Organised by RSIS on 23-24 September 2010 , the Singapore Global Dialogue aims to be Asia-Pacific’s main platform for discussions on contemporary security issues that transcend the region’s borders. The event saw the participation of renowned policymakers, leading practitioners and opinion formers from across the world, with delegates drawn from government policy sectors, security forces, think tanks and NGOs.

In this inaugural edition of an event that is touted to feature prominently in the Singapore conference calendar, speakers discussed a range of topics relating to contemporary global strategic issues, including the prospects for cooperation and conflict amongst resurgent powers, transnational threats to security, and the future of global governance.

Such dialogues are, as Dr Ramesh Thakur, the former Senior Vice Rector of United Nations University, said “critical to facilitating exchanges among stakeholders of contemporary issues. They can shape and shift the terms of global discourse.” The Honourable John Howard, former Prime Minister of Australia, agrees as much when he said that the Asia-Pacific is “not a passive member in the international arena, but an active contributor to global discussions. Conferences like Singapore Global Dialogue are significant in the shaping of contemporary debates on international affairs.”

His Excellency S R Nathan, President of the Republic of Singapore, was the Guest-of-Honour at the conference’s Welcome Dinner, during which Mr K Shanmugam, the Minister for Law and Second Minister for Home Affairs, delivered the keynote speech.

The opening keynote address on the day of the conference itself was delivered by Mr Tang Jiaxuan, the former State Councillor and former Minister for Foreign Affairs, People’s Republic of China, who spoke on “The Evolution of the International Landscape and the Role of China”.

The Honourable John Howard, former Prime Minister of Australia, kept the participants engaged during lunch when he spoke on “Strategic Challenges of the Region” during the World Leader Keynote Address.

Other eminent speakers included Dr Paul Wolfowitz, former President of the World Bank and former US Deputy Secretary of Defense; HE M K Narayanan, Governor of West Bengal, India, and former National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of India; Ambassador Christopher R. Hill, Dean of Josef Korbel School of International Studies, and former US Ambassador to Iraq; Prof Paul Collier, Professor of Economics and Director of the Centre for the Study of African Economies, University of Oxford; and Dr Shashi Tharoor, Member of the Indian Parliament, former United Nations Under-Secretary General for Communications and Public Information, and former Indian Minister of State for External Affairs

The inaugural Singapore Global Dialogue concluded with a keynote address by Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, the Minister for Finance, who spoke on the ways to tackle the challenges of creating growth and preserving cohesion.

For more information on Singapore Global Dialogue, please visit www.singaporeglobaldialogue.com.

Ambassador Barry Desker (left), Dean of RSIS and Mr S Dhanabalan, Chairman of Temasek Holdings Pte Ltd (right), welcoming President S R Nathan to the Singapore Global Dialogue Welcome Dinner.		Mr K Shanmugam, Minister for Law and Second Minister for Home Affairs, addressing participants at the Welcome Dinner.
Mr Tang Jiaxuan, former State Councillor and former Minister for Foreign Affairs, People’s Republic of China, speaking on “The Evolution of the International Landscape and the Role of China”.		Members of the first Panel sharing their views on the topic of Resurgent Powers.
The Honourable John Howard, former Prime Minister of Australia, speaking on “Strategic Challenges for the Region” in his Luncheon and World Leader Keynote Address.		Members of Panel 2 discussing transnational threats.
Members of Panel 3 contemplating the Future of Global Governance.		Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, the Minister for Finance, speaking at the Closing Dinner.

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