore’s approach to building sustainable city-state can provide good examples to addressing challenges in urban sustainability. A study on soil degradation in a region in Timor Leste shows that soil in upstream, midstream, and downstream areas is impacted differently. Dam building activities in the Mekong River may saturate its capacity to support the lives of millions of people, and may therefore result in mass migration in their bids to find other livelihoods elsewhere.
Panel 3 focused on Climate Change and SDGs on Gender, Poverty and Health. The Indonesia’s experience showed that while national development planning has incorporated climate change agenda, bigger challenges are found in integrating relevant strategies in local governments’ development plan and budget and in empowering communicates and households, strengthening their livelihoods and reducing vulnerability in sustainable ways. The Myanmar’s experience in providing health services highlighted accessibility challenges especially for the more vulnerable segments of the society. While climate-driven migration is often seen as failures in implementing adaptation strategies, it could also be regarded as an adaptation tool to combat climate change itself. Considering that climate change has all-encompassing impacts on the SDGs, sustainable development diplomacy can potentially provide a platform to address climate challenges.
Panel 4 deliberated on Climate Change and SDGs on Partnership, Peace and Security. Three ways by which climate change can affect peace and security in the Asia Pacific include increased frequency and severity of disaster events, a global power shift, and an end of multilateralism. Some empirical evidence already shows a linkage between climate change and increased probability of armed conflict; as such, incorporating climate-induced migration and conflict management strategies in climate change policies may become necessary. Additionally, considering peace, development and SDGs are interrelated, addressing marginalisation and inequality as catalysts of potential climate-driven conflicts is critical.
The NTS-Asia Consortium Conference concluded with a session on the NTS-Asia Consortium matters. The new NTS-Asia website was presented, and the Consortium members exchanged ideas on how to move the Consortium forward.
Click here for more photos.
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RSIS Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies and Pacific Forum-CSIS co-organised the 7th meeting of the Nuclear Energy Experts Group of the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia-Pacific (CSCAP) at Hotel Jen Tanglin in Singapore from 27-28 February 2017. Forty participants and nuclear experts from 14 Asia-Pacific countries, including Singapore, deliberated on nuclear power development and nuclear governance in the Asia-Pacific; physical protection of nuclear facilities; cyber nuclear security threats; radioactive sources management; and public opinion, education and training. Assoc Prof Mely Anthony, Head of NTS Centre, co-chaired the NEEG meeting while Mr Julius Cesar Trajano, Associate Research Fellow at NTS Centre, delivered a presentation on nuclear energy plans in Southeast Asia, including the significance of Vietnam’s decision to scrap its nuclear power project. Participants identified the challenges to the promotion of nuclear safety and security in the Asia-Pacific. They also proposed recommendations that can be considered by national governments and regional institutions such as the ASEAN Network of Regulatory Bodies on Atomic Energy (ASEANTOM) in enhancing nuclear governance regime in the region.
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#HUMTECH: Assessing the Technological Turn in Humanitarian Action
On the 15 February 2017 the Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS Centre) at RSIS hosted a workshop on “Assessing the Technological Turn in Humanitarian Action” with the aim to bring together experts and practitioners that are concerned with the question of how technological innovations can assist and have impacted humanitarian action and disaster risk management in the Asia-Pacific region.
The workshop featured 9 speakers from Australia, Indonesia, Korea, Philippines, the UK, the US, Spain and Switzerland and a total of 30 participants from multilateral organizations, government institutions and academia. Technologies that were discussed included disaster robotics for search & rescue operations, drones for mapping and the transportation of medical payload, big data and its use for development, renewable energy and humanitarian assistance, and remote sensing for early warning systems regarding floods and tsunamis.
The workshop was the first event on humanitarian technology organized by NTS Centre’s Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Programme (HADR) and was deemed a success as it enabled a vivid exchange of knowledge, ideas and opinions among leading actors of the region involved in humanitarian technology.
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The first Exercise Coordinated Response (EXCOORES 17) was held from 23rd to 25th January at the Changi C2 Centre in Singapore. The multilateral exercise included military participants from 18 countries including Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Cambodia, China, France, Republic of Korea, Laos, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Thailand, USA, UK and Vietnam. The exercise also engaged partners including the ASEAN Centre of Military Medicine, Corporate Citizen Foundation, Earth Observatory of Singapore, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent, Medicins sans Frontieres, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Singapore Civil Defence Force, Singapore Red Cross, UN OCHA, UK Department of International Development, USAID, and World Food Programme. Dr Alistair D. B. Cook, Coordinator of the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Programme and Research Fellow, NTS Centre and Mr Ennio V. Picucci, Research Associate observed the exercise.
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Major General Muniruzzaman, Visiting Senior Fellow with the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Programme, Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS Centre) at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, and President and CEO of the Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies (BIPSS) gave a seminar titled “The Digital Age of Humanitarian Aid– Harnessing the Power of Technology for HADR Operations” on 19 January 2017.
MG Muniruzzaman began the seminar by highlighting the digital revolution as a potent tool that can transform the way we respond to disasters. From earthquakes to typhoons or the recent flash flood in India, a range of new age apparatus can help national and international actors respond faster and more efficiently to these disasters. The seminar explored how new information-tracking, communication-tracking and mapping technologies can be practically used to respond to disasters, augment situational awareness, improve relief coordination, target and monitor vulnerable group and much more. For example, harnessing the power of technology can not only enhance early warning systems as a first step to prepare for an impending disaster, but also assist in deploying a rescue operation during a disaster with greater coordination and awareness.
Utilizing modern technology and tools tailored for Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) will facilitate summoning remote support during a disaster. If an earthquake strikes, its effects in most parts of a country may be unknown in the capital or to external actors, and this is where drones can step in to carry out quick reconnaissance in areas that are difficult to reach, allowing manned helicopters and ground operations to continue with rescue missions with greater situational awareness. Using the 2015 Nepal earthquake as an example, MG Muniruzzaman noted the positive use of technology during the response and how unmanned aerial vehicles or drones played an important role. Other tools also helped to spread vast information among affected groups.
