Personal Data Protection Notice

This data privacy policy (the “Policy”) applies to all websites, platforms and applications (collectively referred to as the “Services”) operated by Asia-Europe Foundation (“ASEF”). Pursuant to the Personal Data Protection Act 2012, this Policy sets out how ASEF collects, uses, discloses, retains and protects your personal data, including data submitted through online forms, user registrations, and any other online interactions.

ASEF recognises its responsibilities in relation to the collection, retention, processing, use and disclosure of personal data. The provision of your personal data is voluntary. You may choose not to provide us with the requested data; but failure to do so may inhibit our ability to do collaborate with you or provide Services to you. By accessing or using our Services, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by this Policy.

Personal Data

Personal data here refers to any information that relates to an identified or identifiable natural person, whether true or not. This includes, names, identification numbers, address, telephone number, date and place of birth, nationality, identity card or passport information, gender, marital status, employment details, income details and any other data (“Personal Data”) that can be used to identify an individual, whether in isolation or in conjunction with other information.

For information on the specific Personal Data that ASEF will require of you, please refer to our terms of reference, project agreement and/or terms and conditions that govern our relationship with you.

How do we collect Personal Data

ASEF collects Personal Data through the following methods:

• event participation and usage of ASEF’s Services: when you submit information to us through emails or online forms to participate in our events and/or use our Services;
• subscriptions: through the subscription process to our newsletters;
• application submissions: when you submit documents or application forms for activities including event participation or job applications;
• data updates: when you request changes to your existing Personal Data;
• formal communication: when you respond to our inquiries or requests us to contact you;
• interactions: when you interact with our staff, partners and service providers via phone, email, in-person meetings, interviews, SMS, fax, mail or other electronic communication;
• surveys and competitions: when you submit Personal Data to us to participate in our surveys, events, competitions organised by ASEF or its partners;
• third-party requests: when you authorize a third party to contact ASEF on your behalf or make inquiries involving your Personal Data; and
• third-party information: when we seek information about you from third parties.
  
  ASEF collects, uses and discloses Personal Data for the following purposes:

• suitability evaluation: evaluating your suitability for participation in our grants, events, collaborations in our projects and/or employment;
• relationship establishment: establishing relationships with ASEF and providing you with the latest updates on ASEF;
• to facilitate your participation: collecting information in relation to your travel details; contact details and dietary habits;
• query response: responding to your queries and managing your personal particulars;
• contract management: reviewing and/or renewing your contracts;
• claims processing: processing and verifying claims for reimbursements;
• event promotion: promoting events and administering competitions;
• legal compliance: ensuring compliance with legal and regulatory requirements;
• online personalization: personalizing ASEF’s online presence and conducting training; and
• others: your Personal Data may be used for statistical analysis, survey and other related purposes.
  
  By interacting with ASEF, submitting information to ASEF, or signing up to participate in any ASEF’s programme/event, you consent to ASEF to use and retain your information for as long as necessary to fulfil the above purposes. Reasonable steps will be taken to delete, destroy or anonymise your Personal Data when it is no longer necessary for any of the above purposes.

Who may be provided with your Personal Data

Your Personal Data will be kept confidential but may be disclosed and transferred to third parties as permitted by law, specifically when necessary to fulfil the purposes for which the data was collected. This may include:

• payment administration: managing payments, including grant amounts for successful applicants;
• application process: your application data is shared internally with human resources managers, subject matter experts and potential superiors involved in the process;
• service providers: engaging vendors and providers appointed by ASEF;
• other partner organisations: organisations which work alongside ASEF on various initiatives and projects;
• medical institutions: sharing with hospitals, doctors, and insurance organisations as needed;
• legal and audit services: providing data to our lawyers and auditors for compliance and review;
• regulatory compliance: disclosing information to law enforcement agencies and government authorities to comply with laws and regulations;
• consent-based disclosure: sharing data with any parties you have consented to disclose your personal information; and
• others: any other party as permitted under applicable law.

Consequences of Consent Withdrawal
Individuals may withdraw their consent for ASEF to collect, use or disclose their Personal Data by giving ASEF reasonable notice, using the “withdrawal of consent form” which is available on request from us.

However, withdrawal of your consent for ASEF to collect, use or disclose your Personal Data will render ASEF being unable to continue any collaborations, participation in ASEF programmes or might lead to a termination of any contractual relationship with ASEF or a breach of certain contractual undertakings or obligations.

Access to and correction of Personal Data

You have the right to access and to amend your Personal Data which is in ASEF’s custody.

If you wish to make

• an access request for a copy of the Personal Data we hold about you or for information about how we use or disclose your Personal Data, or
• a correction request to correct or update any of your Personal Data which we hold about you,

you may submit your request in writing or via email to our data protection officer at the contact details provided at the end of this Policy.

Please note that a reasonable fee may be charged for an access request. If so, we will inform you of the fee before processing your request.

We will respond to your request as soon as reasonably possible. In general, our response will be within thirty (30) business days. If we are unable to respond within this timeframe, we will notify you in writing within thirty (30) days, providing an estimated time by which we can respond. If we cannot provide the requested personal data or make the requested correction, we will generally inform you of the reasons for this (unless we are not required to do so under the Personal Data Protection Act 2012 of Singapore).

Data Accuracy

It is the individual’s responsibility to provide accurate and up to date Personal Data to ensure that ASEF can serve the individual effectively.

Protection of Personal Data

To safeguard your Personal Data from unauthorised access, collection, use, disclosure, copying, modification, disposal or similar risks, we have introduced appropriate administrative, physical and technical measures. Personal Data is only shared internally or with authorised third-party service providers and agents only on a need-to-know basis

You should be aware, however, that no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is completely secure. While security cannot be guaranteed, we strive to protect the security of your information and are constantly reviewing and enhancing our information security measures.

Retention of Personal Data

Your Personal Data will be stored securely and only for as long as necessary for its intended purposes. The retention period will vary based on factors such as the reasons for collecting and use of the data.

Once your Personal Data is no longer required, it will be permanently deleted from our internal systems, and any physical copies will be securely destroyed. We will also conduct regular reviews of our data to ensure compliance with these practices.

Updates on ASEF privacy policy

ASEF reserves the right to amend this Policy at its discretion, and any changes will be effective immediately upon posting the revised Policy on our Services. We encourage you to periodically review this Policy to stay informed about our practices regarding your Personal Data. Your continued usage of the Services following the posting of any changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised Policy.

Contact Us

You may contact our data protection officer/digital transformation team if you have any enquiries or feedback on our personal data protection policies and procedures, or if you wish to make any request, in the following manner:

Mr David Jourdan

Associate Director, Digital and Information Technology

31 Heng Mui Keng Terrace, Singapore, 119595

Email: david.jourdan@asef.org