Together As One
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STANDING TOGETHER AS ONE ISSUE focus 70 The Republic’s spirit of unity comes to the fore in the wake of a pandemic. IN THIS ISSUE 6 8 10 AFTER THE ROAD TO SHARING ACROSS THE STORM SELF-SUFFICIENCY BORDERS IN THIS ISSUE 3 STRONGER TOGETHER ED´S NOTE #SGUNITED, a widely-used hashtag on social media in Singapore, encapsulates the Republic’s spirit of Dear readers, unity and esprit de corps amid the COVID-19 pandemic As we grapple with the wide-ranging effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, governments and people around the world have come to realise that, 6 despite all the uncertainties, one thing is for sure — the world has changed, perhaps irrevocably. As with all crises, we can either accept the reality and AFTER THE STORM ‘brace for impact’, or adapt and turn adversity into opportunity. Like many Putting the spotlight on how nations, Singapore has opted for the latter. Our Focus story (pages 3-5) partnerships can help countries looks at how Singapore is working together to contain the outbreak through emerge from COVID-19 sophisticated contact tracing efforts, and by ramping up the provision of 8 healthcare services. The onslaught of the virus has exposed economic, social and THE ROAD infrastructural vulnerabilities in many countries. For small and highly TO SELF-SUFFICIENCY urbanised Singapore, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated our efforts to Singapore’s journey to food security safeguard food security, by harnessing technology and through partnerships has roots in partnerships, as with other countries to ensure that food supply chains are not disrupted Experience Singapore discovers (read our In Singapore feature on pages 8-9 to find out more). However, strengthening one’s domestic position is not enough in today’s globalised 10 world — the only way to overcome the challenges posed by the pandemic is through cooperation with other countries. Our Reflections article (pages SHARING 6-7) showcases this spirit of collaboration through initiatives such as the ACROSS BORDERS st Japan-Singapore Partnership Programme for the 21 Century, and the work A showcase of how global of organisations such as Infrastructure Asia. The Singapore Cooperation perspectives have shaped Singapore’s Programme (SCP) has also recently launched its new website. Do visit national and cultural icons https://www.scp.gov.sg for information on available courses. Of course, the notion of collaboration is not new to Singapore. Our Joining Hands story (pages 10-11) takes a look at how cross-national exchange has influenced many of our country’s most recognisable landmarks, infrastructural features and cultural icons. From the famous Singapore Girl sarong kebaya uniform to our MRT trains and even the ISSUE towering Marina Bay Sands complex, examples A NEWSLETTER OF THE abound of how collaboration with our neighbours 70 SINGAPORE COOPERATION and partners can produce ingenious solutions KEEP PROGRAMME and ideas. Amid the uncertainties posed by COVID-19, such cooperation could pave the IN TOUCH! way to overcoming the biggest challenge that Share with us your memories, photos and experiences in has confronted humanity in recent history. Let Singapore under the Singapore us be inspired to forge a safer, kinder and more Cooperation Programme. collaborative future. Email us at [email protected] Copyright © is held by the publishers. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Printed in Singapore. ISSN: 0219-2896 Experience Singapore is a publication of the Strategic Director Communications and Technical Cooperation Directorates of the Strategic Communications Directorate Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore. The Singapore Cooperation Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore Programme (SCP) is administered by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore, and is aimed at sharing Singapore’s developmental experience with other developing countries. SCAN QR CODE TO READ MAGAZINE ONLINE Publishing Consultant Mediacorp Pte Ltd www.scp.gov.sg Like SCP Friends and Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Facebook Follow us on Twitter @MFAsg mfa_sg focus STRONGER TOGETHER #SGUNITED, a widely-used hashtag on social media in Singapore, encapsulates the Republic’s spirit of unity PEOPLE WEARING SURGICAL MASKS AT A NEIGHBOURHOOD MARKET IN SINGAPORE and esprit de corps amid the COVID-19 pandemic. DURING THE CIRCUIT BREAKER PERIOD. Overcoming a crisis like COVID-19 prevent the healthcare system from being requires the mettle and cooperation of overwhelmed or worse, collapsing altogether. an entire community. Each member will This partnership between the public be called to duty in different ways. The and the healthcare system is not the most obvious ones are the healthcare only one