The seminar ended noting the limitless possibilities that technology provides, and that there are a lot more sectors where new technology can be discovered, and sectors where existing technology can be improved. Some examples included strengthening first responders’ capabilities with a life suit exoskeleton, pre-disaster alerting notifications, portable telecommunications towers, and advancing wearable technology.
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Major General Muniruzzaman, Visiting Senior Fellow with the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Programme, Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS Centre) at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, and President and CEO of the Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies (BIPSS) gave a seminar titled “Soldiers as Humanitarians – The Role of the Military in HADR Operations” on 17 January 2017.
MG Muniruzzaman began the seminar by highlighting the trend that saw soldiers being increasingly called on to respond to humanitarian operations, and that in HADR operations, soldiers were involved in several phases including immediate response and recovery. He spoke about why military should be involved in HADR operations, and highlighted several reasons as to why military had an advantage in responding to humanitarian emergencies. These included militaries having the best equipment that a state can provide during humanitarian response and military personnel who are well-trained for emergencies. He highlighted the paradox that soldiers are primarily trained to kill, but in HADR situations, the solder is best trained to save lives.
MG Muniruzzaman elaborated on the guiding principles that military operate by, such as rapid response, judicious and economic use of resources, coordination between groups, the integration of assets and the synchronization of actions. Militaries have command and control structures, and this must be coordinated with other organisations on the ground since military structures are very linear. He noted some of the problems militaries face in responding to HADR situations, such as the need for speed in the initial disaster response phase, difficulties in distribution of resources due to inaccessible environments, and the scale of the disaster.
Looking at possible future scenarios of HADR operations, he noted the increasing importance of GIS and mapping technologies, drones and robots. Using the Haiti earthquake as an example, he emphasized the need for humanitarian actors and military to interact well given the complexity of HADR operations. He concluded by noting the military’s main aim which is to protect and serve the nation, including serving the people when in crisis.
The seminar concluded with recommendations for the role of the military in HADR operations, such as the need to update and adapt constantly, the move towards smart operations, greater operational integration, and to adapt technology to changing needs.
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2016
RSIS hosted the Asia-Pacific Leadership Network (APLN) for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Southeast Asian Sub-regional Meeting at the Orchard Hotel in Singapore from 8 to 9 December 2016. 20 participants from Southeast Asia and beyond discussed the regional perspectives and priorities for nuclear non-proliferation, the status of the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon Free Zone Treaty and its Protocol, and the implications of peaceful use of nuclear energy in Southeast Asia. Participants proposed policy recommendations on strengthening nuclear energy cooperation and governance in the region. Singapore’s Ambassador-at-Large Bilahari Kausikan had an informal discussion with the participants on relevant issues concerning nuclear safety, security and safeguards in the region.
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Dr Sorpong Peou, visiting Senior Fellow with the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Programme, Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS Centre) at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, and a Professor in the Department of Politics and Public Administration at Ryerson University and a member of the Yeates School of Graduate Studies gave a seminar titled “Human Security through Formal Trials?” on 1 December 2016.
In this second seminar, Dr Peou addressed human security using the lens of global legalism, specifically through the use of formal trials for addressing humanity’s worst crimes, such as the crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing and war crimes. Describing the increase in the use of formal trials as a means of accountability for conflict and human rights abuse since the 1990s, and the emergence of international criminal tribunals and ad hoc tribunals, Dr Peou highlighted the normative basis of global legalism, and unacceptability of some things, such as serious crimes. This proposition rests on the assumption that the threat of judicial punishment through formal trials can help to deter and even end armed conflict and serious crimes because perpetrators are rational actors, but argued against the notion that such judicial punishment would help transform post-conflict societies into peaceful democratic societies based on the rule of law. Using the examples of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia and the Special Panels for Serious Crimes in East Timor, Dr Peou argued that there is little evidence to suggest that such formal trials produce these positive effects.
Dr Peou also addressed the role of formal trials in the retributive justice framework and the differences between retributive justice and restorative justice. He highlighted the limitations of the approach to, or use of, formal trials in situations where it might be inappropriate, and how cultural appropriateness needs to be given consideration in certain situations and countries, to avoid formal trials being seen as an imposition of a western form of justice. This tied into notions of justice and the inherent tension between peace and justice, and how focusing on justice might not necessarily lead to peace. Dr Peou argued against the importance of formal trials in leading to democratization and highlighted that formal trials did not necessarily lead to democratization.
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Dr Sorpong Peou, visiting Senior Fellow with the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Programme, Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS Centre) at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, and a Professor in the Department of Politics and Public Administration at Ryerson University and a member of the Yeates School of Graduate Studies gave a seminar titled “Human Security: An Evolving and Contested Concept” on 29 November 2016.
In the first of two seminars, Dr Peou introduced the highly contested concept of human security, noting that individuals were the reference point for human security instead of the more commonly known state-centric view of security. Noting the difficulty in defining human security, Dr Peou referenced the development-based approach articulated by the United Nations Development Program, and how such an approach poses a challenge to other concepts of security, such as national security, collective security, common security and comprehensive security. Dr Peou framed human security as the freedom from suffering and fear and as being obtained through forming groups, states, and protection mechanisms. He also noted that global legalism is one of the pillars of human security, and the legal protection of human security through, for example, international legal bodies and tribunals, which he further elaborated on in his second seminar. Dr Peou also discussed human security’s relationship with the responsibility to protect, and how human security has often been seen as the responsibility to protect. He noted that this responsibility to protect leads to the responsibility to rebuild but that the threat of use of force is contested and had not been applied systematically, highlighting the need for a greater focus on prevention.
Dr Peou argued that the development-based approach is inadequate in promoting human security, and highlighted the importance of protecting people against physical violence, in the forms of armed conflict and most serious crimes for example, and natural disasters.
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Mely Caballero Anthony, Head of the NTS Centre with Said Faisal, Executive Director of the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance and guest speakers at the RSIS – AHA Centre Policy Discussion on the World Humanitarian Summit Implications for Asia Pacific.
