50 Students from 13 Schools to be Appointed Singapore Convention Youth Ambassadors
- Some 50 students from 13 schools will be appointed Singapore Convention Youth Ambassadors to high-level international delegations visiting Singapore in August to witness the signing of the Singapore Convention on Mediation. This was announced today by the Singapore Ministry of Law (MinLaw) at the launch of the Singapore Convention Youth Involvement Programme. The list of 13 participating schools can be found at Annex A.
- Under this programme, these 17- and 18-year old students will host guided tours to key places of interest and share with international delegates Singapore’s history, heritage and approach to nation-building. Seven agencies will come together to conduct a structured five-day training programme to prepare the students for their appointment. The agencies are MinLaw, the Singapore Bicentennial Office (SBO), Maxwell Chambers, the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Singapore (URA), the National Heritage Board (NHB), the National Parks Board (NParks) and Gardens by the Bay.
- In December 2018, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the United Nations Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation and authorised the naming of the Convention after Singapore and for the signing ceremony to be held in Singapore. The Convention will be the first international treaty under the auspices of the United Nations (UN) to be named after Singapore. This is expected to boost Singapore’s position as an international dispute resolution hub and reinforce our reputation as a trusted, neutral jurisdiction with strong rule of law.
- The Singapore Convention Youth Involvement Programme is part of the Singapore Convention signing ceremony and conference co-organised by MinLaw and the United Nations Commission On International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) which will take place on 7 August 2019. The conference is expected to attract over 700 delegates from around the world, including overseas ministers, senior UN and UNCITRAL officials, Presidents of Bar Associations, Chair-persons and Board Members of dispute resolution institutions, Managing Partners of law firms and C-suites of multinational corporations. The delegates will also be invited to participate in a series of related conferences as part of the Singapore Convention Week stretching from 3 to 9 August, and to join Singaporeans in celebrating Singapore’s 54th National Day and marking our bicentennial year.
Singapore Convention Youth Involvement Programme
- As Singapore Convention Youth Ambassadors, the students will host guided tours to six places of interest in Singapore, namely The Bicentennial Experience, Maxwell Chambers, the Singapore City Gallery, Chinatown Food Street, the Singapore Botanic Gardens and the Gardens by the Bay, on 8 and 9 August after the Singapore Convention Signing Convention and Ceremony on 7 August. Each student will be matched to a small group of delegates and serve as their personal guides at these locations. They will share with their foreign guests Singapore’s history and heritage and approach to nation-building, in the areas of rule of law, urban planning and greening.
- Seven agencies will conduct a structured five-day training programme to prepare the students for their appointment. They will give the students a deeper appreciation of the different aspects of Singapore in their respective domain areas, to provide the foundational understanding and the larger context to the various places of interest which the international delegates will be visiting:
- MinLaw will brief the students on Singapore’s legal system and its role in dispute resolution and the signing of the Singapore Convention on Mediation.
- The SBO will provide an overview of Singapore’s history and approach to nation-building.
- Maxwell Chambers will introduce the students to the role of international arbitration and Singapore’s position as a leading dispute resolution hub.
- The URA will share Singapore’s urban planning principles and strategies for sustainable development.
- The NHB will cover Singapore’s heritage and culture, and the conservation efforts that have gone into preserving our historical buildings.
- NParks will highlight Singapore’s greening journey and its efforts in biodiversity conservation.
- Gardens by the Bay will showcase the role of horticulture and sustainable gardening in Singapore’s City in a Garden vision.