Page 57 - NYAA Annual Report 2024

European Union Special Envoy’s Visit
As Singapore and the European Union (EU) celebrate the 20th Anniversary of their diplomatic relations this
year (2004–2024), H.E. Richard Tibbels, EU Special Envoy for the Indo-Pacific, visited Singapore. During his
visit, H.E. Tibbels met with Singaporean leaders and EU member state ambassadors based in Singapore to
discuss the EU’s approach to its new Indo-Pacific strategy and the bloc’s pursuit of greater autonomy in its
global engagements, which a new US-led alliance has increasingly overshadowed.

The ED was honoured to be invited to this meeting by H.E. Iwona Piorko, EU Ambassador to Singapore. The
discussion provided valuable insights into the evolving dynamics of significant power rivalry and its implications
for regional dominance, which are crucial for NYAA’s strategic positioning and understanding of global trends.

NYAA-CEAIE MOU Signing
The National Youth Achievement Award (NYAA) and the China Education Association for International
Exchange (CEAIE) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at the Singapore Expo to jointly develop
a youth leadership programme. The MOU was signed by Ms An Yan, Deputy Secretary-General of CEAIE, and
Ms Aileen Yap, Deputy Executive Director of NYAA Singapore. Dr Liu Limin, President of CEAIE, Mr James Soh,
NYAA Executive Director, and Dr Han Jun, Minister Counsellor (Education) at the Embassy of the People’s
Republic of China, witnessed the signing. Organisations with extensive experience in nurturing young leaders,
both organisations, look forward to learning from each other through this partnership. NYAA anticipates that
this collaboration will create a win-win platform for both organisations, enriching the leadership development
opportunities for youth.

UN East Asian Sea Programme
Mr Mahesh Pradhan, a senior UNEP official, was appointed Coordinator for the UN Coordinating Body on
the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA) in 2022 by H.E. Inger Anderson, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive
Director of the United Nations Environment Programme. Mr Pradhan, who has known the NYAA ED for over
20 years, met with him at the 6th United Nations Environment Assembly Meeting in February 2024 and
invited him to assist in re-establishing a youth network for COBSEA.

The ED shared that the East Asian Seas Regional Coordinating Program was initiated by NYAA in 1996 and
was officially launched in Singapore by then-Minister for the Environment, Rear Admiral Teo Chee Hean. The
ED served as a key leader for the Youth Network for East Asian Seas, which included representatives from
Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Cambodia. The 26th COBSEA Ministerial Meeting, to be
held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, will focus on re-establishing this network. NYAA will consider the offer and
respond in due course.

Meeting with UN COBSEA
Ms Margarita Victoria Caballa, a representative of UN COBSEA, was in Singapore to speak at the ADEX Ocean
Festival held at the Suntec Singapore Convention Centre. Although the ED and Deputy ED could not attend
the festival due to a busy schedule, they met with Ms Margarita for a working dinner on 12 April 2024.
During the dinner, the ED agreed to assist UNEP COBSEA in re-establishing a youth network as part of the UN
Southeast Asia Youth Environmental Network. Depending on availability, NYAA is also considering attending
the Ministerial Meeting with the Singapore Government’s representative from the Ministry of Sustainability
and the Environment. The NYAA’s longstanding contributions to the East Asian Seas, initiated in 1996, are
coming full circle with its renewed involvement in COBSEA initiatives.

Meeting with Pak Marty Natalegawa, Former Foreign Minister of Indonesia
The ED and Deputy ED, alongside Ambassador Ong Keng Yong, Executive Deputy Chairman of the S. Rajaratnam
School of International Studies (RSIS) and Director of the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies, welcomed
Dr Marty Natalegawa, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia, to a dialogue on Diplomacy and Dialogue
as Statecrafts in a Fragmented World. The discussion focused on ASEAN’s role in navigating the complexities
of an unpredictable geopolitical environment. The event offered an engaging platform for policymakers and
think tank researchers to exchange insights on global and regional geopolitics, fostering valuable discussions
on ASEAN’s strategic responses.

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