Role of France in UN - Policies Making

France has always played a special role with regard to Human Rights. It inspired the Universal Declaration of 1948 and, today, continues to fight to ensure these rights are respected throughout the world, through its pivotal role within the Human Rights Council as well as through its actions in the Security Council. During the 1980s France initiated the right of humanitarian intervention, introduced by Bernard Kouchner and Mario Bettati, and promotes the notion of “Responsibility to Protect,” included in the 2005 World Summit Outcome. It also supports actions to combat impunity to prevent further abuses of power and helped establish the International Criminal Court; it was one of the first States to ratify the statute of this court.

With regard to the environment and climate change, France’s actions come within the framework of the European Union, which plays a leading role in mobilizing efforts and defining solutions. The European Union and France thus worked with the major CO2 emitters to ratify the Kyoto Protocol which was signed in 1997 and came into effect in 2005. This protocol aims to implement the Framework Convention on Climate Change adopted at the Rio Summit in 1992 and demands that developed countries reduce their CO2 emissions: by 8% for the period 2008-2012 compared to 1990 for the European Union. It was the first to introduce an emissions trading scheme for greenhouse gases in order to achieve this goal. The Brussels European Council meeting which took place on December 11 and 12, 2008, under the French presidency, adopted an action plan known as the “climate and energy package,” which sets even more ambitious objectives for the countries of the European Union, to be achieved by 2020: a 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, a 20% improvement in energy efficiency and 20% of the European Union’s energy consumption to be based on renewable energy. In addition, the 27 stated that if the other signatory countries of the Climate Convention increased their efforts to reduce emissions, then the European Union would reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 30%.

Three Malaysians Jailed in Singapore for Child Trafficking

Three Malaysians were sentenced to between four and 15 months in prison for child trafficking after they were caught trying to smuggle Sri Lankan children to London via Paris, news reports said on Saturday. The Malaysians were caught at Changi Airport on February 7 with the three children, aged 11, 14 and 15.

Shangar Shanmugam, 39, was sentenced on Friday to 15 months in jail while his sister, Patmavthi Shanmugam, 31, was jailed for 10 months, The Straits Times reported. Their friend, Vigiletchimi Suparayan, 61, was sentenced to four months in prison.

Shangar was promised 1,000 US dollars by a woman known to him as Naga to deliver the children to London, the court heard. Naga made three Malaysian passports with false names for the children at a Malaysian immigration office.

Shangar gave a cut of the money to his sister and asked her to pose as the mother of one of the children, the report said. He drove into Singapore via the Woodlands Checkpoint with the two women and three children and went to the airport.
The three Malaysians could have been jailed for up to four years each for the offence.

Importance of the bilateral tie between Singapore and China

On November 12, 2009, Chinese President Hu Jintao met with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in Singapore, exchanging in-depth views on bilateral ties as well as international and regional issues of common concern.

Echoing Hu's proposals on developing bilateral ties, Lee said the relations between the two countries are full of vitality with cooperation at multiple levels and in all areas going smoothly. Achievements have been made in bilateral cooperation on high-tech, Chinese enterprises going global, Singapore-China cooperation at local levels and human resource training. The Suzhou Industrial Park has scored noticeable outcome over the past 15 years and the Tianjin Eco-City project has also been proceeding smoothly. He said bilateral cooperation was not only beneficial to both countries, but also conducive to the international community. Lee suggested that the two countries should step up cooperation in such new fields as city planning, water resources treatment, environment protection and social harmony to advance the future cooperation between both sides. Singapore and China should learn from each other to achieve mutual benefit and win-win outcome. As Singapore will host the Youth Olympic Games next year, the country hopes to learn from China's experience in holding the Olympics and other big events.

Lee said the two countries, with different national realities, should learn from each other, increase exchanges, and strengthen bilateral and multilateral cooperation in the era of globalization. Lee said the forthcoming 17th APEC Economic Leaders Meeting would be very important, and he thanked China's support to Singapore for hosting the meeting. President Hu Jintao's attendance will play an important role in pushing forward the development of APEC, the Singaporean prime minister said. "Singapore welcomes China enhancing cooperation with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and welcomes China's active participation in Asia-Pacific regional cooperation," Lee said, adding that his country is ready to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with China in the Group of 20 and other international organizations.

Lee said China has played an important role in tackling the international financial crisis and will continue to play an important role in the post-crisis era. The stability, vitality and prosperity of China's economy are conducive to economic recovery in Asia and the world, he said.