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The S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), jointly with the Asia-Pacific Centre for the Responsibility to Protect (APR2P), organised a public seminar on 7 November 2016. The guest speaker was Dr Surin Pitsuwan, ASEAN Secretary-General from 2008 to 2012. The title of his speech was ‘High-Level Advisory Panel’s (HLAP) Report on Mainstreaming the Responsibility to Protect (RtoP) in Southeast Asia: Pathway Towards a Caring ASEAN Community’. Ambassador Ong Keng Yong, Executive Deputy Chairman of RSIS, moderated the seminar. Associate Professor Mely Caballero-Anthony, Head of RSIS Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies, Professor Alex Bellamy, Director of APR2P, and Mr. Philip Green, Australia’s High Commissioner to Singapore, gave opening and welcoming remarks.
The High-Level Advisory Panel on the Responsibility to Protect in Southeast Asia was established by Dr Pitsuwan in 2013, at the behest of Mr. Adama Dieng, the UN Secretary General’s Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide. The HLAP comprised five eminent persons from Southeast Asia, with Associate Professor Caballero-Anthony and Professor Bellamy as the Secretariat. The HLAP Report was launched in September 2014 in New York and was received by Mr. Dieng and Dr Jennifer Welsh, the UN Secretary General’s Special Adviser on RtoP. The Report outlined recommendations on how ASEAN can promote RtoP. This seminar is part of the outreach activities to disseminate the findings and recommendations of the HLAP Report in the Southeast Asia.
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Source of photos: Singapore International Energy Week
The S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, in collaboration with the Energy Market Authority, organised a roundtable on “Nuclear Safety and Cooperation in ASEAN” at the Singapore International Energy Week (SIEW) on 28 October 2016.
Roundtable panellists included Dr Olli Heinonen, RSIS S Rajaratnam Professor of Strategic Studies and Senior Associate at Belfer Centre for Science and International Affairs of Harvard University; Dr Tatsujiro Suzuki, Vice Director and Professor, Research Centre for Nuclear Weapons Abolition, Nagasaki University (RECNA); Mr Shah Nawaz Ahmad, Senior Adviser, World Nuclear Association; Dr Hoang Sy Than, Deputy Director of the Department of R&D Management, Vietnam Atomic Energy Insitute (VINATOM); Mr Sabar Md Hashim, Special Officer, Economic Planning Unit, Prime Minister’s Department of Malaysia; and Ms Siriratana Biramontri, Special Consultant, Office of Atoms for Peace, Thailand and former chair of ASEAN Network of Regulatory Bodies on Atomic Energy (ASEANTOM).
The roundtable discussed the post-Fukushima nuclear safety and emergency preparedness in the Asia Pacific and examined the growing regional cooperation on nuclear energy governance in Southeast Asia. While thirty countries currently use nuclear power, about the equivalent number of newcomer states are considering, planning or actively working to include it in their energy mix. Asia has been recently driving the growth of the nuclear power industry with China, India, Pakistan and South Korea building new nuclear reactors. In Southeast Asia, Vietnam is scheduled to open its first nuclear power plant by 2028 while Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia are carefully studying the nuclear option. In this regard, regional issues and cooperation on nuclear safety and security as well as nuclear emergency preparedness and response need to be examined.
Post-Fukushima nuclear safety issues
The lessons of the Fukushima nuclear accident were revisited with special focus on new measures to enhance nuclear safety and emergency preparedness and response. Panellists reiterated that each state operating nuclear power is responsible for nuclear safety and hence needs to be prepared for radiological accidents and emergencies. But as the consequences – radiological and beyond – is trans-boundary in effect, all states have a role to play in preparation of contingency plans and develop a cooperative approach to a chain of emergency, response and recovery activities. It was emphasised that the Fukushima accident still lingers and entails not only technical dimensions but also environmental and socio-political implications for the Japanese public. For instance, the Japanese government still needs to negotiate with the Japanese public, specifically affected local communities, as to where to dispose the decontaminated soil and water. The evacuation of Fukushima residents also involves long-term social and psychological impact on them, with implications on local politics, highlighting the need to analyse the nuclear accident from the social science perspective.
But from the technical perspective of the nuclear industry, nuclear safety has been vastly improved since the Fukushima accident. Nuclear power is now the most regulated energy industry in the world with more stringent post-Fukushima safety standards. Serious nuclear accidents are very rare and nuclear energy has caused fewer deaths than any other major form of electricity generation. The panellist from the nuclear industry further claimed that the Fukushima accident is not expected to have any radiation-related public health impact. Even clean-up workers are unlikely to suffer any long-term health effects due to radiation.
The need for public communication and acceptance
However, despite the improvements that have been made on nuclear safety, there are still major issues that remain unresolved for nuclear energy. The compensation scheme for affected communities would definitely boost the cost of nuclear power generation; the disposal of high-level waste remains unaddressed; and more importantly, governments still need to develop and implement effective public consultation and communication strategies to address public opinion against nuclear power and concerns over the safety and security of nuclear power. In Japan for instance, 70.8 percent of the public opposed the re-opening of the country’s NPPs while 52.3 percent believed that NPPs are not safe. Meanwhile, in Southeast Asia, panellists claimed that public acceptance is extremely needed before making a national decision on NPP construction. In this regard, ASEAN countries interested in using nuclear power such as Vietnam are using various public communication strategies such as information centres, public seminars and community engagements to allay the fears of the local communities.
Regional cooperation in ASEAN
Panellists also deliberated on the importance of regional cooperation and the role of regional networks such as ASEANTOM in strengthening nuclear safety cooperation and emergency preparedness and response in Southeast Asia. Nuclear safety and radiological emergency are indeed regional issues that entail regional responses. Nuclear incidents can range from accidents with localised radiological impact to large-scale nuclear terrorist attacks or nuclear disasters with transnational spillovers.
