Prof. Simon S.C. TAY
Chairman of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs
Chairman of the National Environment Agency
A world-renowned lawyer, political adviser and environmental policy expert, Professor Simon S.C. Tay teaches international law at the University of Singapore. He is Chairman of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, a non-governmental think tank, a member of the ASEAN-Institutes of Strategic and International Studies (ASEAN-ISIS), a “track-2” grouping of nine regional think-tanks that study and advise on international issues. Also, Prof. Tay is Editor (Singapore State Practice) of the Singapore Year Book of International Law and Executive Committee Member of the Asia-Pacific Centre for Environmental Law.
Prof. Tay serves on a number of civil society organizations and government bodies, including the Singapore Environment Council, and National Parks Board. In 1998-99, he served on the Singapore 21 committee, appointed by the Prime Minister to look at challenges in the next century. In 2000, he co-chaired a feedback committee for the Ministry of National Development to look at the city’s concept plan and issues concerning conservation. In Jan 2000, the World Economic Forum (Davos) named him a “global leader of tomorrow”.
He gained a Masters degree from Harvard - in the process winning the Law School’s Laylin Prize for the best thesis on international law - and practiced for four years in one of Singapore’s largest commercial law firms before leaving to help set up the Singapore International Foundation.
As well as being leading figure in Singapore public life - he served three terms as a Nominated Member of the Singapore Parliament, and has sat on numerous government boards and committees - he has gained an international reputation for his work on environmental and human rights issues.
He has acted as a consultant to, among others, the United Nations Environment Programme, the United Nations Development Programme, the Asian Development Bank and the Asia-Pacific Forum on Environment and Development. In 2000 the World Economic Forum (Davos) named him a ‘global leader of tomorrow’, while the Far Eastern Economic Review featured him as one of ‘ten people to watch in Asia’ in its 50th anniversary issue.
In addition to his legal, academic and public work he is a prolific journalist and also a published poet and author - his collection of short stories, Stand Alone, was short-listed for the Commonwealth Prize.
Prof Tay’s area of research interests are, in particular, issues related to environmental law and sustainable development, trade, investment and environment, Asian regionalism and institutions, governance and public international law and international relations.