埃及“洞穴教堂”:相传曾为耶稣提供庇护
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Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said on July 11 that the first initiative would be carried out in collaboration with Japan’s International Cooperation Agency.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Follow topic:
- Singapore will launch two initiatives in 2026 to support the Palestinian Authority, including training for civilian officers.
- Singapore will also organise a programme for young Palestinian leaders to share Singapore's governance experience.
- Singapore reaffirms support for a two-state solution and calls for a ceasefire and humanitarian aid in Gaza.
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KUALA LUMPUR – Singapore will launch two new initiatives in 2026 to support the Palestinian Authority, including a programme to train civilian officers, as part of efforts to help prepare the Palestinian people for eventual statehood.
Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said on July 11 that the first initiative would be carried out in collaboration with Japan’s International Cooperation Agency, and will involve training the Palestinian Civil Police Force on community policing.
Singapore will also be organising a programme for young and emerging Palestinian leaders to share the Republic’s experience in governance and public administration, Dr Balakrishnan said.
“We look forward to doing more in support of the Palestinian Authority,” he added.
Dr Balakrishnan was speaking at the fourth Conference on Cooperation among East Asian Countries for Palestinian Development (Ceapad), held in conjunction with the Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and Related Meetings in Kuala Lumpur. The previous conference was held in 2018 in Bangkok.
Launched by Japan in 2013, Ceapad brings together Japan, South Korea and Asean members except Myanmar to coordinate support for Palestinian development.
Singapore has been a Ceapad member from the beginning.
At its inaugural meeting in 2013, the Republic announced it would give the Palestinian Authority $5 million under the Enhanced Technical Assistance Package (Etap).
This was doubled to $10 million in 2016 during then Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s visit to Ramallah, the Palestinian Authority’s de facto capital in the West Bank.
To date, more than 800 Palestinian officials have benefited from Etap-funded training courses and study visits in areas such as public administration, digitalisation and public health.
The programme has also supported postgraduate scholarships for Palestinian officials in Singapore, and will soon be expanded to include undergraduate scholarships in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or Stem, related fields.
Dr Balakrishnan said these efforts aim to build capacity and human capital in preparation for eventual statehood.
He added: “Gaza’s needs will be massive. The Palestinian Authority’s role will be central, and Singapore will do what we can to help.”
At the meeting, he reaffirmed Singapore’s longstanding support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
At the meeting, he also reiterated the deep concern over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the wider Middle East conflict.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said in a statement on July 11 that Dr Balakrishnan also met separately with Palestinian Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Estephan Anton Salameh on the sidelines. MFA said the two discussed relevant areas that Singapore can be of assistance to the Palestinian Authority, and that Dr Balakrishnan welcomed more Palestinian officials to participate in programmes under Etap.
“We urgently reiterate our call for an immediate ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages, and the swift and unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid,” he said.
The war in Gaza erupted in October 2023 after a cross-border attack by Hamas militants triggered heavy Israeli retaliation.
Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed, and much of Gaza’s infrastructure has been destroyed.
The scale of civilian casualties and the risk of famine have sparked global calls for a ceasefire and for urgent humanitarian support.