Singapore’s corporate alliance inks commitment with ASEAN on Disaster Management
(above) Landmark Signing of Cooperation between the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA Centre) and the Corporate Citizen Foundation (CCF), with CCF’s Technical Adviser and Executive Director, Hassan Ahmad and AHA Centre’s Executive Director, Said Faisal. The signing of the MOI was witnessed by (from left) ASEAN Deputy Secretary-General Vongthep Arthakaivalvatee, Minister for Education and Senior Minister of State for Defence, Ong Ye Kung, and CCF Chairman Lim Choo Leng.
Sunday, 1 November 2015 – The Corporate Citizen Foundation (CCF) today signed a landmark partnership agreement with the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA Centre), making Singapore-born CCF the first official private sector alliance partner for regional disaster management. The signing took place at CCF’s 1st anniversary observance ceremony to mark and share on CCF’s first year of regional humanitarian service, since it was launched by DPM Tharman Shanmugaratnam in October last year.
Minister for Education and Senior Minister of State for Defence, Ong Ye Kung, and ASEAN Deputy Secretary-General Vongthep Arthakaivalvatee, graced the event as the Guest of Honour and Special Guest respectively, along with foreign dignitaries, diplomats and corporate leaders. Senior members of the ASEAN Secretariat and the ASEAN Committee for Disaster Management (ACDM) were amongst the guests.
In his address at the ceremony, Minister Ong said, “The Corporate Citizen Foundation (CCF) is an interesting story with a unique plot and proposition – one which goes beyond the traditional CSR or corporate philanthropy initiatives. It adopts an alliance-driven approach, to proactively, collectively and personally address real humanitarian issues in the region.”
(left) A one-minute prayer for the safety of humanitarian workers and peace for our region led by inter-faith leaders.
(right) Guest-of-Honour Minister Ong Ye Kung delivered his address emphasising on how the CCF and its SEED partners promote proactive corporate participation in regional disaster management.
At its inception, the CCF had carefully chosen to fill the glaring gap within the existing regional humanitarian ecosystem – the lack, or rather the absence, of proactive corporate participation in regional disaster management. While the Public and People sectors had long come together and embarked on collaborative frameworks, the Private sector had always been deemed to be passive funders/donors of disaster relief efforts. The CCF partners had structured and positioned themselves, hinging on each other’s’ assets and expertise, to be usefully and meaningfully relevant to the further development of the humanitarian framework within the region.
In his welcome note, Chairman of CCF, Lim Choo Leng, shared, “It has been a fast, and interesting journey thus far, for the CCF and our partners. Looking back a year ago, we were barely 40 days old when we deployed our first SEED mission (or the Swift Emergency Evaluation Deployment) to the Philippines, last December. In fact, at that point of time, we were supposed to be conducting our first Table-top Exercise, amongst the partners. The second deployment came shortly after. This time, in response to the massive Kelantan floods in Malaysia. A few months later, in April this year, the CCF and SEED were again activated for the destructive earthquake which rocked and ransacked the lives of our friends in Nepal”.
The Memorandum of Intent (MOI) was signed between the AHA Centre’s Executive Director, Said Faisal, and his counterpart from the CCF, Mr Hassan Ahmad. The MOI marked a significant step forward for the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER) – the legal instrument, which is a proactive regional framework for cooperation, coordination, technical assistance, and resource mobilisation in all aspects of disaster management, involving stakeholders from all sectors.
“The role of private sector in disaster management is significant due to their vast resources, expertise and capacities, enabling faster and bigger response in disasters. Today, the AHA Centre is pleased to embark on this journey by working closely with the private sector namely the CCF, which also reiterates our One ASEAN One Response inclusivity where all actors including private sector jointly responding to disasters as one”, stated Mr Said Faisal in his speech.
In essence, the MOI closed the loop of tri-sector (public, people, private) participation in disaster management for ASEAN. The MOI allows for the active cross-sharing of resources between the two organisations including the sharing of assets, expertise and networks.
Mr Lim added, “It has been both, a challenge and a blessing, given the path that we (CCF and its corporate partners) have decided to take – one which is unprecedented. It is challenging because, there are no templates or Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), that are readily available for us to ‘cut and paste’ from. But at the same time, it is a blessing, as there are no existing benchmarks or yardsticks, to pressure us”.
ABOUT CCF
The Corporate Citizen Foundation (CCF) was officially launched by Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam in October 2014. It seeks to be the catalyst for proactive and constructive corporate collaboration for a better, safer and friendlier Asia. Initiated and seed-funded by HSL Constructor, the CCF is a private sector initiative to pull and pool together appropriate corporate assets to help improve the capacity and resilience of vulnerable communities in Asia, through sustainable livelihood programmes including disaster preparedness and response.