There are vehicles to share best practices, know-how and resources through the IAEA, and, in particular, within the ASEAN framework. The ASEANTOM was recently given political recognition when it was designated as an ASEAN body under the ASEAN Political-Security Community Pillar in Annex 1 of the ASEAN Charter. ASEANTOM has been conducting nuclear security border exercises, co-hosted by Thailand and Malaysia, and implementing projects on joint emergency preparedness and response with the assistance of the IAEA and the European Commission. Vietnam also proposed the establishment of the ASEAN Network on Nuclear Power Safety Research that will promote research collaboration and sharing of knowledge and best practices on nuclear safety among nuclear research institutions, universities, and think-tanks of ASEAN member-states. With the increasing interest in nuclear power in the region, panellists stressed the importance of building capacity in the region to allow member-states to make use of technologies that will facilitate the implementation of nuclear projects in a safe and sustainable manner.
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Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (right) meets with Mely Caballero Anthony, Chair of the Advisory Board on Disarmament. Prof. Anthony attended the First Committee Meeting of the UN as Chair of the UN Secretary General’s Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters (ABDM), 24 October 2016, New York.
Photo courtesy by UN.
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Alistair D. B. Cook, Coordinator of the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief [HADR] Programme, attended the Second Session of the Regional Consultative Group (RCG) which took place on 11-12 October 2016 at the United Nations Building, Rajadamnern Avenue, Bangkok, Thailand.
The multi-stakeholder Regional Consultative Group (RCG) on Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination for Asia and the Pacific was formed in 2014 in Singapore to act as a regional forum that brings together the humanitarian, civilian and military actors involved in disaster response, preparedness, planning, and disaster response in the region. The S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) has attended all sessions to date. As outlined in the RCG Terms of Reference, the RCG was formed to :
a) discuss response preparedness planning, with a focus on coordination of operational planning between civilian and military actors;
b) facilitate exchange of information and innovative ideas to enable well-coordinated and needs-based effective disaster response to a broad range of humanitarian emergency operations;
c) strengthen linkages with other relevant forums with an emphasis on the relationship with Regional Organizations and the Global Consultative Group on Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination.
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Dr Rahmawati (AMA) Husein, visiting fellow with the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Programme (HADR), Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS Centre) gave a RSIS seminar titled “Preparing to Excel in Emergency Response [PEER]:Local Faith Capacity Building for Emergency Response” on 6th October 2016.
Speaking in the context and example of Indonesia, Dr Husien highlighted the high incidence and prevalence of disasters and natural hazards in the country and the role which faith-based organisations (FBOs), like the Muhammadiyah organization, have played in emergency response. Though often side-lined or relegated to the fringes of the global humanitarian architecture, Dr Husien highlighted how in many a occasion FBOs are able to better respond and even fill critical gaps and aspects of disaster response and relief. Some of these advantages include being part of the affected community on the local level, hence being able to better understand the context and ensure better continuity in terms of not just immediate response but also the process of rehabilitation and reconstruction; greater trust from the community as compared to external parties (state or NGOs) who might be responding; as well as better and stronger networks and resources (physical and human) at the local level.
Other important, and often less prioritised, issues which FBOs also significantly help comes in the form of providing the psycho-social support for affected communities and populations, and the existence of formalised organisational structure which can see the recovery phase through and unlike other external responders not have the problems of an exit strategy, which in many occasions has proved to be problematic for many humanitarian organisations. Some challenges do remain however. Ensuring the highest level of professionalism and appropriate skills like needs and services assessments on the ground, as well as management of resources and finances in immediate post disaster phase are some of these. Others like institutionalising SOPs, guidelines, and regulations for responders in what are essentially volunteer based and driven organisations have also proved to be daunting.
Despite some capacity challenges of FBOs however, it is going to be increasingly important to bring these institutions into the larger HADR fold and architecture. As part of the local community and often times with longer history of engagement with the populations than even the State, FBOs are not only instrumental in response but also in terms of recovery and long-term well-being of affected communities.
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Head of NTS Centre, A/P Mely Caballero-Anthony delivering a Special Lecture on “Locating Non-Traditional Security in Global Security Agenda” to students and faculty at the School of International Relations, MGIMO-University, Russia on 28 September 2016.
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Students listening to Prof Caballero-Anthony’s NTS lecture at the MGIMO-University, Russia, 28 September 2016.
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Clockwise from top left: Meeting with Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement; Emergency Operation Center; Defence Services Museum; and Disaster Management Training Centre.
Dr Alistair Cook and Mr Zin Bo Htet travelled to Yangon, Nay Pyi Taw and Pathein between 30 September 2016 and 9 October 2016 to conduct field interviews with various government and non-government officials to better understand the role of the government, international organisations and NGOs in delivering Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief to disaster-prone communities in Myanmar. The fieldwork was part of the HADR Programme’s research on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Frameworks in Asia Pacific. The research aims to put together the lessons learnt by the relevant government agencies and NGOs from the issues and challenges that emerged since Cyclone Nargis to the present. The research investigates the current status and history behind policy responses and structural reforms to HADR operations in Myanmar.
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On September 29, Dr. Rahmawati Husein, RSIS Visiting Fellow at the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) program at the NTS Centre, gave a talk titled ‘An Assessment of the Hospital Preparedness and Community Readiness for Emergency and Disaster [HPCRED] Approach.’ Dr. Husein is the Vice Chair of the Muhammadiyah Disaster Management Center and an Assistant Professor in the Jusuf Kalla School of Government at Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (UMY). Dr. Alistair Cook, coordinator of the HADR program, chaired the seminar.
Dr. Husein explained the centrality of strengthening health system capacity for disaster reduction and relief. Physical damage to hospitals and lack of surge capacity during disasters exacerbate the human toll. To address this issue, the Comprehensive Safe Hospital Framework was released by the WHO in Sendai last year at the World Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction. She presented a new perspective that adds a key element to the framework: the role of community involvement and engagement in supporting hospitals. The idea is to encourage active community participation in the hospital’s disaster contingency plans. This plays an important role in risk reduction during disasters. Muhammadiyah, a non-profit faith-based organization, has developed community engagement and readiness programs to enhance hospital preparedness at 9 sites in Indonesia. These Muhammadiyah hospitals collaborate with district officials, community leaders, NGOs, and local medical colleges to implement the ‘Safe Hospital’ program.
