Singapore has appointed its very first Ambassador for Climate Action, and it is Ravi Menon, the former chief of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).

From Apr. 1 onwards, Menon will "play a leading role in Singapore’s climate efforts domestically and beyond," according to a press release by the National Climate Change Secretariat (NCCS).

The NCCS was established under the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) to develop and implement policies and strategies to tackle climate change.

Menon will represent Singapore at international climate action platforms.

He will also drive public-private partnerships with local stakeholders, in particular the business community, to help them "seize opportunities to succeed in a low-carbon future".

Additionally, Menon, as Senior Adviser to the NCCS from Apr. 1, will advise the agency on whole-of-government climate policies and action.

Menon's work at MAS

Menon was previously managing director of the MAS.

He stepped down from the role on Dec. 31, 2023.

As the MAS' longest serving chief, Menon helped build a green finance ecosystem to support Singapore’s and Asia’s transition towards a low-carbon future, NCCS stated.

At MAS, Menon led efforts to develop a blended finance platform, Financing Asia’s Transition Partnership or FAST-P, which aims to mobilise up to US$5 billion (S$6.67 billion) to finance green energy projects.

NCCS added:

"Mr Menon has a strong international network in climate finance. He has chaired international committees such as the Network of Central Banks and Supervisors for Greening the Financial System and the Asia-Pacific Advisory Board of the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero."

NCCS described climate change as an existential threat to the world.

To achieve the country's goal of net zero emissions by 2050, NCCS said Singapore will "play an active role in fostering international collaboration to catalyse global climate action, and will leverage our strengths as a global hub to do so."

Top photo from Institute of Policy Studies Singapore / YouTube