Ravi Menon appointed Singapore’s ambassador for climate action

FORMER central bank chief Ravi Menon has been named Singapore’s first ambassador for climate action and a senior adviser to the National Climate Change Secretariat (NCCS) with effect from Apr 1.

On Tuesday (Mar 26), NCCS said Menon will represent Singapore at international climate action platforms to contribute to global discourse and collective action.

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

As senior adviser to NCCS, he will advise the agency on whole-of-government climate policies and action.

NCCS was established in July 2010 under the Prime Minister’s Office to develop and implement Singapore’s domestic and international policies and strategies to tackle climate change.

In a statement, the agency highlighted Menon’s strong international network in climate finance, as well as his past work in building the region’s green financing ecosystem as the Monetary Authority of Singapore’s (MAS) managing director.

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He notably led MAS’ efforts to develop a taxonomy for transition financing, forge an international coalition to promote transition credits, and build a blended finance platform – known as Financing Asia’s Transition Partnership – to address climate finance gaps and increase the bankability of green and transition projects in Asia.

The former MAS chief previously chaired international committees including the Network of Central Banks and Supervisors for Greening the Financial System, as well as the Asia-Pacific Advisory Board of the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero.

“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,” said NCCS, as it highlighted climate change as an “existential threat to the world”.

The agency said it also seeks to capture new opportunities for Singapore’s economy.