List of international presidential trips made by Tharman Shanmugaratnam

This is a list of international presidential trips made by Tharman Shanmugaratnam, the 9th President of Singapore.

President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who took the office of President of Singapore on 14 September 2023, made his first overseas presidential state visit to meet with his counter-part Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah on 25 January 2024 at Bandar Seri Begawan.^[1] While he made his first working visit overseas as president to New York City on 27 November 2023. As of October 2024, he has made 8 Presidential Trips to 8 countries during his presidency so far.

Mr Tharman is currently chair of the Board of Trustees of the Group of Thirty (G30), co-chair of the Global Commission on the Economics of Water (GCEW), co-chair of the High-Level Advisory Council on Jobs and a member of the Board of Trustees of the World Economic Forum (WEF).

Summary

The number of visits per country where President Tharman traveled are:

One: Brunei, Italy, Estonia, Vatican City, Philippines
Two: France, Switzerland, United States

2023

#	Country	Locations	Dates	Details
1	United States	New York City	27 November – 4 December	Working Visit to New York City. Tharman delivered a Distinguished Key Lecture and engaging in a dialogue at Columbia University as part of its World Leaders Forum series. He also met with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and several financial sector leaders. He also met a group of Singaporeans based in the United States. President Tharman also chaired the United Nations Human Development Report Advisory Board and a Group of Thirty plenary hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.^[2]

2024

#	Country	Locations	Dates	Details
2	Switzerland	Davos Zurich	16–21 January	Working visit to Switzerland as president. President Tharman visited Davos from 16 to 19 January 2024 for the WEF Annual Meeting, where he met government leaders from several countries, and some senior business and philanthropic leaders. He also participated in sessions on global economic and ecological challenges and strategies, and attended a meeting of the WEF Board of Trustees. President Tharman then continued to Zurich, Switzerland, from 19 to 21 January 2024, to co-chair the GCEW. He also met with several members of the Singapore community in Switzerland.
3	Brunei	Bandar Seri Begawan	24–26 January	State Visit to Brunei as president, first State Visit overseas. President Tharman received a ceremonial welcome at the Istana Nurul Iman and had an audience followed by a bilateral meeting with the Sultan. President Tharman was also hosted to a State Banquet by the Sultan and Her Majesty Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha. During these engagements, President Tharman had met senior members of the Bruneian Royal Family and Cabinet, including His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister's Office of Negara Brunei Darussalam. President Tharman also visited Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) personnel training in Brunei and meet the Singaporean community in Brunei at a reception.
4	Italy	Rome	20–24 June	Working visit to Rome for a Group of Thirty (G30) plenary hosted by the Banca d'Italia, and co-chaired a meeting of the Global Commission on the Economics of Water (GCEW) from 20 to 23 June. Official Visit to Italy on 24 June, he received a ceremonial welcome met President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister of Italy Giorgia Meloni.^[3] President Tharman was hosted to an official lunch by President Mattarella.
	Vatican City	Vatican City	22 June	Private audience with Pope Francis.^[4]
	Finland	Helsinki	25 June	Transiting at Helsinki to Estonia, hosted to breakfast by Finnish President Alexander Stubb
	Estonia	Tallinn	25–26 June	Official visit to Estonia. Tharman received a ceremonial welcome and met President Alar Karis, Prime Minister of Estonia Kaja Kallas, and President of the Riigikogu Lauri Hussar.^[3] President Tharman was hosted to an Official Banquet by President Karis. He also met Estonian enterprises involved in sustainability initiatives. Tharman's visit marks the first visit by a Singapore President to Estonia.
5	France	Paris	24-28 July	Visited Paris, France from 24 to 28 July 2024 for the XXXIII Summer Olympic Games. During his visit, he attended the International Summit on Sport and Sustainable Development co-hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron and International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach on 25 July 2024. Accompanied by his wife, he also attended the pre-Opening Ceremony reception hosted by President Macron and Brigitte Macron at the Élysée for foreign dignitaries, followed by the Opening Ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games on 26 July 2024. Besides meeting Team Singapore athletes over lunch at the Olympic Games Village, he also supported the athletes at various competition events over several days of the Olympics. These included badminton,table tennis, and fencing. He also met members of the overseas Singaporean community in France at a reception hosted by the Singapore Embassy in Paris on 24 July 2024. He also met several foreign leaders and heads of international organisations who were in Paris for the Olympics Opening. They reaffirmed Singapore’s good ties with their countries and welcomed opportunities to step up cooperation at various international fora, including the Global Governance Group and Forum of Small States. He also met with a few French business leaders while in Paris.^[5]
6	Philippines	Manila	15-17 August	State Visit to the Philippines. President Tharman received a ceremonial welcome at Malacañang Palace on 15 August and called on President Marcos Jr., who hosted a State Banquet. The two Presidents witnessed the exchange of Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) between Singapore and Philippines on Healthcare Workers and carbon credits. President Tharman also received a briefing by Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga, on the Philippines’ plans for sustainability of water and other natural assets, and possible areas for bilateral cooperation. President Tharman visited the ASEAN Center for Biodiversity (ACB) and International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) for briefings on their efforts in promoting sustainable agriculture and biodiversity conservation, and how both countries can collaborate in these areas. President Tharman participated in a closed-door roundtable hosted by the Asia Society Philippines and Makati Business Club to discuss global developments and economic challenges facing the region. President Tharman also attended the Singapore Red Cross’s 75th anniversary exhibition in Manila and a National Day Reception with Overseas Singaporeans based in the Philippines.^[6]^[7]
7	Switzerland	Geneva	20-22 August	President Tharman visited Geneva, Switzerland from 20 to 22 August 2024 to attend meetings of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Board of Trustees and International Business Council. He also met with senior business and philanthropic leaders from various countries, and Overseas Singaporeans based in Switzerland at a National Day Reception.^[8]
France	Paris	23 August	President Tharman visited Paris, France on 23 August 2024. He met and gave support to the Singapore athletes participating in the Paralympic Games.^[8]
8	United States	Washington, D.C	22-25 October	Working visit to United States as Co-Chair of the World Bank Group’s High-Level Advisory Council on Jobs and Global Commission on the Economics of Water. President Tharman co-chaired the inaugural meeting of the World Bank Group’s High-Level Advisory Council on Jobs, and participated in a fireside chat with co-chair Michelle Bachelet and World Bank Group President Ajay Banga. He also engaged in a high-level event convened by the World Bank and the Global Commission on the Economics of Water, which he co-chairs, on the global water challenge. During the trip, President Tharman met with senior leaders from international organisations, business, and think tanks. He also met a group of Singaporeans based in the US. He was accompanied by officials from the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the President’s Office.^[9]