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#DidYouKnow that Singapore is host to the premier defence and security conference in the Asia-Pacific region?
This #TriviaTuesday, we feature some details on the International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD) held annually in the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore. This year also marks the 20th time that Singapore has hosted the SLD.
The first SLD was launched in 2002, organised by think-tank IISS, with about a dozen deputy ministers and ministerial representatives attending the inaugural summit, including a US delegation led by the US Deputy Defence Secretary.
The SLD fills a need for the Asia-Pacific region to have its own security conferences for defence ministers to meet on the region’s most pressing security challenges — before the SLD, the Asia-Pacific region had no such platform unlike in Europe.
Since its inception, the summit has grown from strength to strength. Today, the range of distinguished speakers from around the world include the US and Chinese defence ministers, and notably in 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
In a world beset by big power conflict and disagreement, the SLD provides a valuable, open and neutral platform for world leaders to exchange perspectives on key defence and security issues for the Asia-Pacific, supporting the development of a multilateral, rules-based international order that is important to Singapore.
#TriviaTuesday #TriviaTuesdaySG #Singapore #MINDEF #IISS #SLD #ShangriLaDialogue #2023