After their meeting, the two leaders attended the signing ceremony of relevant cooperation agreements between the two countries.

Addressing climatic change

As a densely populated city-state, Singapore subscribes to the principle of sustainable development and actively takes part in international initiatives on the environment. Singapore played an active role in ensuring the successful conclusion of the 1992 Rio Summit through Ambassador Tommy Koh's chairmanship of the Summit's Preparatory and Main Committees. We are committed to doing our part to realise global and sustainable development objectives, including the World Summit on Sustainable Development's Johannesburg Plan of Implementation. Singapore is also a committed participant in global and regional environmental sustainability fora, such as the Global Ministerial Environment Forum (GMEF), the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (UNCSD), the Ministerial Conference on Environment and Development (MCED) and the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on the Environment.

Singapore recognises that a strong and effective international effort is needed to address climate change and every country must play its part. The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) arose from the 1992 Rio Summit. The UNFCCC sets the framework for governments to cooperate on the issue of global warming, and it adopted the Kyoto Protocol in 1997. Singapore ratified the UNFCCC in 1997 and acceded to the Kyoto Protocol in 2006. Singapore continues to support and actively participate in the international climate change negotiations. A Workshop for officials from the Alliance of Small Islands States (AOSIS), was held in Singapore from 3-6 November 2008. AOSIS members are small, low-lying island developing countries, that are most vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change. The workshop allowed AOSIS countries to coordinate and agree on common positions for the key issues to be discussed at the 14th Conference of Parties to the UNFCCC in Poznan in December 2008. The Workshop was well-attended with approximately 100 senior officials and climate change experts from 41 AOSIS countries, UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UNFCCC Secretariat.

Under the aegis of the Singapore Cooperation Programme, Singapore has also hosted several training programmes on urban environmental management, including the Singapore Technical Assistance Programme for Sustainable Development and the Small Island Developing States Technical Co-operation Programme.

Singapore has ratified or acceded to the following key multilateral treaties on the environment:
• ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution
• UN Convention on Biological Diversity
• UN Convention to Combat Desertification
• UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
• Kyoto Protocol to the UNFCCC
• Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer and its Amendments
• Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal
• Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade
• Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants

Fostering National Identity and a Better Understanding of Singapore and its Policies

• $15m will be allocated to nurture a sense of rootedness among Singaporeans, and create affinity for Singapore amongst Singaporeans and the international community, through government’s information programmes, including:

- Enhancing programmes that strengthen journalists’ understanding of Singapore and creating new opportunities for bilateral journalist exchanges and cooperation;

- Hosting cultural diplomacy programmes which leverage on arts and culture to showcase the softer aspect of Singapore, increase awareness of Singapore as a cultural and business global city, as well as to create networking opportunities for Singapore companies in the target city;

- Strengthening emergency preparedness by enhancing the public’s access to knowledge and skills;

- Encouraging initiatives to foster a stronger sense of pride and national identity among domestically based and overseas Singaporeans.

Promoting the Infocomm Cluster

• $148m will be allocated to implement the Intelligent Nation (iN2015) Masterplan which aims to transform Singapore into an intelligent nation, and global city powered by infocomm. Key programmes under iN2015 are:

- Establishing Singapore’s Next Generation National Infocomm Infrastructure comprising the ultra-high speed Next Generation National Broadband Network and the pervasive Wireless Broadband Network (Wireless@SG programme);

- Spearheading the transformation of key economic sectors through infocomm innovation and adoption with projects such as the Integrated Clinic Management System, Infocomm@SeaPort, FutureSchools@SG and Infocomm@SME;

- Developing an infocomm-savvy workforce and globally competitive infocomm manpower through initiatives such as the National Infocomm Competency Framework and the National Infocomm Scholarships;

- Enhancing the capabilities of local infocomm enterprises to develop innovative products and services, and in expanding to overseas markets under programmes such as the Infocomm Enterprise Programme, and Internationalisation Programme; and

- Building an all-inclusive digital society through the NEU PC Plus programme to provide needy students with a brand new computer bundled with software and broadband access at affordable price, Infocomm Accessibility Centres (for the disabled) and the Silver Infocomm Initiative (for the elderly).

