December 18, 2008
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Centre for Liveable Cities and the World Bank-Singapore Urban Hub  

               

Minister George Yeo and World Bank President Robert Zoellick shaking hands after signing a Memorandum of Understanding between Singapore and the World Bank Group. Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore

The Singapore Government inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the World Bank Group on 18 December 2008 to set up an Urban Hub in Singapore.

Under the MoU, which the Centre for Liveable Cities (CLC) is part of, a World Bank-Singapore Urban Hub will be set up to provide and facilitate quality advice and technical assistance based on global best practices on urban challenges. At the signing ceremony, World Bank’s President Robert Zoellick noted the relevance of Singapore’s development experience to emerging cities grappling with urbanisation challenges: ‘We are trying to increase the opportunities for self learning, and so whether the issue be it public administration, or whether be it water policies or transportation or green areas and the ecological dimensions, there is a tremendous amount that we can draw from in the Singapore experience.’

Singapore and the World Bank Group intend to play a positive and growing role in helping countries tackle critical policy challenges especially in the area of urban management through joint research, training, capacity-building initiatives and project development. Geographically, the initial focus would be placed on cities in Asia.

In line with the Centre‘s vision and mission to harness development experiences globally and support efforts in building liveable cities, CLC’s key role under the MoU is to partner the World Bank in implementing capacity building initiatives such as seminars, workshops and training sessions. Since CLC’s setting up in June 2008, it has organised events such as the Policy Forum on “The Nexus between Water, Energy and Food Security: The Challenge Confronting Cities” and the Launch of UN-Habitat’s “State of the World’s Cities 2008/2009” Report in collaboration with both local and international partners. The CLC is also targeting to launch its own executive training programmes for public agencies in 2009.

Other public agencies which also formed part of the MoU include the Economic Development Board (EDB), International Enterprise Singapore (IES) and the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKYSPP).

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