Dr. Husein also reported the progress made in Indonesia in implementing ‘Safe Hospital’ programs. She highlighted some of the challenges that impede the improvement of hospital preparedness in Indonesia. There is a lack of standardization in health services; the monitoring and evaluation standards are not very strict. Moreover, the ‘Safe Hospital’ programs do not have legal mandate. In terms of local community engagement, identifying the relevant actors and building positive relationships takes time.
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RSIS-ICRC SEMINAR on “Commentaries to the Geneva Conventions: An Updated Interpretation for Contemporary Humanitarian Challenges”
The Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Programme (HADR) at the NTS Centre organized a seminar titled ‘Commentaries to the Geneva Conventions: An Updated Interpretation for Contemporary Humanitarian Challenges’ in collaboration with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The event was held at the KeyPoint on Wednesday, 21 September 2016 with Ms Kelisiana Thynne, Regional Legal Advisor for South East Asia and Ms Fiona Barnaby, Legal Adviser, International Humanitarian Law Department, ICRC, Kuala Lumpur as the speakers and Dr Alistair D. B. Cook as the discussant. The seminar was moderated by Associate Professor Mely Caballero-Anthony, Head of Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies.
The speakers provided a brief historical background on the Commentaries to the Geneva Conventions. Subsequently, they explained on their current project to re-interpret and update the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols of 1977 in the form of commentaries, based on the current geopolitical situation.
The updated Commentary to the First Geneva Convention was launched on 22 March 2016. The First Geneva Convention, which is a foundational text for international humanitarian law (IHL) provides for the protection of the wounded and sick; the dead; medical personnel, facilities and transport; and the distinctive emblems of the Red Cross and Red Crescent. The speakers, Ms Thynne and Ms Barnaby discussed about the newly emerging actors in modern warfare and the difficulties in implementing IHL as a result of changes. It also highlighted the impact of technological advancements in IHL and in improving medical operations in times of crises. The discussant, Dr Cook, wrapped up the seminar by addressing the contribution of the commentaries to the interpretation of IHL and what it means to Singapore and the ASEAN region. The seminar was well-received by the audience who were mainly students currently pursuing their Master of Science in RSIS.
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RSIS and Pacific Forum-CSIS co-organised the Nuclear Energy Experts Group Meeting in Singapore from 19 to 20 September 2016. 40 nuclear experts from Asia-Pacific countries deliberated on the Nuclear Security Summit process, nuclear security governance in Asia, the nuclear safety regime in Asia, radioactive waste management, and ways to respond to nuclear accidents and incidents. Mr Julius Cesar Trajano, RSIS Associate Research Fellow, made a presentation on nuclear safety cooperation in ASEAN while Dr Alistair DB Cook, RSIS Research Fellow, discussed the regional cooperation on nuclear emergency preparedness and response in ASEAN.
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On the evening of 18th August, the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies marked World Humanitarian Day. The Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Programme brought together practitioners, policy professionals, the research community and the wider public by organizing an exhibition, panel discussion and networking session to celebrate those who dedicate their lives to humanitarian work at the Park Royal Hotel on Beach road.
Associate Professor Mely Caballero-Anthony, Head of Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS Centre), welcomed more than 70 participants to the event from across the community. The three panellists were Ms Janet Lim, Former UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner for Operations, Mr Xavier Castellanos, Asia Pacific Regional Director of International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), and Mr Egan Hwan, Communications and Media Manager, Asia, Save the Children. The panel was moderated by Dr Alistair D. B. Cook, Coordinator of the HADR Programme.
At the exhibition and networking session, Badan Agama Dan Pelajaran Radin Mas (BAPA), Earth Observatory of Singapore, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Mercy Relief, Save The Children, Singapore Red Cross, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Programme (RSIS), and World Vision presented their research and field activities, shared their experiences and answered questions to an inquisitive crowd.
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Dr Tamara Nair was part of the panel in the second episode of the RSIS-CNA ‘Think Tank’ Series: ‘Do We Have Enough to Eat? Food Security in Asia’. The episode discussed access and availability of food in Asia, as well as the problems of hunger and obesity. The programme airs on Channel News Asia on 17th August 2016 at 8pm. Dr Tamara Nair is a Research Fellow at the NTS Centre and is also the coordinator of the centre’s Food Security Programme.
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The Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Programme (HADR) at the NTS Centre organized a roundtable meeting to explore HADR Research in Singapore that was held at the KeyPoint on Friday, 24th June 2016. This event brought together a varied group of HADR-related professionals based in Singapore to share their experiences, areas of work, and current projects with the aim to foster collaboration with one another. Representatives came from the RSIS, Earth Observatory Singapore, Nanyang Business School, APEC Secretariat, AIG Insurance, Save the Children, The Logistics Institute-Asia Pacific, GCORE, Singapore Polytechnic, Singapore University of Technology and Design, and the Network of ASEAN Defense and Security Institutions. In looking forward, the two main areas of collaboration that emerged during the meeting were;
- Executive trainings for researchers with regards to HADR;
- RSIS-led information sharing platform for engagement on current research and potential collaborative opportunities.
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UN Secretary-General H.E. Mr Ban Ki-Moon with A/P Mely Caballero-Anthony, Chairperson of the 66th Session of the UN Secretary General’s Advisory Board on Disarmament Matter, held at the UN Headquarters in New York on 28 June-1 July 2016.
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Members of the UN Secretary General’s Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters (ABDM) at the recently concluded 66th Session of the ABDM. Prof. Caballero-Anthony is the current Chair of the ABDM and among the key issues discussed by the Board is the relationship between sustainable development, security and arms control.
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Head of RSIS NTS Centre, Assoc Prof Mely Caballero-Anthony, speaking at a panel on Non-Traditional Insecurity at the 2016 ASAN Plenum, held on 15-17 April 2016 in Seoul, Korea. Organised around the theme, “New Normal”, the ASAN 2016 Plenum was organised by the ASAN Institute.
Joining Assoc Prof Anthony in panel are: from left, Martin Fackler, Rebuild Japan Initiative Foundation; Yves Doutriaux, Council of State, France; and Robert Manning, Atlantic Council.
