May 5, 2016
The Centre for Strategic and Policy Studies (CSPS) recently conducted a workshop on ‘Train the Trainers in Strategic Foresight and Horizon Scanning’ where participants brainstormed on a number of global and local emerging issues impacting Brunei using foresight methods to develop future-informed strategy and policy options.
A press statement by CSPS said the workshop’s participants were from the Economics and Finance Division, the Wawasan Secretariat and the Department of Economic Planning and Development (JPKE) at the Prime Minister’s Office.
The workshop facilitators included Dr Jose Ramos, director of Action Foresight, Melbourne, and Cheryl Chung, deputy director of Strategic Planning, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore.
The facilitators covered key theoretical and practical knowledge and contextual understanding in applying foresight approaches in policymaking for the government, the centre said.
CSPS said the workshop was made up of three parts and provided a structured platform for ‘rich conversations’ leading to strategic clarity.
This was followed by a four-week applied project and a three-day action learning review and design process.
According to CSPS Chief Researcher Dr Diana Cheong, CSPS is currently the premier think tank to advise the government of Brunei Darussalam on policy and strategic issues, with an added capacity to conduct foresight analyses and horizon scanning for policy making.
With its new mandate to be an internationally recognised foresight think tank, CSPS will organise forums, workshops and conferences to establish a network of foresight experts in support of its effort to develop foresight capacity amongst policymakers in Brunei Darussalam.
In addition to the training, CSPS recently held a forum on ‘Strategic Foresight and Horizon Scanning for Policy Making’ at the CSPS building on May 2.
Dr Ramos commended CSPS for its initiative to utilise foresight knowledge into its policy studies expertise.
He noted that CSPS is gaining significant capacity in the area by learning key foresight methodologies, forecasting, analysis and visioning techniques, running an action learning foresight project to gain skills and competencies in their applications and developing strategies to build foresight into policy-making processes through training, research, advisory and network approaches.
The train-the-trainers workshop concluded with a certificate presentation by Dr Ramos and CSPS Executive Director Hj Mohd Rozan Dato Paduka Hj Mohd Yunos.