Jointly organised by RSIS and the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, the RSIS-ISEAS Roundtable was held on 16 October 2024 with the theme of “Women’s Voices for Peace: The Singapore Context”. The roundtable opened with remarks from Professor Mely Caballero-Anthony, Head of the Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies, RSIS. Moderated by Dr Tamara Nair, Research Fellow and Coordinator of Projects (Women in ASEAN Community), this event brought together speakers and participants from various backgrounds for a research roundtable on how women’s peace and security concerns are perceived in Singapore.
The first speaker was Ms Moe Thuzar, Senior Fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore. She observed that Singapore’s whole-of-government has placed Singapore in the top percentile of global indices on women and security. She highlighted that the women’s voices for peace and security in the Singapore context will thus also involve discussing the impact of legal frameworks in place to address women’s security issues, including protecting women’s rights in the family, in education and the workplace.
The second speaker was Ms Teo Yi-Ling, Senior Fellow and Deputy Head, Centre of Excellence for National Security, RSIS. She discussed the legal and regulatory framework that Singapore currently has in place for addressing online harms. She emphasised that the effectiveness of this framework relied not only on creating greater public awareness so affected people know where to go, but also in creating public confidence in the system itself.
Dr Jolene Jerard, Executive Director, Centinel; was the third speaker. She discussed the role of women in national security, with a focus on their involvement in terrorist groups. While women may serve as recruiters, combatants, and financiers for such groups, they also play an equally crucial a role in countering radicalisation. This is usually done through leadership, peacebuilding, and social cohesion programmes.
Finally, Ms Wu Ye-Min, Regional Director for South and Southeast Asia, Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue; presented her thoughts on Singapore’s role in the current multilateral system. She pointed out that in a time of increased military expenditure and global volatility, Singapore must make an effort to increase its participation in global peace processes as well as women, peace and security issues, since the state has both the resources and the people to do so.
The roundtable concluded with a Q&A session, followed by a discussion with Guest-of-Honour, Ms Rahayu Mahzam, Minister of State, Ministry of Digital Development and Information & Ministry of Health. The discussion included how the government in Singapore can work together with civil societies, and the application of international law in the national context. There was also a discussion on the concept of security and how this applies to women living in Singapore in areas such as the law, the economy, and health. Overall, the roundtable contributed to the broader national conversation on women, peace, and security.
