The world is a complicated space today. From battling the Covid-19 pandemic to facing a war between Russia and Ukraine, economic situations are in disarray around the world. Collaboration could perhaps be the answer to driving through the bumpy terrains.
This — collaborative advantage — was the theme at the 51st St Gallen Symposium, the world’s leading initiatives for cross-generational dialogue on economic, political and social themes and development.
Grace Fu, Singapore’s minister for sustainability and environment, stressed how partnerships and collaboration are important for climate action. “As a small island-state with limited land, and limited manpower and alternative energy options, Singapore is especially vulnerable to the impact of climate change. Driving our sustainability initiatives requires a whole-of-nation effort,” she says.
“The theme of ‘collaborative advantage’ is therefore timely and pertinent for accelerating greater climate action through innovation and partnerships,” adds Fu. She notes that the Singapore government is collaborating with neighbouring countries, such as Malaysia and Laos for energy; and with the private sector to achieve the country’s sustainability goals.
“Collaboration brings positive outcomes for the environment. As a small open economy, Singapore depends on international partnerships to make strides towards our net zero aspiration. A credible carbon market and regional power grids are examples mentioned earlier. Just as climate change is a challenge that surpasses borders, so too must climate solutions,” adds Fu.
As the Covid-19 pandemic has underscored the stark reality of a global crisis and the lesson that “we are all in it together”, Fu emphasises that the need for collective action and collaboration is clear to snuff out the existential challenge of climate change.
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Besides her keynote, Fu participated in a plenary session titled “When Investors Join Forces: the New Drivers of Political and Sustainable Change?” She was joined by Insurance Europe’s president Andreas Brandstetter, and CNN International’s Europe editor Nina Dos Santos, who was the topic leader for the session.
Fu was also an award presenter at the St Gallen Symposium’s Global Essay Competition Award Ceremony, an essay writing competition that sees over 1,000 contributions annually by graduates and post-graduate students around the globe. The shortlisted top 100 essays by the participants or “leaders of tomorrow” are then invited to attend the symposium.
From Singapore, about six students were shortlisted and were present at the event. The students, from the various local universities, such as National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore Management University (SMU), Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), took the opportunity to gain new perspectives by debating and discussing their ideas with senior leaders present.
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Speaking to The Edge Singapore, Tavis Tan from Yale-NUS College and the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy shares: “I learned so much from the various plenary sessions, workshops, and group discussions during the symposium. The more people I spoke to, the more I realised how little I knew and how much there was to learn! That fuelled me to engage with as many people as I could throughout the week.”
Tan says that his shortlisted story was based on the theme of collaborative advantage. In his story, he addressed the need for sustainable charitable behaviour and suggested the role for non-profit organisations (NPOs) in this. “I drew a distinction between charities and charitable behavior and proposed a model that forms mini-ecosystems within our society where NPOs can empower youths to stand up for what they feel passionate for and, in the process, encourage youths to also support vulnerable seniors,” adds Tan.
The top three winners this year were Anton Meier of Toronto University, Sophie Neuber of Cambridge University and Singaporean Bryan Tan of Peking University. The prize money of CHF20,000 ($28,559) will be split among the trio.
Strong relationship
Minister Fu joins a long line of Singapore leaders who have been supporting the St Gallen symposium for more than two decades — including this year’s, which focused on sustainability efforts. Teo Chee Hean, senior minister since 2019, was the first Singapore leader to attend the event in 2000 as the then education minister.
The St Gallen Symposium in 2015 saw an iconic moment when then deputy prime minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam attended the event and proved to be a formidable speaker as he bantered on stage with Stephen Sackur, presenter of flagship BBC programme Hardtalk. Shanmugaratnam was thrown several tough questions about the economic miracle that is Singapore, and its democracy, freedom of press, and most famously, whether Singapore believes in the notion of social safety nets for those who fall between the cracks of a successful economy. “I believe in the notion of a trampoline,” said Tharman.
In the last physical St Gallen Symposium in 2019, deputy prime minister Heng Swee Keat attended and spoke about preparing citizens for future challenges. He also took the time to meet with a group of students from the university to share his thoughts and learn from them on their experiences gained throughout their exchange terms both in Singapore and Switzerland.
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Due to the pandemic, the symposium did not take place in 2020. In 2021, the 50th St Gallen Symposium was hosted, but, for the first time ever, as an in-person hub event in Singapore amid the travel restrictions back then. The hub event saw 50 participants over two days each in an intergenerational dialogue on “Trust Matters”. Speakers such as ministers Ong Ye Kung and Alvin Tan were present at the symposium’s plenary sessions.
Meanwhile, the local bourse Singapore Exchange too is a partner of the St Gallen Symposium, as it plays an important role in financing the symposium, as well as in advising the students and ensuring the initiative’s continuity.
Impressive efforts
The St Gallen Symposium is a student initiative and this year’s event, which took place on May 4 and 5, was organised by over 450 students from the University of St Gallen — some who have taken a year off school just to focus on it.
The students are supervised and guided by the St Gallen Foundation for International Studies, which is chaired by top Swiss businessman Peter Voser. Vosser is also the chairman of the board of directors of ABB and a member of the board of Temasek, as well as group chairman of the board of directors of its subsidiary, PSA International.
“When a lot is happening at the expense of the next generation, it is very important to find better and currently more peaceful ways with leaders from politics and business,” says Vivian Bernet, head of the Organising Committee.
The event was attended by over 700 participants, 120 speakers and 250 young talents from all over the world. After more than a thousand days since the last physical St Gallen Symposium, it was a refreshing change for the organising committee, as well as attendees, to once again attend such events.
“We are happy to have the symposium physically on campus and be able to use our new digital channels and international locations simultaneously — in the spirit of ‘next-generation conferencing’,” says Frauke Kops, head of operations and communication of the symposium.
The Edge Singapore’s participation in the 51st St Gallen Symposium 2022 was sponsored by the Singapore Exchange (SGX)
Photo: St Gallen Symposium
