Yoong Yoong Lee - Strategic Advisor, ASEAN Governors and Mayors Forum, United Cities and Local Governments Asia Pacific (UCLG-ASPAC)

Strategic Advisor, ASEAN Governors and Mayors Forum @United Cities and Local Governments Asia Pacific (UCLG-ASPAC)

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I am a Singaporean international relations and public policy practitioner who concluded a decade of service at the ASEAN Secretariat (ASEC) in Jakarta, Indonesia, on 31 December 2025. My final role there was as Director of the Community Affairs Directorate, where I oversaw public relations, outreach, media communications, event organisation, and community engagement to enhance regional awareness of ASEAN. Another significant international position, besides ASEC, was in Bangkok, Thailand, as an Economic Affairs Officer with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) in 2011. As the Commissioner-General of ASEAN at the World Expo, I also spent 6 months in Dubai (2022) and Osaka (2025), overseeing the ASEAN Pavilion's operations. I began my professional career with the Singapore Government as an Executive Officer at the Economic Development Board (EDB) and held appointments at the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Sembawang Corporation, a government-linked company. As an academic, I was a Research Fellow at the Singapore-based Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) within the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKYSPP), and I have authored works such as "ASEAN Matters! Reflecting on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations". My only appointment in the private sector was with the Japanese-based Yamato Logistics Group, where I served as a Senior Manager supporting their regionalisation drive in Southeast Asia. During my 2-year stint there, I facilitated the opening of their branch offices in Jakarta and Ha Noi, Viet Nam. Career Highlights: Through collaboration and resource mobilisation with donors and global development agencies, I was instrumental in launching numerous annual flagship events at ASEC, including the ASEAN Prize (AP), ASEAN Entities Forum (AEF), ASEAN Media Forum (AMF), ASEAN Think-Tank Summit (ATTS), ASEAN Artists Residency Programme (AARP), and ASEAN Day, to bring ASEAN closer to the people (and vice versa).