United Nations Assistant Secretary-General (UN ASG) for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Ursula Mueller met with Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen this afternoon.
 
During their lunch meeting, Dr Ng and ASG Mueller reaffirmed the excellent partnership between Ministry of Defence (MINDEF)/Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and OCHA, and discussed ways to strengthen cooperation in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) efforts in the region.
 
MINDEF/SAF and OCHA have been working closely to enhance regional capacity in HADR through Singapore's chairmanship of the UN Regional Consultative Group (RCG) on Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination for Asia and the Pacific in 2017. This will culminate in MINDEF/SAF's hosting of the Third Session of the RCG from 5 to 6 December 2017, which will bring together civilian and military agencies from within and outside the region to enhance linkages and coordination for more effective disaster responses. Dr Ng also expressed appreciation for OCHA's contributions to the Exercise Control Team for Exercise Coordinated Response, which the SAF's Changi Regional HADR Coordination Centre (RHCC) hosted in January 2017.
 
Apart from HADR, Singapore also supports the UN's efforts in promoting international peace and stability, and in upholding the rule of international law. Most recently, SAF collaborated with the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations to develop the Notification of Casualties (NOTICAS) software application for the electronic submission of casualty data for UN personnel.