In May 2013, Singapore was accepted as an Observer to the Arctic Council. This new opportunity for Singapore is the result of the Singapore government’s wide range of interests in the consequences of the annual reduction in the geographic scope of ice cover in the Arctic Ocean, including the rise of sea levels and an increase in Arctic shipping. In conjunction with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Attorney General’s Chambers and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, and with the assistance of the Singapore Maritime Institute, the Centre for International Law of the National University of Singapore (CIL) was asked to administer a fellowship in Arctic Affairs to assist the various Singaporean entities in meeting the challenges posed by Singapore’s admission as an Observer to the Arctic Council.

This guide, updated in November 2018, has been prepared to assist Singaporeans in meeting those challenges.