Centre for Multilateralism Studies Expands Research Focus to Include Trade and Negotiations

Since its inception in October 2011, RSIS’ Centre for Multilateralism Studies (CMS) has conducted academic and policy research on economic multilateralism as well as on diplomatic and security multilateralism, and has also been educating government officials on these issues. The centre’s efforts have contributed substantively to the international policy debate on the evolving regional architecture of East Asia and the Asia Pacific.

Following a review in 2015, the centre’s research agenda expanded to include the education of government officials on trade and negotiations, a role previously performed by the School’s erstwhile Temasek Foundation Centre for Trade & Negotiations (TFCTN). This rationalisation of functions was necessitated by the need to avoid duplication of work within RSIS. The Temasek Foundation, which previously provided funding support for the TFCTN, continues to support RSIS in the form of the new Temasek Foundation Series on Trade & Negotiations. This series forms CMS’ third area of research.

Professor Ralf Emmers, Associate Dean of RSIS, had been appointed to head the restructured CMS in a concurrent capacity. He took over the centre from Professor Tan See Seng who will focus his attention on RSIS’ Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies (IDSS).

CMS is committed to its core functions of conducting scholarly and policy-oriented research, facilitating policy dialogue and academic debate, and engaging in capacity-building in multilateral and regional governance and integration in the Asia Pacific.