Stand: Membership in international organisations is a boon to Singapore.

What international organisation is Singapore part of?

Singapore is part of the Commonwealth.
What is the commonwealth?
Must be independent and sovereign states. Must recognise King Charles the third as
the head. Must be English speaking.
Aims of the commonwealth
It is an association of 56 countries working towards shared goals of prosperity,
democracy and peace. They aim to protect the environment, boost trade and economy,
develop society and young people and support smaller states. (Such as Singapore).
The Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation (CFTC) is the main way in which
the Commonwealth Secretariat provides technical help to Commonwealth countries.

Advantages of being in the Commonwealth

Singapore benefits from being part of a mutually supportive community of independent
and sovereign states which is aided by more than 80 Commonwealth organisations.
This allows Singapore to be supported by them to help achieve development,
democracy and peace in the country. In 1965, Singapore faced grave social and
economic problems when it first joined the Commonwealth. With the Vietnam war
imminent and South-east Asian countries at odds with one another, Singapore’s odds of
survival were stacked against them. However, other members of the Commonwealth at
that time provided help to Singapore, allowing Singapore to survive those trying times.
Being in the Commonwealth also allows Singapore to form stronger diplomatic relations
with the other members, boosting trade as well as increasing the safety of our country.

Being in the commonwealth allows Singapore’s involvement in the

Singapore to form stronger diplomatic
relations with the other members,
significantly boosting trade with other
countries.
Commonwealth has helped increase
trade opportunities with other countries by
greatly strengthening diplomatic ties with
other countries. However, why is this the
case? As a member of the
Commonwealth, Singapore shares
common principles and values with the
other members. This will be the
foundation for fostering mutual trust
between countries and will eventually
lead to better relationships with one
another. In addition, the Commonwealth
also serves as a platform for Singapore
and other members to openly voice out

Singapore benefits from being part of a
mutually supportive community of
independent and sovereign states which
is aided by more than 80 Commonwealth
organisations. This allows Singapore to
be supported by them to help achieve
development, democracy and peace in
the country.
Disadvantages of being in the Commonwealth
It might result in an overdependence on the goodwill of other countries to allow
Singapore to do the work. A lot of goals set by these organisations can't always be
achieved which causes chaos and might result in conflict with the organisation or other
their opinions and discuss important
matters, thus strengthening diplomatic
ties. When strong diplomatic ties are
formed, trade also flourishes as countries
will be more willing to engage in trade
with others who they have a good
relationship with. For example, Australia
and Singapore, who are both members of
the Commonwealth, have established a
free trade agreement with one another,
increasing market access for Australian
exporters of services, particularly
education, environmental,
telecommunications, and professional
services, hence boosting the economy of
both Singapore and Australia.
As Singapore is a member of the
Commonwealth, it is able to rely on the
other members for help in times of need,
as well as provide help for others if they
require it. This mutually supportive
relationship between Singapore and the
other members greatly enhances
Singapore’s security and helps ensure
that our future is secure. For example, In
1965, Singapore faced grave social and
economic problems when it first joined the
Commonwealth. With the Vietnam war
imminent and South-east Asian countries
at odds with one another, Singapore’s
odds of survival were stacked against
them. However, other members of the
Commonwealth at that time provided help
to Singapore, allowing Singapore to
survive those trying times. Therefore, this
shows how being in the Commonwealth
allows Singapore to achieve peace and
stability in their country.
countries. In these times, the Commonwealth does not have significant economic (No
trade privileges for members) or political influence (Lack in budget and authority), which
limits its utility for Singapore as a platform to advance its interests. Some shared goals
of the commonwealth may also not align with Singapore’s foreign policy priorities. (The
other members did not coordinate their foreign policies). Divisions between the
Commonwealth states, they are heavily divided within the political landscape. Limited
cultural diversity which leads to isolation and exclusion from certain diverse
backgrounds.

A lot of goals set by the Commonwealth As the Commonwealth is made up of

can't always be achieved which causes
chaos and might result in conflict with the
organisation or other countries. In these
times, the Commonwealth does not have
significant political influence (Lack in
budget and authority), which limits its
utility for Singapore as a platform to
advance its interests.
much smaller states, the Commonwealth
lacks political influence, thus it is unable
to combat global problems by
themselves. One such global problem
that Singapore heavily focuses on is
climate change. Climate change is
detrimental to our earth, bringing about
many problems such as decreasing
freshwater accessibility due to the rise in
sea levels as well as more frequent
extreme weather conditions like droughts
and floods. As a result, Singapore has
advocated for a coordinated global
response to the issue, but the
Commonwealth's limited political
influence has made it difficult to achieve
significant progress. Therefore, a
limitation of the Commonwealth would be
that it lacks the political influence to
further Singapore’s interests.

Conclusion
All in all, I believe that Singapore greatly benefits from being in the Commonwealth as
the pros outweigh the cons of being in one. The lack of political influence in the
Commonwealth in order to further Singapore’s interests is not a major issue as
Singapore can look to other forums such as the United Nations in order to achieve its
purpose. The economic benefits and security brought about by being a part of the
Commonwealth is absolutely vital for Singapore’s survival and growth in the near and
distant future, hence I am confident that membership in international organisations is a
boon for Singapore.
References
https://www.straitstimes.com/politics/singapore-has-benefited-from-being-part-of-
commonwealth-and-will-pay-it-forward-pm-lee

https://thecommonwealth.org

https://prezi.com/p/3ja-lwejn6s0/what-are-the-benefits-and-disadvantages-of-being-a-
member-of-international-andor-intergovernmental-organizations/