Nurturing Gracious and Knowledgeable People

•$178m will be allocated to develop Singapore’s cultural infrastructure and to enhance the artistic capacity of the nation. The key initiatives are:

- Developing the School of the Arts, Singapore to provide a 6-year arts and academic education for artistically talented students aged 13-18 leading to the International Baccalaureate Diploma (IBD) Graduating Qualification at Year 6;

- Providing grants to over 600 local artists and arts groups, and subsidised arts housing for deserving artists and arts groups to develop their works under the Arts Housing Scheme;

- Organising and supporting 160 arts outreach programmes targeted at over 160,000 people;

- Assessing and endorsing 650 quality arts education programmes to reach out to 350,000 students, as well as carrying out arts education initiatives for pre-schools;

- Developing arts businesses through support for enterprise, professional capability and market development;

- Organising major arts events in Singapore such as the Singapore Arts Festival, Singapore Biennale, and Singapore Writers Festival, to promote artistic excellence and develop audiences.

•$85m will be allocated to foster nationhood, identity and creativity, and to develop a more vibrant heritage sector in Singapore. Key initiatives are:

- Enhancing museum curation and heritage outreach programmes in order to increase visitorship and community participation;

- Enriching Singapore’s heritage showcase diversity through a new Heritage Industry Incentive Programme (Hi2P) to support private heritage and museum partners;

- Redeveloping the former Supreme Court and City Hall Building into a National Art Gallery;

- Opening a new Peranakan Museum and contemporary galleries of the Singapore Art Museum to enhance our heritage presentation;

- Promoting the preservation of Singapore's built heritage, and organising outreach programmes to promote public awareness of national monuments;

- Improving the Heritage Conservation Centre to support the housing of the national heritage collection.

•$173m will be allocated to our libraries to support life-long learning among Singaporeans, and to promote a knowledgeable and engaged society, through the provision of:

- A national library that aims to become a one-stop centre for Asian collections and materials;

- A network of 3 regional libraries and 19 community libraries, which serve over 37 million library visitors and approximately 2 million library members;

- Rich on-line information sources and content at National Library Board's digital library which aims to serve 9 million on-line users;

- Rare materials and documents of historic significance which have been digitised for easy accessibility and the promotion of our heritage; and

- Digitised artistic heritage materials for greater accessibility so as to raise awareness of Singapore's many arts and cultural icons.

Developing the Creative Industries

The Creative Industries is strategic to our future competitiveness as Singapore transits to a Creative Economy. $33m will be set aside for the following key initiatives under the Creative Industries Development Strategy:

• "Media 21", which aims to develop Singapore into a global media city by:

- Enhancing the capabilities of 1,000 local media professionals and students;

- Supporting the development of 20 digital media projects such as games and animation, applications and services for digital TV, digital audio, interactive TV and digital cinema;

- Helping 100 local media enterprise participants to expand overseas through developing new markets for Made-by-Singapore media content, co-productions with overseas partners and participation in international media trade missions; and

- Growing the 2 anchor media events in Singapore - Asia Media Festival and Broadcast Asia.

• "DesignSingapore", which aims to inspire design and develop Singapore as an international centre for design creativity in Asia where design improves capability, enhances quality of life, and drives national competitiveness. Key strategies include:

- Promoting and developing Singapore as a strategic node in the global network of design cities;

- Strengthening the competitiveness of Singapore SMEs through design and encouraging design research and development;

- Fostering design excellence through international exposure, mentorships, scholarships, competitions and awards;

- Stimulating design breakthroughs and new value creation through cross-disciplinary collaborations.

• "Creative Community Singapore (CCS)", which aims to unleash creativity and nurture entrepreneurship, while building demand and capabilities for the Creative Industries. It targets to:

- Engage 10,000 people through participation in CCS supported projects and events;

- Seed-fund 40 innovative projects that contribute to the Creative Industries; and

- Create 100 jobs through the supported projects and business start-ups.

Building Resources

For a global city of arts to exist, it needs a strong audience. NAC engages audiences through outreach and education. In addition to the major festivals, there are quality arts performances to the community through specific outreach platforms such as the NAC-ExxonMobil Concert in the Park. Last year, the concert series featured Superband Mi Lu Bing, Arts Fission and Heartbeat Percussion. The fringe element was expanded to include activities like colouring contests, storytelling and drumming workshops. All these activities attract more people to the concerts, thus increasing their exposure to the arts. In 2007,180 free events were organised and supported, reaching some 200,000 audiences.

NAC collaborated with the People’s Association (PA) and five Community Development Councils under the PA-NAC Memorandum of Understanding to develop District Arts Festivals to showcase artistic talents. Held throughout the year, these five festivals involved residents, schools, community groups, professional artists and arts groups. It drew an audience of more than 138,000. Two training workshops on arts marketing, publicity and stage presence were organised to help community centre-based arts groups build up their capabilities.