The CCF had established the Swift Emergency Evaluation Deployment (SEED), as its first responders for early access into and appropriate intervention at disaster-affected areas. SEED is simultaneously tasked to evaluate and disseminate first-hand information to incoming aid responders for more informed strategic decisions. Hence, the SEED’s slogan – Bridging the First Mile. SEED’s pioneer partners include the Pacific Flight Services of ST Aerospace (aerospace); Channel NewsAsia of Mediacorp (communications); Golden Season (water) and HSL Constructor (engineering). See below
Thus far, the CCF and SEED have responded to super typhoon Hagupit in the Philippines (Dec ‘14), the massive Kelantan floods in Malaysia (Dec ’14), and the Gorkha earthquake in Nepal (Apr ‘15).
ABOUT ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA Centre)
The AHA Centre is an inter-governmental organisation established by ten (10) ASEAN Member States on 17 November 2011 with the aim to facilitate cooperation and coordination amongst ASEAN Member States and with relevant United Nations and international organisations in promoting regional collaboration in disaster management. The AHA Centre is based in Jakarta, Indonesia.
ABOUT SEED PARTNERS
MEDIACORP
MediaCorp is Singapore’s leading media company with the most complete range of platforms, spanning television, radio, newspapers, magazines, movies, digital and out-of-home media.
It pioneered the development of Singapore’s broadcasting industry, with the broadcast of Radio in 1936 and Television in 1963. Today, MediaCorp has over 50 products and brands in four languages (English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil), reaching out to all adults in Singapore every week.
Initiatives in the new digital space include Internet TV-on-demand, High Definition TV broadcast and Over-the-Top (OTT) interactive services.
Beyond Singapore, MediaCorp is an active regional player through co-productions in TV dramas and movies, magazines publishing, as well as Channel NewsAsia International, one of the first Asian-owned English news channels.
Our financial and strategic relationship in the region includes International Media Corporation in Vietnam, which was set up to develop and produce television entertainment and economic news content. MediaCorp also has a stake in Singapore-based retail firm Reebonz, one of the region’s fastest growing luxury online retailers and a majority stake in Cubinet Interactive, a Malaysian digital games publisher.
Winner of numerous international awards and accolades including Asian Television Awards’ Terrestrial Broadcaster of the Year, MediaCorp’s mission is to engage, entertain and enrich audiences by harnessing the power of creativity. For more information, please visit mediacorp.sg.
PACIFIC FLIGHT SERVICES, A WHOLLY OWNED SUBSIDIARY OF ST AEROSPACE
Incorporated in 1990, Pacific Flight Services Pte Ltd (PFS) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of ST Aerospace. Based in Seletar Aerospace Park in Singapore, PFS offers a full suite of air charter services ranging from executive and leisure travel, sightseeing flights to aero medical evacuation operations worldwide. PFS manages close to ten business jets covering a seating capacity of six to 16 passengers and a flight range of 2,500km to 12,500km. The air charter specialist is equipped with a professional team of pilots and flight attendants, offering non-stop flights to over 200 destinations throughout Asia Pacific.
GOLDEN SEASON
Golden Season is an international manufacturing company with headquarters based in Singapore, and with clientele consisting of organisations from various industries worldwide. The company’s specialisations range from the fields of military & law enforcement, medical & rescue, camping & outfield to provision of battery products, and military & humanitarian supplies.
Having a strong Research and Development team formed by a group of skilled engineers and designers as well as being equipped with state of the art facilities, Golden Season is not only able to produce prototypes of concept products but also perform in-house testing. As an company, its mission include: producing and providing cost effective products of uncompromising quality and reliability, delivering orders timely and efficiently, and continuously developing innovative products through evolution of our processes and materials.
As an organisation, Golden Season aims to become the preferred supplier and make a difference for their international clientele. With a strong belief in contributing back to society, the enterprise drives towards social change and encourages CSR amongst the communities — by actively participating in charitable activities through fund raising, providing donations in kind, as well as offering logistics support for humanitarian organisations. For more information, please visit gseason.com.
HSL CONSTRUCTOR
Founded in 1994 as a small start-up company and abiding staunchly by its Vision — a Greater HSL for a Better World — HSL has grown rapidly over two decades and is recognised as a frontrunner in the regional foreshore marine civil engineering sector. HSL strives to deliver engineering solutions, while enlivening the spirit of innovation. HSL is a fully integrated marine civil engineering and construction company with the capabilities to support every stage of the project life cycle – from inception to completion and beyond. It offers turnkey design and build; planning, design and engineering; maintenance and operations; and demolition and decommissioning services. Over the years, while maintaining a steady focus on its core business in marine civil engineering, HSL has expanded its services to include plant civil engineering and ground engineering works.
