SINGAPORE TO PROVIDE GOOD GOVERNANCE TRAINING TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L SINGAPORE 000765 SENSITIVE SIPDIS EAP/MTS - M. COPPOLA, S/SRAP - K. HANRAHAN, SCA/A - A. VIEHE, EUR/RPM - A. COPE E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/14/2019 TAGS: PREL EAID PGOV PHUM MOPS SL AF SN SUBJECT: SINGAPORE TO PROVIDE GOOD GOVERNANCE TRAINING TO SRI LANKA REF: A. SINGAPORE 473 ¶B. SINGAPORE 523 ¶C. SINGAPORE 687 Classified By: EP Counselor Joel Ehrendreich for Reason 1.4 (b). ¶1. (C) Singapore will host twenty-five (all Under-Secretary level) Sri-Lankan officials from several ministries for two weeks of good-governance and leadership training beginning October 25, MFA South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa Director S. Premjith told EP Counselor in an August 13 meeting. Premjith said that Sri Lanka Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa inquired about the possibility of such training this past Spring, even before the decisive end to his country's civil war. The high-level training coincides with an uptick in Singapore-Sri Lanka relations, which includes a modest donation Singapore gave in support of UNICEF activities in post-war Sri-Lanka (Ref A). ¶2. (C) Comment: Despite its first-world economy, Singapore is notoriously stingy with development assistance (Ref B). However, the government has taken steps in recent years to expand its training and development programs for countries with which it has a political or economic interest. Singapore has a robust good-governance and infrastructure development training program specifically set-up for Afghan officials (Ref C). In 2008, thirty-three African countries sent separate delegations to participate in good-governance programs in Singapore. Premjith and other MFA contacts have signaled a willingness to collaborate with the United States on such training - to include for places such as Afghanistan. Given Singapore's undeniable record of good governance and its willingness to provide such training to foreign officials, Post believes the opportunity exists to explore possible cooperation in the future. Visit Embassy Singapore's Classified website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eap/singapore/ind ex.cfm SHIELDS