The 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea remains one of the landmark achievements of the international community. Enshrined within the Convention are finely balanced compromises and carefully crafted provisions designed to ensure the harmonious usage of our oceans and seas. It has se…
Darwin’s law of natural selection, commonly known as the survival of the fittest, emphasized the need for constant adaptation and evolution by species to suit the changing environment or face the possibility of elimination and extinction. The General Assembly, too, must endeavour to demonstrate its …
I have the honour to deliver this statement on draft resolution A/65/L.12, entitled “Sustained, inclusive and equitable economic growth for poverty eradication and achievement of the Millennium Development Goals”, tabled under agenda item 13.
Singapore is pleased to align itself with the statements…
Mу delegation joins the debate today slightly encouraged by what we have seen in the latest annual report of the Security Council (A/65/2). It provides a good overview of the scope and volume of issues tackled by the Council this past year and a few other improvements, in particular the incorporatio…
The Singapore delegation would like to thank the Director General of the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Mr. Yukiya Amano, for his comprehensive annual report (see A/65/140). We are pleased to co-sponsor the draft resolution (A/65/L.10) before the Assembly today.
The IAEA has played an …
My delegation would like to express its thanks to the International Court of Justice for the comprehensive and informative report on its work from 1 August 2009 to 31 July 2010 (A/65/4). It is evident that the Court has had an extremely busy year dealing with a myriad of legal issues. It is therefor…
Although the global economic situation has improved considerably, it is still fragile. Much of the relief has come from the massive liquidity that has been pumped into the global financial system by national Governments. That bought us time to restructure our economies and correct the underlying imb…
I have the honour to make this statement in explanation of vote after the voting. Singapore is a small island State with no natural resources, including water. Nonetheless, we cater to the needs of our population through a combination of means and mechanisms for the reliable delivery of this crucial…
While the global economic crisis has been and remains a major challenge for all of us, it would appear that the eye of the storm has passed. The global economy is expanding again and financial conditions have improved markedly. Major economies are also beginning to study how and when to wind down th…
In Bleak House, Dickens wrote:
“This scarecrow of a suit has … become so complicated that no man alive knows what it means. The parties to it understand it least, but it has been observed that no two Chancery lawyers can talk about it for five minutes without coming to a total disagreement as to al…
My delegation would like to place on record our understanding of paragraph 46 of draft omnibus resolution A/64/L.18 on oceans and the law of the sea, which reads,
“Notes that consideration by the Commission of submissions by coastal States in accordance with article 76 and annex II of the Conventio…
By joining the report of the Security Council (A/64/2) with the issue of Security Council reform, today’s debate can be seen as an assessment of the Council’s work, as well as of the areas that require improvement. Singapore commends the Council for the preparation of a report that gives a factual a…
After more than 50 years of advancing the cause of “Atoms for Peace”, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) remains relevant in today’s world, perhaps more relevant than ever. The Nobel Prize awarded to the Agency and to Director General Mr. Mohamed ElBaradei in 2005 was testament to the Age…
I would like to begin by aligning myself with the statements made by the representatives of the Sudan, on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, and of Thailand, on behalf of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), on this agenda item.
The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) …
The Singapore delegation would like to congratulate Canada on the imminent adoption of draft resolution A/64/L.2, “Building a peaceful and better world through sport and the Olympic ideal”. We are confident that Canada, as host of the XXI Olympic Winter Games and the X Paralympic Winter Games, will …
When we met here last year, financial institutions such as Lehman Brothers and American International Group (AIG) were falling like tenpins. For weeks, credit froze as perceptions of risk shot up. The global financial system went into seizure. National Governments took emergency measures to rescue b…
Let me first thank the President of the General Assembly for convening this debate, and the Secretary-General for his continuing commitment to the concept of the responsibility to protect (R2P).
I will not belabour the points already made so eloquently by my colleagues. Suffice it to say that, for …
I thank you, Mr. President, for the opportunity to address the General Assembly today.
The eradication of poverty promotes an indelible sense of peace and security. The architect of the Marshall Plan, George C. Marshall, said that “[w]ars are bred by poverty and oppression. Continued peace is possi…
I am taking the floor to explain my delegation’s position on the issue of accountability, as reflected in the seventeenth preambular paragraph and paragraph 19 of draft resolution A/63/L.48, entitled “Safety and security of humanitarian personnel and protection of United Nations personnel”.
Singapo…
Singapore would like to respond to the statement made by the representative of Australia yesterday, at the 63rd meeting. While we appreciate Australia’s point of view on the Torres Strait, we would like to clarify certain points made regarding the compulsory pilotage regime in the Strait. As several…