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The seminar, “From Development to Security: The Roles of Women,” was a conversation between Dr Chantal de Jonge Oudraat, President of Women In International Security (WIIS), Visiting Senior Fellow at RSIS and Dr Noeleen Heyzer, RSIS Distinguished Visiting Fellow and a former UN Under-Secretary-General. The speakers noted that the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 has become a tool with which women are able to organise and mobilise for the cause of women in conflict, post-conflict and humanitarian situations. Dr Heyzer shared the long road taken in getting it passed, from the UN General Assembly to the Security Council itself. She said that moving forward, security and development should go hand-in-hand as a whole-of-society approach towards the recognition of women’s rights. Dr de Jonge Oudraat stressed that international actors need to recognise the urgency of having more research initiatives on this topic, and to provide the necessary funding. During the discussions moderated by Associate Professor Mely Caballero-Anthony, Head of the NTS Centre, speakers agreed that the WPS agenda is important across all countries, and raises the need for more accountability mechanisms to be put in place at both domestic and international levels. Institutions such as the RSIS have an important part to play in surfacing these important security issues as well.
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Head of Centre, A/P Mely Caballero-Anthony speaking at a panel on International Migration and Refugee Flows: Challenging the Globalisation of Indifference, organized by the Trilateral Commission on 15-17 April 2016, in Rome, Italy.
Together in the panel are: Filippo Grandi (3rd from left), UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Peter Sutherland (4th from left), Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Migration, Louise Arbour, (2nd for right), former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Khalid Koser (far right), Associate Fellow of Geneva Centre for Security Policy and David Dreier( far left), Distinguished Fellow, Brookings Institution.
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Dr Alistair Cook and Mr Maxim Shrestha travelled to Nepal between 25 March 2016 and 3 April 2016 to conduct field interviews with various government and non-government officials to better understand the international response and the aftermath of the 2015 Nepal Earthquakes. The fieldwork was part of the HADR Programme’s research on drawing out some of the lessons learnt for the international response community based on experience. The research aims to put together some comprehensive and concrete lessons learnt after talking to both, the international responders as well as stakeholders and recipients of international relief and aid in Nepal.
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Dr Alistair Cook, Dr Tamara Nair, Mr Vincent Mack Zhi Wei and Mr Zin Bo Htet attended a closed-door engagement session for key stakeholders on trafficking in persons held at the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre (NVPC) in Singapore on 10 March 2016. The Singapore Inter-Agency Taskforce on Trafficking-in-Persons (TIP) launched a new National Approach against TIP at the engagement session. The session recapped on the National Plan of Action (NPA) to combat TIP and discussed on the way forward with the National Approach. The new National Approach for the next ten years will build on the success of the National Plan of Action (NPA) which had guided the Taskforce’s anti-TIP efforts from 2012 to 2015.
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Dr Alistair Cook, Research Fellow and Coordinator of the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Programme, and Dr Jonatan Lassa, Research Fellow, attended the “RSIS-RHCC Professional Training Workshop on HADR” held at Changi Regional Humanitarian Command and Control Centre in Singapore on 16 February 2016. They conducted lectures on (1) Regional HADR Landscape and the Future Ahead; (2) Roles and Functions of Various Humanitarian Actors and Their Effectiveness; (3) Emerging Trends: Shifting Countries’ Policies on Accepting Foreign Military Assistance (FMA); and (4) Emerging Trends: New Technological Initiatives. About 60 to 80 participants from the Singapore Armed Forces attended the workshop.
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Dr Alistair Cook, Research Fellow and Coordinator of the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Programme, and Dr Jonatan Lassa, Research Fellow, conducted lectures for the Leadership Training Programme in Disaster Management at the Command & Staff Training Centre, Civil Defence Academy in Singapore, 15-16 February 2016. Dr Cook’s lecture was on “The Future of HADR Landscape in the Asia-Pacific”, while Dr Lassa’s was on “Competent Crisis Leadership: How to avoid leadership crisis in times of disasters?” The training programme included participants from the Middle East, Europe, Central Asia, Africa, Southeast Asia and South Asia.
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NTS Centre organised a fieldwork trip to Kuala Lumpur on 20 January 2016. The purpose of the trip was to reach out to and build networks with potential disaster management partners, key regional stakeholders in the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) field, and to understand more about the logistical processes and challenges involved in responding to crises in the region.
During the trip, Associate Professor Mely Caballero-Anthony, Head of NTS Centre, RSIS, Dr Alistair D. B. Cook, HADR Programme Coordinator, and Research Fellow, NTS Centre and Ms Vishalini Chandara Sagar, Senior Analyst, NTS Centre, visited Southeast Asia’s only UN Humanitarian Response Depot in Subang, Malaysia, to learn more about the role of the logistics base in disaster responses in the region. The visit was followed by meetings with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Committee of the Red Cross, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
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Dr Abdelmonem Daymi, Mr Salah Aboulgasem and Mr Adnan Hafiz of Islamic Relief Worldwide, Mr Haji Mohd Johan Bin Janif and Mr Mohamed Shah Reza of the Badan Agama & Pelajaran Radin Mas (BAPA) visited the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Programme (HADR) at the NTS Centre on 19th January 2016. The visitors met with Dr Alistair D. B. Cook, NTS Centre Research Fellow, Coordinator, HADR Programme, Mr Remy Mahzam, Associate Research Fellow, ICPVTR, and Mr Zin Bo Htet, Research Analyst, HADR Programme and discussed about the HADR programme at RSIS, Islamic Relief’s development programmes and humanitarian relief around the globe.
2015
Professor Oliver Richmond and Dr. Sandra Pogoda of the Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute in the University of Manchester conducted a fieldwork seminar for all NTS Centre Staff. Dr. Pogoda taught Centre staff on the structuring of interviews and the sensitivities that need to be considered in conducting them. Professor Richmond spoke accordingly about qualitative research techniques, methods of interviewing and one’s embeddedness in his or her own research. He significantly pointed out the knowing one’s positionality throughout the research process is essential to maintaining the credibility of research outcomes.
