The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which came into force on 16 November 1994, is a major achievement of the United Nations and is the culmination of tireless efforts by the international community to forge a codified law of the sea.
In the United Nations Convention on the Law of t…
Allow me to begin by thanking His Excellency Mr. Amara Essy, the President of the forty-ninth session of the General Assembly, for his guidance during that session as Chairman of the Open-Ended Working Group on the Question of Equitable Representation on and Increase in the Membership of the Securit…
This year Singapore changed its vote on the resolution on this issue from one of abstention to one of support. In doing so, we take no position on the specific bilateral problems leading to the imposition of the embargo against Cuba many years ago. This is a matter for the two countries to settle bi…
The tenth anniversary of International Youth Year, which we are observing here today, is an opportunity for us collectively to take stock of past achievements and think about future directions regarding the situation of youth.
International Youth Year has made two important contributions. First, it…
My country is perhaps fortunate that two of the official United Nations languages, English and Chinese, are also two of the official languages of Singapore. This draft resolution, if passed, will not affect us too much one way or another. We therefore speak with some objectivity and with no vested i…
Allow me first to congratulate His Excellency Mr. Diogo Freitas do Amaral, and Portugal, on his election to lead the General Assembly through this important fiftieth session. I should also like to record Singapore’s appreciation to his distinguished predecessor, His Excellency Mr. Amara Essy of Côte…
On behalf of the Member States of the Asian Group, I have the honour and privilege of congratulating the Republic of Palau on its admission as the 185th Member of the United Nations. I should also like warmly to welcome Palau to this Organization. The admission of Palau, which was until recently a T…
I wish to thank the President for the opportunity provided to us to discuss the financial crisis of the Organization.
The perennial financial crisis of this Organization again compelled the Secretary-General, before the General Assembly, on 12 October 1994, to plead with Member States on the need f…
My delegation would like first of all to thank the Secretary-General for preparing the follow-up report setting out his recommendations on “An agenda for development”, contained in document A/49/665. This 19-page report is compact, succinct and straight to the point. We also welcome the annex, which…
My delegation abstained in the voting on the inclusion of the item entitled “Capital punishment” in the agenda of the forty-ninth session of the General Assembly.
Singapore does not support the abolition of capital punishment and does not agree with the substance of the draft resolution contained i…
I should first like to express my delegation’s condolences to the delegation of Egypt on the loss of life in that country as a result of the recent floods and fire.
The Earth Summit at Rio de Janeiro in 1992 and the Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States …
Allow me first to congratulate Mr. Amara Essy on his unanimous election. I am confident that under his leadership the Assembly will achieve its objectives. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Essy’s predecessor, Ambassador Insanally, for his guidance in making the forty-eighth se…
First, it gives me great pleasure to congratulate the President on his unanimous election. Like other colleagues who have preceded me, I am confident that he will guide us through this session effectively. Allow me also to place on record our appreciation for his predecessor, Ambassador Insanally, w…
When my Foreign Minister, Mr. Wong Kan Seng, addressed the General Assembly on 6 October, he analysed the need for and the possible
My delegation would like to stress that our approach to the issue of Council reform is based on the premise that this exercise is conducted for the general benefit of …
Since PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat shook hands with the Israeli Prime Minister on the White House lawn, nothing seems impossible any more. The end of the cold war has opened opportunities to set aside some of the most intractable, destructive and polarizing conflicts of our time.
Apartheid is coming …
A persistent but futile attempt has been made by the Soviet Union and its allies to rewrite history. They continue to argue that Soviet troops entered Afghanistan in December 1979 at the invitation of the Government of Afghanistan and in accordance with the 1978 Treaty of Friendship, Good-Neighbourl…
I have the honour to speak on sub-item (a) of agenda item 76, “Oceans and the law of the sea”. The Straits of Malacca and Singapore are one of the busiest international waterways in the world, linking the Indian Ocean to the South China Sea. On average, more than 900 ships use the Strait of Singapor…
On 10 December 1982, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea was opened for signature at Montego Bay, Jamaica. There was an unprecedented show of support that day, with 119 countries signing and one country ratifying the Convention. That event marked the culmination of 14 years of work, …
In chemistry, a blue substance called litmus is used to detect the presence of acids. When an acid is present, litmus turns from blue to red. This procedure is called the litmus test. For most of the countries of the third world, Af- ghanistan has become a litmus test of the foreign policy of the So…
In chemistry, a blue substance called litmus is used to detect the presence of acids. When an acid is present, litmus turns from blue to red. This procedure is called the litmus test. For most of the countries of the third world, Af- ghanistan has become a litmus test of the foreign policy of the So…