that has cropped up amid the professionals, who — in Singapore and pandemic. Experience Singapore explores around the world — have put aside their other collaborations that have kept fears to help communities grapple with Singapore going in the battle against a virus that medical experts still know COVID-19. little about. Healthcare workers are not in this SAFEGUARDING SINGAPORE fight alone: they rely on the cooperation A BIRD’S EYE VIEW then Minister for National Development of the populations they serve. In this vein, When reports of a novel coronavirus Lawrence Wong, the taskforce includes people have been asked to maintain a safe outbreak first surfaced in late December representatives from the Transport, distance from others, halt non-essential 2019, the Government moved quickly Manpower and Education ministries. travel and practise good personal hygiene. to form a multi-ministry taskforce to This holistic approach has allowed By following these measures, the public deal with the virus. Jointly chaired by the taskforce to direct a national response PHOTOS: SHUTTERSTOCK PHOTOS: can help curb the spread of COVID-19 and Minister for Health Gan Kim Yong and to the pandemic and coordinate community ISSUE 70 2020 3 efforts. It has also facilitated coordination between our local bodies and international counterparts, who shared information and best practices. The taskforce’s formation was timely: just one day after it was announced, Singapore confirmed its first positive case. CONTACT TRACING TRACING FOR TOMORROW Contact tracing has proven to be a crucial tool in the fight against COVID-19. It allows health authorities to quickly identify, isolate and test people who may have been in close contact with those who tested positive for the virus. The practice is not new; it was used widely during the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in Singapore in 2003. While the theory remains the same, the tools have changed dramatically, A HEALTHCARE WORKER IN PERSONAL thanks to the advent of smartphones and PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT GIVES A BRIEFING TO HOSPITAL CAPACITY the Internet of Things. Tapping on these MIGRANT WORKERS AT A DORMITORY. PARTNERS IN HEALTH advances, developers from the Government A key concern is the ability of the Technology Agency (GovTech) and the pandemic to overwhelm the public Ministry of Health (MOH) quickly put their heads and skills together to devise health system. In Singapore, the system an app to help contact tracers. Dubbed comprises 10 hospitals. To free up TraceTogether, it uses wireless Bluetooth capacity at these facilities, MOH turned technology to identify people who have to Singapore’s private hospitals to been in close proximity with positive cases lighten the load: COVID-19 patients who of COVID-19. were assessed to be well and stable Privacy remains king. Users must were transferred to such institutions provide explicit consent to participate in to continue their care. The move, which You can imagine TraceTogether, and for their mobile number demonstrates a strong public-private that in a place like and data to be used for contact tracing. As partnership for the greater good, hinged the use of the app is voluntary, it cannot on the support of private hospital Singapore, with replace existing contact tracing methods. operators such as Parkway Pantai. Given the extensive number of cases “We worked closely with MOH to its frequency of and infectious nature of the coronavirus, determine how private-sector resources MOH has roped in partners such as the could be utilised to alleviate the load movement and the Singapore Police Force and the Singapore on public healthcare institutions,” the frequency of contacts Armed Forces to carry out contact tracing. In an interview with news platform IN NUMBERS — a case in any city — CNA, Mr K Shanmugam, Singapore’s 1.5 million (contact tracing) is Minister for Home Affairs and Law, detailed users have downloaded the backbreaking work involved in contact the TraceTogether app. not an easy task. tracing. He said, “(Contact tracing) requires interviewing the individual and then a lot SOURCE: THE STRAITS TIMES Minister for Home Affairs and Law of careful investigative work, such as K Shanmugam on the challenges of contact tracking the person’s movements over a tracing. The task was made easier with period of time. You can imagine that in a TraceTogether, an app developed by place like Singapore, with its frequency of GovTech in collaboration with MOH. movement and the frequency of contacts Shortly after its release, the app’s code was open-sourced, allowing developers around — a case in any city — this is not an easy the world to deploy their own version and task. So (the police force) are doing it turn the tide against COVID-19. very intensely.” 4 experience SINGAPORE THE COMMUNITY COMES FORWARD