The outreach efforts also involved other government agencies and private corporations. In 2007, NAC worked with NParks, the Central Narcotic Bureau and Singapore General Hospital. The Council supported Nanyang Technological University’s annual Nanyang Arts Festival and Raffles City’s Arts in the City programme, targeted at the busy lunchtime crowds. These activities attracted more than 100,000 people. The engagement of the Singapore population in arts creation was taken further with the introduction of the Community Participation Grant scheme in April 2008. Outreach helps to expose more people to the arts. In 2007, some 2,500 NAC-endorsed quality arts education programmes were taken up by primary and secondary schools, junior colleges, centralized institutes and polytechnics. More than 330,000 students experienced the arts through performances by professional artists, hands-on workshops by arts educators and excursions to performances and exhibitions at various arts venues. The arts education programme in school was subsidized by the Tote Board Arts Fund, which contributed some $6 million in FY 2007, an increase of 50 per cent over the previous financial year. The programme was also expanded to include 22 special education schools. NAC also partnered The Esplanade and arts groups to develop a series of excursion programmes which aims to draw students into purpose-built arts venues. Students were able to watch performances and go on backstage tours. The Artist-in-School scheme allowed more than 4,000 students from 10 schools to interact with professional artists and experience the creative process. Shuqun Primary School enjoyed an extensive dance education programme, Bedok North Secondary School had a theatre programme integrated with its literature programme, and Park View Primary School had a visual arts education programme with a strong focus on Singapore art. To acknowledge schools efforts to set up a sustainable arts education structure, the National Arts Education Award was set up in 2003. The award for primary schools alternates with that given to secondary schools, junior colleges and centralised institute. The 2007 Award attracted 33 applications from primary schools, of which 16 were new participants. Haig Girls’ School was the first primary school to receive the Gold Award which was presented by RAdm (NS) Lui Tuck Yew, Minister of State for Education.

Engaging Audiences

For a global city of arts to exist, it needs a strong audience. NAC engages audiences through outreach and education. In addition to the major festivals, there are quality arts performances to the community through specific outreach
platforms such as the NAC-ExxonMobil Concert in the Park. Last year, the concert series featured Superband Mi Lu Bing, Arts Fission and Heartbeat Percussion. The fringe element was expanded to include activities like colouring contests, storytelling and drumming workshops. All these activities attract more people to the concerts, thus increasing their exposure to the arts. In 2007,180 free events were organised and supported, reaching some 200,000 audiences.
NAC collaborated with the People’s Association (PA) and five Community Development Councils under the PA-NAC Memorandum of Understanding to develop District Arts Festivals to showcase artistic talents. Held throughout the year, these five festivals involved residents, schools, community groups, professional artists and arts groups. It drew an audience of more than 138,000. Two training workshops on arts marketing, publicity and stage presence were organised to help community centre-based arts groups build up their capabilities.
The outreach efforts also involved other government agencies and private corporations. In 2007, NAC worked with NParks, the Central Narcotic Bureau and Singapore General Hospital. The Council supported Nanyang Technological University’s annual Nanyang Arts Festival and Raffles City’s Arts in the City programme, targeted at the busy lunchtime crowds. These activities attracted more than 100,000 people. The engagement of the Singapore population
in arts creation was taken further with the introduction of the Community Participation Grant scheme in April 2008. Outreach helps to expose more people to the arts. In 2007, some 2,500 NAC-endorsed quality arts education programmes were taken up by primary and secondary schools, junior colleges, centralized institutes and polytechnics. More than 330,000 students experienced the arts through performances by professional artists, hands-on workshops by arts educators and excursions to performances and exhibitions at various arts venues. The arts education programme in school was subsidized by the Tote Board Arts Fund, which contributed some $6 million in FY 2007, an increase of 50 per cent over the previous financial year. The programme was also expanded to include 22 special education schools. NAC also partnered The Esplanade and arts groups to develop a series of excursion programmes which aims to draw students into purpose-built arts venues. Students were able to watch performances and go on backstage tours. The Artist-in-School scheme allowed more than 4,000 students from 10 schools to interact with professional artists and experience the creative process. Shuqun Primary School enjoyed an extensive dance education programme, Bedok North Secondary School had a theatre programme integrated with its literature programme, and Park View Primary School had a visual arts education programme with a strong focus on Singapore art. To acknowledge schools efforts to set up a sustainable arts education structure, the National Arts Education Award was set up in 2003. The award for primary schools alternates with that given to secondary schools, junior colleges and centralised institute. The 2007 Award attracted 33 applications from primary schools, of which 16 were new participants. Haig Girls’ School was the first primary school to receive the Gold Award which was presented by RAdm
(NS) Lui Tuck Yew, Minister of State for Education.

