Speech by SMS Dr Koh Poh Koon at the Signing of the Mutual Recognition of Agreement between The Institution of Engineers, Singapore and The Royal Netherlands Society of Engineers (KIVI) and Forum on Building “Sustainable and Resilient Cities in Asia”

SPEECH BY DR KOH POH KOON, SENIOR MINISTER OF STATE, MINISTRY OF TRADE AND INDUSTRY AT THE SIGNING OF THE MUTUAL RECOGNITION OF AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE INSTITUTION OF ENGINEERS, SINGAPORE AND THE ROYAL NETHERLANDS SOCIETY OF ENGINEERS (KIVI) AND FORUM ON BUILDING “SUSTAINABLE AND RESILIENT CITIES IN ASIA” ON FRIDAY, 20 JULY, 2.15PM AT HOLIDAY INN SINGAPORE ORCHARD CITY CENTRE 

Your Excellency, Margriet Vonno, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Singapore,

Er Tan Seng Chuan, International Outreach Committee Chairman of The Institution of Engineers, Singapore (IES),

Er Ong See Ho, Chartered Engineers Board Chairman of IES,

Ms. Micaela Dos Ramos, Chief Executive Officer of The Royal Netherlands Society of Engineers,

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Good afternoon.

1.                  It is my pleasure to join you today for the signing of a Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) between two esteemed organisations – The Institution of Engineers, Singapore (IES) and The Royal Netherlands Society of Engineers (KIVI).

Strong Relations between the Netherlands and Singapore

2.                  As you know, the world is undergoing a lot of economic transformation today and it is largely due to disruptive technology. In the midst of this new industrial revolution, the Fourth Industrial Revolution, at the heart of it, it is actually about engineering – engineers are going to be changing our lives in a very significant way in the next decade.

3.                  The Netherlands and Singapore share longstanding and close relations. We celebrated our 50th year of diplomatic relations in 2015, and our historical ties go back even further. For instance, Royal Dutch Shell plc (“Shell”) has been in Singapore for over 125 years, since 1891. Today, it hires over 3,000 employees, and has helped to build strong industry talent and capabilities in generations of Singaporeans.

4.                  Today, our economic ties with the Netherlands continue to be strong. With foreign direct investments into Singapore amounting to about S$101 billion, the Netherlands is Singapore’s largest European investor, and fourth largest globally. The Netherlands is also Singapore’s 3rd largest trading partner in the European Union. More than 1,600 Dutch companies have established operations in Singapore, while Singapore companies such as Franklin Offshore Group also have a presence in the Netherlands. As a result, Singaporeans and the Dutch people have been able to work together, succeed together, and learn from one another over time.

5.                  Collaboration between the Netherlands and Singapore extends beyond the economic sphere. The theme for this afternoon’s panel discussion is “Building Sustainable and Resilient Cities in Asia”, also in line with Singapore’s priorities as the ASEAN chair this year – Resilience and Innovation. Now this theme that will be discussed this afternoon speaks well to our shared interests and perspectives as countries with limited natural resources, surrounded by water and susceptible to the impact of climate change on food security. This has motivated us to work together on creative and resourceful solutions to problem statements that affect cities not only in Asia, but around the world.

6.                  For instance, the Dutch connection helps enrich engineering education and research in both our countries. I am glad to note that the National University of Singapore (NUS) has partnered Deltares, a Dutch water and soil research institute, to address water-related issues locally and globally. PWNT Pte Ltd, a company owned by Dutch water utility PWN, is also designing and building a state-of-the-art CeraMac® membrane filtration plant at our Choa Chu Kang Waterworks. With a daily capacity of 180 million litres, Singapore will own one of the world’s largest ceramic membrane plants for drinking water treatment.

7.                  Another growing area of collaboration is in agri-technology. The Netherlands is known globally as a significant exporter of food and a source of leading agriculture technological innovations. Their achievement can be attributed to the collaborative research clusters in the Food Valley that foster close partnerships across the entire agri-food value chain. Singapore would be keen to learn from the Netherlands’ success in agri-tech innovation and solutions development. Not only would these solutions enhance Singapore’s food resilience, it could also be exported to other cities to enhance the food resilience of cities around the world. As you know, we import over 90% of the food we consume here from elsewhere. So if everyone else is food-resilient, it means we will have food to import as well. It really is about mutual dependence.

8.                  In order to do so, we could foster closer collaboration between Singapore and Dutch companies in the agri-tech sector. For instance, Edible Garden City, a local urban farming enterprise, is participating in a private-public partnership called Urban Farming Partners. The partnership intends to contribute to Singapore’s food security by establishing an urban farm that leverages Dutch technologies in food production and urban design. 

Importance of Engineers in our Economy and Nation

9.                  Our pool of Engineering talents has been key in making these successes possible, contributing to our nation-building efforts in the early years and the continued growth of our economy, even more so going forward in this Fourth Industrial Revolution. The work of engineers everywhere – in our basic infrastructure, industrialisation, green buildings, water treatment and much more – has built the foundation of Singapore since our early years and helped us to meet our national needs. Singapore continues to embrace and enhance our engineering capabilities, building a pipeline of future talents in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) to meet the needs of our future economy and fulfil our Smart Nation objectives.

10.               Over the past 52 years, IES has played a vital role in developing our engineers. In 2013, IES launched the Chartered Engineer (Singapore) Registry to provide professional recognition to qualified engineers across all sectors. Since then, IES has been reaching out to international registries for mutual recognition of Chartered Engineers to advance the professional standing of these engineers globally.

11.               Locally, IES has pioneered programmes for both students and senior engineers to strengthen their capabilities in the industry. In 2015, IES in conjunction with the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) launched the Engineers Progression Pathway, aimed at helping engineers at all levels progress in their careers by equipping them with leadership skills and expertise in technology management.

The Strategic Significance of the MRA

12.               Today, we welcome the signing of an MRA between IES and KIVI to promote the mutual recognition of registered Chartered Engineers. The MRA will benefit engineers in both Singapore and the Netherlands, through the professional recognition of the qualifications and expertise of engineers from Singapore when they practice in the Netherlands and vice versa. Such recognition is particularly useful for engineers in sub-disciplines and specialist fields, like aerospace engineering.

13.               Beyond expanding the pool of engineers that companies in Singapore can tap on, the MRA will help Singapore engineers gain invaluable experience and hone their practice overseas. With the increasing global demand of the engineering profession, such important arrangements facilitate greater mobility and closer collaboration between engineers of both countries, supporting the proliferation of knowledge and innovation around the world.

14.               The outcomes of the MRA are in line with our objectives under the Industry Transformation Maps (ITMs) – which is a series of roadmaps that the Government has put forth to support 23 industries covering 80% of Singapore’s GDP, including Precision Engineering, Aerospace, Energy and Chemicals, – in areas such as innovation, worker upskilling and seizing global opportunities.

15.               Finally, the MRA will complement the EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (EUSFTA), which is currently going through the ratification process in the EU. The FTA itself sets out a framework for the EU and Singapore to recognise each other’s qualifications in certain regulated professions, including in engineering. Furthermore, it provides legally-binding guarantees of preferential market access and the elimination of discriminatory barriers to both our services market, which will lead to greater business opportunities for both our engineering firms. We look forward to the Netherlands’ continued support for the EUSFTA.

Conclusion

16.               Let me once again congratulate IES and KIVI on this MRA signing, and commend both institutions for their efforts in making this a reality today. I am confident this partnership will benefit our engineers as they continue to make a difference in both nations. Together, with the help of engineers, we can build a brighter, sustainable and resilient future for our people and the world.

17.               Thank you.