With the primary purpose of enhancing understanding on how to situate ASEAN within Singapore’s national interests, the Centre for Multilateralism Studies (CMS) at RSIS, in partnership with the Civil Service College, organised a two-day course for public servants titled “Understanding ASEAN”, which took place on 15 and 16 January.
This course was organised around the pillars of the ASEAN Community: the ASEAN Political-Security Community, the ASEAN Economic Community, and the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community. It enabled participants to explore the following areas:
- ASEAN’s history, principles, objectives, and structural mechanisms
- Deepen their understanding of ASEAN’s efforts to promote economic cooperation and integration
- Examine ASEAN’s regional security architecture and ASEAN-Plus frameworks
- Assess the internal and external challenges facing ASEAN today
Through a simulation exercise, participants gained hands-on experience of the complexities of ASEAN dynamics. They were challenged to apply their understanding of ASEAN to negotiate a statement in response to a fictitious event involving regional tensions in Southeast Asia that threatened to escalate into conflict.
Participants also had the opportunity to engage with current and former practitioners in the field. This included fireside chats with Ambassador Ong Keng Yong (former ASEAN Secretary-General and current Executive Deputy Chairman of RSIS), Mr Lawrence Anderson (retired former Singapore Ambassador and currently Senior Fellow at RSIS), as well as presentations by and discussions with current directors in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Trade and Industry who specialise in ASEAN issues.
