Singapore welcomed 15 officers from the Palestinian Authority (PA) for a five-day study visit.

They are here at the request of Palestine's Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa's for Singapore to support the PA's digitalisation capacity building efforts.

Officers from Palestine Authority in West Bank

The Palestine Authority is the Palestinian governing body seated in the West Bank and not in Gaza, which is run by Hamas.

The officers, who are from the PA's Ministry of Telecom and Digital Economy and Ministry of Finance, met with Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and Second Minister for Foreign Affairs Mohamad Maliki Osman, and Singapore's Representative for Palestine Authority Hawazi Daipi on Wednesday (Jul. 10).

Taking to Facebook, Maliki said the PA officers are here to learn about the applications of artificial intelligence and the use of data in assisting with decision-making in public service.

"This is the first time many of them are visiting Singapore. They had the opportunity to learn more about the heritage of the area and got a taste of local kuih too," said Maliki.

Direct follow-up

The study visit is a direct follow-up to PM Mohammad's request for Singapore to support the PA's digitalisation capacity building efforts.

In a Parliamentary sitting on Jul. 2, Singapore's Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan said that the request was relayed during his visit to Ramallah in March 2024.

"I welcomed his interests in these areas, and I said that Singapore will do our best to respond," said Vivian.

Enhanced Technical Assistance Package (ETAP)

The five-day study visit is funded by the Enhanced Technical Assistance Package (ETAP), established in 2013 to support the PA in its capacity-building efforts as it prepares for eventual statehood.

To date, Singapore has trained more than 750 Palestinian officials in areas like diplomacy, water management, economic development, and urban planning— important areas of expertise for any government.

Maliki stated:

"I am very happy to hear how the participants found their visit useful thus far, and hope to implement their learnings for the benefit of their community back home.

I wish them every success in their future endeavours."

Top image via Maliki Osman/Facebook.