New MOU signed to strengthen cooperation in sustainable development and technical assistance
Singapore and the United Kingdom have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to jointly promote capacity-building in Southeast Asia. The MOU, focused on the Singapore-UK Third Country Training Programme, was signed by Singapore’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan and the UK’s Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Affairs James Cleverly.
The agreement, which comes as part of Cleverly’s three-day visit to the region—including Japan and South Korea—reaffirms the strong bilateral relations and cooperation between the two nations. The MOU aims to enhance both countries’ collaboration in international development, sharing best practices in sustainable development, and building capacity for ASEAN member states.
The Third Country Training Programme is part of the Singapore Cooperation Programme, a key initiative launched in 1992 to provide technical assistance to developing countries. The programme has hosted nearly 150,000 officials from over 180 countries and organisations.
During the visit, Dr Balakrishnan and Mr Cleverly also discussed expanding cooperation in the digital economy and clean energy, and exchanged views on global and regional developments. Mr Cleverly’s visit included meetings with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.
The new MOU further strengthens the UK’s growing engagement with Southeast Asia through the ASEAN dialogue partnership.
