The Regional Outlook Forum, ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute’s annual conference, took place on 10 January 2023. The 26th edition of the event is our first in-person ROF since 2020. Themed “UNDERSTANDING THE DRIVERS OF CHANGE IN A DISRUPTED WORLD”, the one-day event sees 13 experts sharing their insights on the forces that are driving the global tectonic shifts in world affairs and discuss their implications for Southeast Asia.
President José Ramos-Horta delivered the 45th Singapore Lecture on 8th December 2022 entitled, “Timor-Leste: From Conflict to Reconciliation, Democracy, and Regional Integration.” President Ramos-Horta, the first-ever Timorese leader to deliver the Lecture, laid out Timor-Leste’s achievements over the past 20 years and its challenges for the future. He also expressed gratitude for Singapore’s support throughout his country’s journey and hoped for its quick entry into ASEAN membership.

Singapore aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, with the public sector aiming to double down on sustainability efforts to achieve net zero emissions five years ahead of the national target. Recently, our Climate Change in Southeast Asia 2022 Survey shows that 46.2% of Singaporean respondents believe that Singapore’s net-zero target is ambitious enough.
Here at ISEAS, we count amongst our green effort, the use of energy efficient appliances in our premises, cessation of usage of single-use disposables and bottled water for our meetings and events.
We have made our #GreenNationPledgeSG, so can you! Submit your own Green Nation Pledge now at http://go.gov.sg/greennationpledge and join us in this journey towards a healthier Earth and greener future.
ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute released it Annual Report for 2021-2022. Click here to read and download
Highlights
- Has ASEAN Lost it?
- Global Security Initiative: Anything New?
- Why is Timor-Leste Important for ASEAN?
- ASEAN’s Engagement in the Indo-Pacific
- FermentAsean

The Southeast Asia Climate Outlook: 2022 Survey Report, the third iteration of ISEAS’ annual regional climate survey, was conducted both online and in-person between 8 June and 12 July 2022, covering topics ranging from climate change impacts and food security to climate governance and international cooperation. Besides English, the survey was offered in six different Southeast Asian languages (Bahasa Indonesia, Burmese, Lao, Khmer, Thai and Vietnamese). It drew a total of 1386 responses from citizens of all ten ASEAN countries.