The item at the top of our agenda is climate change. The upcoming Bali Conference needs our full support. Climate change is a challenge that can only be overcome by our collective efforts. If we fail, the future will be troubled. Small island countries like Singapore will be in great danger. People …
On behalf of the Group of Asian States, allow me to offer some words of condolence on the demise of Mr. Kurt Waldheim, who passed away yesterday at the age of 88. Mr. Waldheim was the fourth Secretary-General of the United Nations, succeeding U Thant. Mr. Waldheim served two terms — from 1972 to 198…
Let me begin by thanking the Secretary-General for his detailed report (S/2007/50) on the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT). I would also like to thank Mr. Atul Khare, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Timor-Leste, for his comprehensive briefing to the Securi…
Our debates on the Security Council are often tinged with tension and frustration. Non-Council members lament their exclusion from decision-making and the opacity of the Council. Council members feel hectored and under- appreciated for the significant responsibilities that they take on. We are not c…
My delegation thanks the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Mr. Mohamed ElBaradei, for his comprehensive report. Singapore was recently a member of the IAEA Board of Governors. We fully appreciate and support the Agency and its work.
Given the world’s growing energy …
Since the establishment of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 1967, ASEAN has had a fruitful and cooperative relationship with the United Nations, particularly through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). ASEAN nations have worked with the United Nations, both individu…
I join other countries in congratulating you, Madam, on your assumption of the
presidency. We in Singapore pledge our full support to you.
The recent war in Lebanon had no clear victor. Israel succeeded in removing the immediate threat across the border, but could not wipe out Hizbollah. Hizbollah…
We express our appreciation to Special Envoy Ian Martin for his briefing and congratulate Foreign Minister Guterres. It is good to see him again.
Timor-Leste is in a time of need. The international community has responded to such need before. In 1999, the United Nations Transitional Administration …
Despite perceptions to the contrary, we witnessed a number of significant United Nations reforms this year. The Peacebuilding Commission, the Human Rights Council and the Central Emergency Response Fund were established. A whistle-blower protection system and an ethics office have been initiated. Re…
Let me first thank Special Envoy Ian Martin for his update on the situation in Timor-Leste. I also join other speakers in commending the troops and police from Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand and Portugal for their assistance to Timor-Leste during this difficult period.
About five weeks ago, we de…
Every corner of the world has been touched by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The devastation experienced by millions of families and communities and the economic, social, human and developmental costs of this disease are plain to see.
The local epidemic in Singapore is but one small component of the global…
Allow me to begin by thanking the Secretary-General for his recent progress report (S/2006/251) on the United Nations Office in Timor-Leste (UNOTIL). I would like to commend UNOTIL and to hail the leadership of Mr. Sukehiro Hasegawa, Special Representative of the Secretary- General. Their work has b…
Voltaire once said, “Work keeps away those three great evils: boredom, vice and poverty”. So perhaps we should be grateful that the discussions on the Human Rights Council have taken this long. But, as they say, all good things must come to an end. And many of us here are glad for it.
We have been …
Thank you, Mr. President, for convening this meeting to address the issue of sexual exploitation and abuse in peacekeeping operations. I would also like to express my gratitude to my friend, the Ambassador of Jordan, and to Under-Secretary-General Guéhenno for their comprehensive briefings. In addi…
Thank you, Mr. President, for giving me the floor. This is an important issue. All voices should be heard.
None of us at the General Assembly’s fifty-ninth session could have imagined what was in store when we asked the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) to conduct a management audit of t…
The forces of globalization have in recent years escalated and forged closer economic integration among countries. The same processes that started with the ease of movement of capital and goods across borders have now also enabled labour mobility on a massive scale. As is now clearly evident, those …
It is a pity that the process to reform the Security Council has stalled. On the Council’s expansion, except on the question of the veto, Singapore supports the lapsed draft resolution of the G-4. The G-4 proposal to expand the number of both permanent and non-permanent seats, which should include d…
The Indian Ocean tsunami disaster in December last year claimed the lives of some 275,000 people from 35 different countries. Less than a year later, at least 50,000 lives were taken in South Asia by a 7.6-magnitude earthquake. Behind the numbers, each death is a tragic story of a human life suddenl…
My delegation would like to congratulate the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Mr. Mohamed ElBaradei, and the IAEA itself on being jointly awarded this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. This award is both well deserved and timely. It reflects the important role the IAEA play…
I would like to express our deep appreciation to the delegation of Oman for its continuing efforts to bring the growing crisis in road safety to the attention of the international community. Singapore welcomes this opportunity to discuss the road safety crisis and supports the initiatives introduced…
