Case of Qatar Singapore Partnership in Regional Training Centre for Public Administration

The first formal Asia-Middle East Dialogue meeting was held in June 2005 in Singapore. Objectives The main goal of AMED is to develop mutually beneficial cooperation between the peoples and governments of the two regions. Additionally, AMED serves to recommend policies on political social and economic matters and develop mutually beneficial initiatives (Hogan 56). In light of the rise of radical religion and violence inspired by it, AMED serves as a platform to encourage tolerance dialogue and coexistence among people. Finally, the platform seeks to become a voice of tolerance that accommodates and vouches for moderation of the events that are transpiring across the world. As such, the forum through its final principle ensures that each state secures the privilege of enjoying its sovereignty as none of the members present are allowed to intervene in the domestic affairs of their fellow partners present in the organization (Broome and Seabrooke 960).

By doing so, AMED as a platform is able to craft a futuristic vision for Asia and the Middle East, one that is founded upon the support, collaboration, and respect for each other’s contributions, capacity, and voice. Membership AMED's membership is open to 50 countries and it also includes Palestinian National Authority (PNA). The 49 countries are Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritania, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, UAE, Uzbekistan, Viet Nam, and Yemen. Singapore’s Rationale for AMED Singapore role in AMED goes beyond just being the founding state and the first venue of the first AMED meeting.

Enrolment and Selection of Trainees There is no explicit criteria or strategy for the selection of trainees for the RTCPA’s programs. Individuals simply apply to be enrolled and their applications are considered and trainees selected based on the approval of the department rather than selecting individuals with certain skills. However, it is noteworthy that individuals with a Master’s degree in the fields of economics, international affairs, political science, and management have a significantly higher chance of being enrolled. The trainees are more often than not a mix of half Qatari and non-Qatari nationals and the enrolment based on gender is half men and women. However, it has been observed that Qatari participation in the training programs has been dwindling compared to expatriates.

It is vital to note that Semi-structured interviews and meetings were conducted with past beneficiaries of the RTCPA in Qatar, Institute of Public Administration, part of Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs and Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics in Qatar. Interviewees primarily underlined the way participants are enrolled to the program, which is through individual applications, which are later approved by their department, as opposed to having a clear strategy by the officials identifying specific individuals. Process of Selection It is interesting to note that there is not any fixed system to recruit participants as well as the forum’s selection of the successful trainees. There is, in fact, a mix of individual initiation, which needs to be approved by the ministry and then AMED selection.

Based on the observation of previous beneficiaries, applicants who already have a Master’s degree in areas of policy, economics, international affairs, political science, management, etc. The duration of each program is two or three weeks and given that beneficiaries from more than 30 countries participate and each session gets crowded, individualized perspective lacks. The delivery of the program is more Singapore centric, as it is presented as a “best practice” however, the material used and applications do not necessarily match this intention as they do not offer possible ways of emulating from this experience (Hall 190). Therefore, participants are not really equipped with configuring potential ideas and solutions how to apply course material into their professional occupations. In conclusion, the AMED forum platform is a unique conceptualization that was conceived with the intention of developing and enhancing mutual understanding among the members of Asia and Middle East Asia.