SINGAPORE - Commonwealth Secretary General Patricia Scotland, who is on a visit to Singapore this week, on Wednesday (Nov 2) called on Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said in a statement.

Secretary-General Scotland is in Singapore this week as part of an official introductory visit. She is also here to attend the 27th Commonwealth Agriculture Conference, which is taking place from Wednesday to Friday.

At the meeting with PM Lee, Ms Scotland and Mr Lee "exchanged views on the Commonwealth's agenda and its role to promote cooperation on global challenges such as climate change, sustainable development, gender equality and youth empowerment", the MFA said.

Ms Scotland had also met with Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan on Tuesday. During their meeting, they discussed the Commonwealth's efforts to identify practical policies to mitigate climate change. Dr Balakrishnan also reaffirmed Singapore's active support for the Commonwealth and its member states through technical assistance initiatives under the Singapore Cooperation Programme Third Country Training Programme with the Commonwealth Secretariat, the MFA said.

During her trip, Ms Scotland will also deliver the 26th International Institute for Strategic Studies Fullerton Lecture on "The Value of the Commonwealth". She concludes her visit to Singapore on Friday.