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On 16 November 2015, the Singapore Civil Defence Force ASEAN Senior Executive Programme on Leadership in Disaster Management commenced. This programme is designed to address the importance of effective leadership on disaster management at strategic and policy levels, focusing on preparedness and response phase of the disaster management cycle. It will provide a wide-ranging discourse on issues and challenges facing emergency authorities in disaster management at national level. Dr Alistair Cook, HADR Programme Coordinator, shared with participants on the topic ‘Future HADR Landscape in Asia’ as part of the training programme.
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Asia on the Move: Regional Migration and the Role of Civil Society
Editors: Mely Caballero-Anthony & Toshihiro Menju
Globalization has led to a surge in crossborder migration, and the population of international migrants in East Asia has more than doubled over the past two decades. Today, governments in the region are grappling with these expanding and increasingly complex flows of people as well as the human security challenges that they bring, but as a result, they too often overlook the potential opportunities that accompany skillfully managed migration.
In this volume, experts from “sending” and “receiving” countries in Asia outline current trends in China, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia; analyze existing government efforts to manage migration; and explore the unique role that NGOs can play in helping to protect migrants and to harness migration to the benefit of the region. For more information, please click here.
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Lady Barbara Judge CBE, Chairman Emeritus of the UK Atomic Energy Authority, visited RSIS on 27 October 2015. During her visit, Lady Judge met with Ambassador Ong Keng Yong, RSIS Executive Deputy Chairman, Assoc Prof Mely Anthony, Head of RSIS NTS Centre, and Dr Alistair Cook, NTS Centre Research Fellow, to discuss the School’s research on nuclear energy and its governance in the region. Lady Judge also shared some of her own experience and views on the nuclear energy issue after being directly involved in the field for over a decade.
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Assoc Prof Mely Anthony, Dr Alistair Cook and Mr Julius Cesar Trajano attended the 3rd Meeting of the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia-Pacific (CSCAP) Energy Security Study Group held at Copthorne King’s Hotel in Singapore from 26 to 27 October 2015. Co-chaired by Mr Kwa Chong Guan, the Meeting successfully conducted a scenario planning exercise in collaboration with the Risk Assessment and Horizon Scanning Office (RAHS)- National Security Coordination Secretariat (NSCS). The scenario planning exercise generated two coherent scenarios for the Asia-Pacific’s energy security by 2025.
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The final ASEAN-Canada Research Partnership Forum was held in Jakarta on 12 to 13 October 2015. It concluded the 3-years’ IDRC-funded research partnership project between the RSIS Centre for NTS Studies and the Institute of Asian Research (IAR) in the University of British Columbia. The ASEAN-Canada Research Partnership fellows and advisory committee members were received by the Canadian Ambassador to Indonesia, Timor Leste and ASEAN H.E. Donald Bobiash at his residence for a luncheon meeting with some members of the ASEAN Committee of Permanent Representatives (CPR). Assoc Prof Mely Caballero-Anthony, Dr Serina Bte Abdul Rahman, Ms Margareth Sembiring, and Mr Quak Swee Seng of the RSIS Centre for NTS Studies attended the workshop
The 12th International Seapower Symposium was held on the 18th – 19th October in Busan, Republic of Korea. The Symposium was hosted by the ROK Navy on ‘Changing Maritime Security Environment in East Asia and Measures to Enhance Multilateral Cooperation” and celebrated the 70th anniversary of the founding of the ROK Navy. Dr Alistair D. B. Cook, Coordinator of the RSIS Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Programme and Research Fellow, NTS Centre presented on the prospects for cooperation on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief among navies in the region. He noted that the multi-stakeholder humanitarian environment in East Asia means that cooperation needs to go beyond traditional methods of cooperation and look towards cross-sector collaboration drawing on the strengths of stakeholders. He further highlighted the need for a strategy that work towards a whole-of-society approach that minimises duplication of effort from different government departments, NGOs and the private sector. Dr Sam Bateman, policy advisor for the RSIS Maritime Security Programme presented on the issues of trust and cooperation among navies in the region, and identified that multiple forums have been established which need greater cooperation and trust between them.
RSIS co-organised with Pacific Forum-Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) the Nuclear Energy Experts Group Meeting at the Grand Park City Hall in Singapore from 15-16 October 2015. The Meeting deliberated on the current status of the Nuclear Security Summit Process, nuclear governance post-2016, radioactive sources management, and nuclear accident responses. Dr Alistair Cook, RSIS Research Fellow and HADR Programme Coordinator, presented key recommendations to enhance nuclear safety and security cooperation in ASEAN. The group also conducted a tabletop exercise to evaluate national and regional responses to a hypothetical nuclear accident in Vietnam,
Dr Sng Bee Bee, a trainer of Academic Writing Skills in RSIS and an Associate Lecturer in NIE and SIM University, delivered a seminar titled ‘Towards a Sustainable Recovery Through Education: The Role of Faith Based Organisations in Disaster Relief Work.’ The seminar was moderated by Dr. Alistair D. B. Cook, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Programme Co-ordinator, and Research Fellow, NTS Centre.
The seminar was held at RSIS Seminar Room 5. In her seminar, Dr. Sng discussed about the sustainable development work that Faith Based Organisations (FBOs) have done in disaster-struck areas, particularly in the areas of education and medical services and how FBOs have engaged with victims of disasters. She highlighted the important role that FBOs played in co-operating with local governments to provide capacity-building in relation to training doctors and teachers while disaster recovery efforts were underway. Dr. Sng also shared about her research and experiences in a Christian international FBO that responded during the Sichuan earthquake in China.
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Dr. Math Noortmann, Research Professor in Transnational Law & Non-State Actors from the Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations at Coventry University, UK delivered a seminar titled “Human Security, Transnational Law and Non-State Actors: Revisiting ‘Old Ideas’?” The seminar was moderated by Dr. Alistair D. B. Cook, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Programme Coordinator, and Research Fellow, NTS Centre.
The seminar was held at the RSIS Lecture Theatre, Student Wing. In his lecture, Dr. Noortmann, covered topics such as, but not limited to: the evolution of human security, human development, non-actors actors, and asymmetrical warfare. He also brought to front that human security does not necessarily equate into human development, and that there can and are academic and practical definitions for both subjects.
