Speech by President Halimah Yacob at Singapore International Foundation's 30th Anniversary Celebrations

Ambassador Ong Keng Yong, Chairman, Singapore International Foundation

Excellencies

Distinguished Guests

A very good evening to all of you. I am happy to join you today to commemorate the Singapore International Foundation’s (SIF) 30th anniversary.

Thirty years ago, the world began experiencing globalisation as countries became more connected on the economic, social, and cultural fronts. It was also at that time that SIF was established as a non-profit organisation to bring Singaporeans and world communities together to uplift lives and effect positive change as well as building enduring friendships. Since then, SIF has played an important role in building people-to-people relations, building up its reputation as an organisation that is committed to be a catalyst for good. The efforts of the SIF, together with its partners and volunteers, have helped advance Singapore’s goal of becoming a nation of responsible global citizens.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the world was already facing many complex social challenges, such as climate change, rising extremism, and continued poverty and inequality. As a young nation, Singapore recognised very early on that tackling such challenges was not something that we, or any other countries, could do alone. Many of us believe strongly in the power of working together to solve global challenges. None more so than the SIF. Its ethos is to create opportunities for world communities to connect and collaborate on meaningful projects to uplift lives and create positive change.  

Like many organisations, the pandemic also has an impact on the work of SIF. The restrictions to global travel caused by the pandemic have significantly challenged SIF’s work in international cooperation. However, with creativity, innovation, and resilience, SIF has overcome and moved forward with its vision of making friends for a better world. In the past two years, SIF has pivoted successfully to leverage digitalisation in its programmes involving international cooperation. For instance, in November last year, SIF supported a series of digital innovation initiatives aimed at building capacity of ASEAN youth.

Despite the challenges of the global environment, SIF has continued to innovate with the times and stay true to its mission, bringing Singaporeans and world communities together to do good.

In a while, we will recognise 33 globally minded individuals who support the work of the SIF. They strongly believe that the solutions to today's challenges transcend national interests and act for the benefit of all communities, not just their own. They actively volunteer their services to support sustainable development initiatives and promote mutual respect and understanding. These individuals highlight values of empathy and openness that exemplify the spirit of global solidarity. We are proud to refer them as Citizen Ambassadors and Friends of Singapore.

Dr Ramaswamy Akhileswaran, who will receive the Global Citizen Award, has volunteered with the SIF since 2009 to build palliative care capabilities in Indonesia. Together with his Indonesian counterparts, the projects have positively impacted more than 60,000 people in Bandung and Jakarta. Nine hospitals in Indonesia have since set up multidisciplinary palliative care teams, with skills and knowledge gained from Singapore International Volunteers. In 2019, Dr Akhiles also worked with homegrown musician Mr Leslie Tan to infuse music into palliative care, uplifting the lives of patients, their families, and caregivers. Dr Akhiles’ spirit of ‘gotong royong’ has helped foster warm and enduring friendships between Singaporeans and Indonesians for over 12 years.

Mr David Pong, recipient of the Citizen Ambassador Award (Good Business), is a 2015 alumnus of the SIF’s Young Social Entrepreneurs (YSE) programme. David co-founded Wateroam – a social enterprise that provides access to safe drinking water globally. To-date, Wateroam has impacted more than 100,000 lives in over 38 countries. To give back to the programme, David returns regularly to speak with and train new cohorts of YSE changemakers. Generous in sharing his learnings, David often emphasises effective listening and empathy in designing solutions for global communities.

Ms Dian Permata Sari Mashari, recipient of the Friend of Singapore ‘Gotong Royong’ Award, began her journey with SIF in 2005 when she participated in the SIF International Student Symposium. She is also an Indonesian Fellow of the ASEAN Youth Fellowship programme, which nurtures next-generation leaders in the region. Today, Dian volunteers her services in support of the Foundation’s mission as its SIF Representative in Jakarta. From providing valuable market insights to engaging others to support SIF initiatives in her country, Dian has been instrumental in building relations between Singapore and Indonesia at the people-to people level.

My heartiest congratulations to all 33 award recipients. I hope that your dedication and commendable achievements will inspire future generations to come forward and volunteer as a friend of the world.

In closing, let me once again congratulate the SIF on your 30th anniversary. I hope SIF will continue to innovate and stay true to your mission by doing meaningful work in bringing people together to share ideas, skills, and resources to enrich lives and effect positive change for many more years. I would also like to thank the many Citizen Ambassadors, Friends of Singapore, programme partners, and donors for volunteering your time, talent, and treasures to help advance collaboration in the region and deepen people-to-people ties.

Thank you.