School of the Arts (SOTA)

The School of the Arts (SOTA) offers a six-year programme for youths aged 13 – 18 who demonstrate talent and excellence in the Arts (Dance, Music, Theatre, Visual Arts).The curriculum aims to develop in the pupil agility, inquiry and creativity skills and the ability to see meaningful connections between disciplines through authentic real world contexts.
Time for talent development is provided daily throughout the six years. Practical, theoretical and experiential education will be enriched through modules and master classes with experts in the field. Pupils will be exposed to arts disciplines outside their area of specialisation through SOTA’s Integrated Arts programme offered in Years 1 to 2. Pupils also participate in exchange and talent development programmes unique to SOTA such as the Artistically Gifted Programme, an ability driven programme for pupils with exceptional artistic gifts and the Overseas Immersion Programme.
At Year 6, pupils will sit for the IB Diploma. The IB Diploma programme offers a complete and broad-based curriculum covering six areas: Language A1 (English Literature), MTL, the Humanities, Mathematics, Science and the Arts (Dance, Music, Theatre, Visual Arts).The guiding principle of SOTA’s curriculum design builds connections between disciplines for purposeful and meaningful learning, and enduring understanding. The curriculum is organised into: Foundation Programme in Years 1 to 3; the Pre-IB Programme in Year 4; and the IB Diploma Programme in Years 5 and 6.
Interdisciplinary Learning (ID) is key to SOTA’s curriculum design as SOTA seeks to engage pupils in making meaningful connections between different disciplines. Pupils embark on various learning experiences relevant to the curriculum and apply their skills and knowledge across disciplines. All pupils are nurtured with new media and technologies in SOTA’s Media Education programme taught on Apple-Mac Information and Communication Technology (ICT) platforms.

Developing capabilities

Talent needs to be identified, nurtured and given opportunities to grow. NAC recognises the importance of developing talent. The Council awarded $1.2 million worth of local and overseas scholarships and bursaries to 84 recipients. 2007 marked the end of the Shell-NAC Arts Scholarship after 16 years, and NAC is now looking for sponsors for the arts scholarships. Various performing arts groups also received short-term training grants totalling $102,770. The biennial National Piano & Violin Competition provides a national platform to cultivate young musical talent in Singapore. During 5 to 15 December 2007, the event attracted 270 entries. New initiatives included an expanded concerto list offering more choice and variety for the contestants and the renaming of the “Open” category to “Artist” category. For the first time, finalists of the Artist

Category were accompanied by the newly commissioned Singapore Festival Orchestra. The Golden Point Award 2007 is Singapore’s premier and only national creative writing competition that celebrates new writing in the four major languages. Comprising poetry and short story categories, the Award provides an opportunity for emerging writers to showcase their talent. The biennial competition was opened only to unpublished writers for the first time in 2007. A total of 769 entries were submitted by 720 Singaporeans and permanent residents. Aspiring writers in Singapore benefitted from the Mentor Access Project, whereby budding writers were mentored by more established ones for 18 months. Mentors include well-known Singapore writers, poets and playwrights like Robert Yeo, Lee Tzu Pheng, Anuar Othman, Meira Chand, Ovidia Yu, Felix Cheong, Aaron Maniam, Daren Shiau, Desmond Sim, Colin Cheong, Tan Chee Lay, Tan Tarn How, Cyril Wong, Yeng Pway Ngon and Yeow Kai Chai.