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Dr. Alistair D. B. Cook, RSIS Research Fellow, Dr Serina Rahman, RSIS Research Fellow, and Mr Zin Bo Htet, RSIS Research Analyst, attended the Temasek Foundation Asia Journalism Forum on Reporting Migration held at the Park Royal Hotel in Singapore from 13-14 August 2015.
The forum was organized by NTU’s Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information and the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, and the Hong Kong Baptist University’s School of Communication. The forum covered topics such as but not limited to: reporting on displaced persons, migration, the politics of immigration, and refugees. Dr Cook chaired the panel session on Human trafficking, slavery and refugees: The crisis of irregular migration. In this panel, Dr. Cook was accompanied by panelists from the University of Indonesia, the Mekong Club Hong Kong, NIE Singapore, and the Overseas Development Institute.
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Mr Julius Cesar Trajano, RSIS Associate Research Fellow, attended the Fifth Annual Meeting of the International Nuclear Security Education Network (INSEN) at the IAEA Headquarters in Vienna, Austria from 10-12 August 2015.
A total of 120 participants from around 70 member-institutions attended the meeting. The mission of INSEN is to enhance global nuclear security by developing, sharing and promoting excellence in nuclear security education through active collaboration among member-institutions. The chair of one of the working groups cited the contribution of RSIS to the network through its publications related to nuclear energy governance that are regularly shared with fellow members through the INSEN’s online portal.
The meeting deliberated on collaboration among educational institutions on nuclear security education. It highlighted that research and professional development workshops on nuclear security by member-institutions are crucial in enhancing the local capacity of each member-state in upholding nuclear security as well as passing the knowledge on to the next generation of trainers, academics, students, regulators, front line officers, and other stakeholders in nuclear security.
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Assoc Prof Mely Caballero-Anthony with the members of the UN Secretary General’s Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters (ABDM). The 64th Session of the ABDM was held at the UN Headquarters, New York City on 29 June – 1 July 2015.
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Mr Kwa Chong Guan, RSIS Senior Fellow and Co-Chair of Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia-Pacific (CSCAP)– Singapore, Dr Alistair Cook, RSIS Research Fellow, Dr Youngho Chang, NTU Assistant Professor, and Mr Julius Cesar Trajano, RSIS Senior Analyst, attended the 2nd Meeting of the CSCAP Study Group on Energy Security in Beijing, China from 14 to 16 June 2015. Co-chaired by CSCAP Singapore, CSCAP China and CSCAP Canada, the 2nd meeting was hosted by China Institute of International Studies (CIIS) and discussed key strategic issues on energy security in the Asia-Pacific and their policy implications for the region.
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NTS Centre Head with Dr Yasushi Akashi, Chairman, International House Japan and former Under Secretary-General of the United Nations.
NTS Centre Head Assoc. Prof Mely Caballero Anthony chaired the session on, ‘Asia on the Move: Search for Human Security-focused System, in International Workshop on ‘Asia on the Move: Regional Challenges’, held at the United Nations University, Tokyo, Japan on 1 June 2015. The Workshop was jointly organised by the Japan Centre for International Exchange, the United Nations University in cooperation with the International Migration Organization and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.
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Assoc Prof Mely Anthony, Dr Alistair Cook, Ms Margareth Sembiring and Mr Julius Cesar Trajano attended the World Humanitarian Summit Global Forum on Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination held at Changi Command and Control Centre from 13 to 15 April 2015. In his Keynote Address, Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen stated that Singapore’s think-tanks such as “the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) also play useful roles in providing thought leadership on humanitarian and development issues. RSIS, which MINDEF facilitates, is a supporting partner for this Global Forum and hosts a Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies that looks at issues such as climate change, resource security and HADR.”
The WHS Global Forum seeks to develop recommendations to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of civil-military coordination in disaster relief responses at the national, regional and international levels. More than 100 policy makers and operational experts from UN agencies, regional organisations and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), as well as defence establishments and national disaster MANAGEMENT authorities from more than 25 countries are attending the three-day forum.
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The Energy Market Authority officially launched the Singapore International Energy Week (SIEW) 2015 with the theme “Global Energy Transition” on 30 March 2015. RSIS will be hosting a roundtable on nuclear safety, security and safeguards in the Asia-Pacific. SIEW 2015 will be held at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre on 26-30 October 2015.
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Associate Professor Mely Caballero-Anthony participated in the Sixth Annual Asian Relations Conference (ARC VI) as a panelist on Session I on “Non Traditional Themes: The Evolving Concept.” Organised by the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA), India’s oldest and premier foreign policy think-tank, the ARC VI deliberated on “Non-traditional Themes in Asian Foreign Policies.” It was held on 23-24 March 2015 in New Delhi.
2014
Associate Professor Mely Caballero-Anthony has been elected as an at-large representative to the International Studies Association Governing Council for 2016 – 2017. Click here for more information.
Dr. Alistair Cook presented at an Asan Roundtable on Research Trends in Southeast Asian Non-Traditional Security at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul, Republic of Korea on Friday, 14th November 2014.
NTS RSIS team attended the author’s workshop on ‘Managing Movements of People for Security and Prosperity in East Asia: Roles of Civil Society’, organised by the Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE), Japan in collaboration with the NTS Centre, 13 October 2014, RELC, Singapore.
Dr. Alistair Cook attended the official launch of the Changi Regional HADR Coordination Centre (RHCC) at the Changi Command and Control Centre located within the Republic of Singapore Navy’s Changi Naval Base on 12 September 2014. The Changi Regional HADR Coordination Centre (RHCC) aims to focus on supporting a disaster affected state’s military in coordinating assistance provided by foreign militaries as well as support and complement other existing mechanisms such as the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA Centre) and UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). For more information on the Changi RHCC, please click here.
Associate Professor Mely Caballero-Anthony attended the inaugural launch of the Report of the High Level Advisory Panel on Responsibility to Protect (RtoP) in Southeast Asia in the headquarters of the UN in New York on 9 September 2014. Click here for more information.