The Singapore Cooperation Programme (SCP) is a series of programmes conducted by the Government of Singapore to facilitate the sharing with other developing countries the technical and systems skills that Singapore has learned and acquired over the years. Technical assistance focuses on training and increasing the skills of a nation. As a country whose only resource is its people, Singapore believes human resource development is vital for economic and social progress. Singapore had benefited from technical assistance from other countries and international organizations.
Bilateral Training Programmes
Bilateral training programmes are offered directly to a developing country on a government-to-government basis. Technical assistance programmes are designed to meet the needs of the recipient country.
The training programmes under this arrangement include the Asean Training Awards, the Singapore Cooperation Programme Training Awards and the Small Island Developing States Technical Cooperation Programme.
Joint Training Programmes
Joint training programmes are provided in collaboration with other countries, international organisations and non-government organisations. Training provided under such an arrangement is known as a Third Country Training Programme (TCTP). Harnessing the joint expertise of both Singapore and its partner countries and organisations, training programmes are customised to suit the needs of developing countries.
Some of the TCTP partners include Australia, Canada, European Commission, France, Germany, Japan, The Holy See, the Republic of Korea, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Norway, Thailand, the Asia Development Bank, Commonwealth of Learning, Colombo Plan Secretariat, Commonwealth Secretariat, Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Hanns Seidel Foundation, International Atomic Energy Agency, International Civil Aviation Organisation, International Maritime Organisation, International Monetary Fund, United Nations Children's Fund, United Nations Development Programme, US Vietnam Trade Council, World Bank, World Health Organisation, World Intellectual Property Organisation and World Trade Organisation. More Information on collaborations with TCTP Partners can be found from.
Singapore – Australia Trilateral Cooperation Programme
Established in 1996, the Singapore – Australia Trilateral Cooperation Programme (SATCP) focuses on providing training to help close the developmental gap in Asean. To date, Singapore and Australia (administered by the Australian Agency for International Development or AusAID) have jointly conducted 11 courses for 218 Asean government officials, in areas such as customs training, civil aviation, international trade law, disaster response and maritime security. In 2007, the SATCP will be opened to participants from the Pacific region.
Singapore – Canada Third Country Training Programme
Although the Memorandum of Understanding for the Singapore – Canada Third Country Training Programme was signed in 1998, technical cooperation between Singapore and Canada dates back to 1995, when both countries launched an English Language Training Project for Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam. Singapore and Canada (administered by the Canadian International Development Agency or CIDA) have jointly conducted more than 60 activities for 1,355 participants from 16 countries. Besides language training, courses have covered a wide variety of other areas including governance, trade and finance.
Singapore – European Commission Trilateral Cooperation Programme
Singapore is the first Southeast Asian country to work with the European Commission (EC) on a technical assistance programme for developing countries. The agreement between Singapore and the EC covers Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam. Since the establishment of the Trilateral Cooperation Programme (TCP) in 2004, a total of 114 officials have been trained in areas such as finance, trade promotion, WTO matters and information technology.
Singapore – France Third Country Training Programme
Singapore and France have been cooperating to provide training to third countries since 2001. Four joint activities have been conducted to date for ASEAN countries in areas such as public finance management, tax policy and the prevention and management of contagious diseases.
Singapore – Germany Third Country Training Programme