Art Elective Programme (AEP)

Art Elective Programme (AEP)
The Art Elective Programme (AEP) aims to develop pupils' conceptual and analytical skills by placing great emphasis on both the practical and theoretical aspects of Art. Pupils are encouraged to explore their thoughts, feelings and ideas through different types of art. Pupils also develop skills to make critical judgements about artworks and art practices through the study of visual arts.
AEP is a four-year course that prepares pupils for the GCE ‘O’ Level Higher Art Examination. In non IP schools, AEP pupils complete the four-year course and offer Higher Art as a subject for examination at the GCE ‘O’ Level. AEP pupils in the Integrated Programme (IP) schools offer H2 and H3 Art as examination subjects at the GCE ‘A’ Level.
AEP is offered at the following schools, CHIJ Secondary (Toa Payoh), Autonomous, Hwa Chong Institution, SAP Independent, Nanyang Girls, SAP Independent, Vicoria School, Autonomous, Zhonghua Secondary School, Autonomous

Arts Professional Development Grant

This grant supports the professional development of the arts sector by providing assistance to individual artists, arts management and production personnel to pursue short-term training for the upgrading of their professional skills; and arts organizations that engage arts professional or specialized trainers to assist in the professional development of arts practitioners.

Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts (MICA)

The mission of MICA is to develop Singapore as a global city for information, communications and the arts, so as to build a creative economy, gracious community and a connected society with a Singaporean identity rooted in our multi-cultural heritage. A total budget of $774m has been allocated to MICA in FY2008 to achieve this mission.

MICA aims to achieve the following strategic outcomes:

• A Vibrant and Sustainable Creative Cluster;
• A Thriving Infocomm and Media Cluster;
• A Gracious and Knowledgeable People, Appreciative of Arts and Culture;
• A Sense of Community, National Identity and Rootedness; and
• A Better Understanding of Singapore and its Policies.
  
  
  

Renaissance City Plan

In February this year, Dr Lee Boon Yang, the Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts (MICA), launched the third phase of the Renaissance City Plan – Singapore’s arts and cultural master plan for 2008 to 2015. Dr Lee announced that MICA would allocate $115 million over the next five years, or about $23 million a year, towards the three key areas of Distinctive Content, Dynamic Ecosystem and Engaged Community. MICA, the National Arts Council (NAC), and the National Heritage Board (NHB) have now jointly released a Renaissance City Plan III Public Report (RCP III), which incoporates the RCP III Arts Development Plan and the RCP III Heritage Development Plan, to provide further details to stakeholders and the public, of the Government’s plans for Singapore’s arts and cultural development.
RCP III is a total arts and cultural master plan, and it envisions Singapore in 2015 as the ‘Best Home for Singaporeans’ and an ‘International Magnet for Talent’, where arts and culture play a critical role in strengthening Singapore’s liveability and distinctiveness as a nation, as well as endearing Singapore to Singaporeans, residents and visitors. Beyond new initiatives by MICA, NAC and NHB, RCP III also calls for a whole-of-government approach in business development, talent development and creating distinctive districts in the implementation of its three focus areas.

Major Grant

This Scheme seeks to develop a portfolio of viable strategic arts organisations that serve as hallmarks of excellence in the artistic landscape of Singapore, providing quality programmes, contributing substantially and critically to the development of artistic practices, professional expertise and audience engagement in Singapore and beyond.

The scheme also aims to develop traditional arts organisations which promote the ethnic and cultural vibrancy of Singapore's arts scene; provide quality programmes; and play a significant role in their specific area of art form or specialisation.
The scheme provides one and two-year funding, starting from 1 April of each year, to a limited number of outstanding and distinctive arts organisations, assisting in their long-term artistic and administrative growth.

Mini Summit on New Media Arts Policy & Practice

On 24-26 July 2008, the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) and the International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies (IFACCA), in partnership with ISEA2008 (International Symposium for Electronic Arts), co-hosted a mini-summit on government support for new media arts practice in Singapore.

The event brought together 54 artists, researchers and policy makers from 26 countries to develop an overview of the key issues impacting on new media arts practice and to create a policy framework and some key points for action. The group represented 10 Asian countries, 12 European countries and four observer countries. Approximately 20 percent of the delegates were from government agencies.

The mini-summit linked back to the 2004 mini summit co-hosted by IFACCA, the Arts Council of Finland and m-cult which coincided with ISEA2004 and focused on policies to support media arts and new media culture. Debate at the 2004 mini summit resulted in the publishing of the 'Helsinki Agenda',which outlined the values of new media culture, set out key principles for new media arts policies, and made recommendations for further action. It also linked to The Delhi Declaration of a new context for new media, a meeting of an ‘International Working Group on New Media Culture’ hosted by the Open Cultures Network – a network created by the Waag Society, Amsterdam, Sarai-CSDS Delhi and Public Netbase, Vienna.

In preparation to the 2008 mini summit IFACCA and ASEF initiated a D’Art research question to identify policy issues and to locate key people to invite to the mini summit.