Allow me to
congratulate Ambassador Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser
on his election as President of the General Assembly at
its sixty-sixth session. I would also like to congratulate
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on his unanimous
reappointment to a second term.
I extend my warmest congratulations to South
Sudan on becoming the newest Member of the United
Nations family. We wish President Al-Nasser and
Secretary-General Ban success in the year ahead.
The world has seen difficult times since the
global economic crisis of 2008. This has been
compounded by natural and man-made disasters, which
have grown in scale and severity. The repercussions of
those events produce unpredictable outcomes.
Governments have to grapple with the challenge of
reviving growth and creating jobs for our citizens, even
as the uncertain global economic recovery comes under
threat from the severe fiscal and debt crisis in the
United States and eurozone. Fears about the risk of a
double-dip recession remain.
Other important global challenges need serious
attention and resources as well. Those include long-
term issues such as sustainable development, climate
change and water security. There are also immediate
concerns such as food security, job creation and
making our cities more livable. These are issues that
require urgent joint action by the global community.
By next month, we will have 7 billion people to
feed, clothe and find meaningful employment for. That
is a stark reminder of the magnitude of our task. The
United Nations must play an important role in dealing
with these challenges. First, the United Nations, the
World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the
World Trade Organization can help ensure that the
global economic framework remains conducive to
growth amidst the maelstrom of economic instability.
We are in for a bumpy ride, with growth in all the
major markets slowing, and there is no guarantee of
quick recovery. At the same time, we face a worrisome
rise in protectionist sentiments. A recent report by the
World Trade Organization showed that the Group of 20
(G-20) countries introduced 122 new trade-restrictive
measures from 2010 to April 2011. Too many countries
are focused more on domestic political concerns than
on implementing their multilateral commitments and
taking concerted action at the global level. That is why
the prospects for a breakthrough in the Doha
Development Round continue to be slim.
As the pre-eminent multilateral institution in the
world, the United Nations should take a strong stand,
make a united pledge against trade-restrictive measures
and continue to push for free trade. Fighting
protectionist pressures collectively is important for the
long-term sustainability of our economies. The
philosophy of common enrichment that imbues the
United Nations Charter must replace short-sighted
strategies of survival if we are to truly take the path
towards sustainability. Due to its sheer membership
size and functions, the United Nations will need time
to achieve consensus and make decisions. That leaves
the door open for ad hoc coordination by smaller,
informal groups, especially during critical periods like
the fall of 2008. There is a role for smaller, regional
groupings like the G-20 and the Group of Eight, which
may be more efficient and dynamic in decision-
making.
A certain amount of fluidity is a given in global
governance for some time to come, and even necessary
in order to tackle increasingly complex and varied
global problems. But ultimately, a balance needs to be
struck between efficiency and genuine legitimacy. The
G-20 accounts for over 80 per cent of world trade and
gross domestic product, but that still leaves the
majority of countries and a significant number of
people outside of that group. There is scope for the
United Nations to play a meaningful role by ensuring
that all groupings take into account and promote the
greater interest. The United Nations must also act
together with such groupings as complementary parts
9 11-51670
of the international system, not as mutually exclusive
competitors.
The United Nations also has an important role in
tackling two other challenges — food and water
security, which are two sides of the same coin. The
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations has reported an escalation of international food
prices to levels not seen in decades. And according to
the World Bank, rising food costs have pushed
44 million people into extreme poverty and hunger
since June 2010. The hunger crisis in the Horn of
Africa is but one face of this devastation.
Equally critical is the challenge of water security.
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
has pointed out that about one-third of the world’s
population lives in countries with moderate to high
water stress, with a disproportionate impact on the
poor. With current projected global population growth,
the task of providing water for human sustenance will
become increasingly difficult, and increasing
competition over this scarce but vital resource may fuel
instability and conflict within and between States.
The United Nations is doing a great deal in both
areas to proactively foster collaboration among
Member States. UNEP has long actively addressed the
water issue, together with partner United Nations
agencies and other organizations. Looking ahead, the
United Nations can do more to build synergies of
technology, policy and capacity in this field. In this
regard, events like the annual World Water Week in
Stockholm come to the forefront of the public’s minds
when talking about championing water issues.
Likewise, since 2008, Singapore has organized
the Singapore International Water Week, a global
platform that brings together policymakers, industry
leaders, experts and practitioners to address challenges,
showcase technologies, discover opportunities and
celebrate achievements in the water world. In
Singapore, we have always regarded water as a
strategic resource. We have invested considerable
resources in researching and testing new technologies.
We would be happy to share our experiences.
I am certain that there are also many other
success stories of countries that have adopted modern
technology and sound policies to overcome their water
insecurity. That is why Singapore is happy to be a
member of the Green Group, an informal grouping
initiated by Slovenia, whose members discuss ways to
augment our collective experiences in water
management. That model can be replicated by the
United Nations to include more Member States.
We also need to look at the processes, procedures
and leadership within the United Nations. The
efficiency of our responses can and should be reviewed
and improved upon. At present, there is a disconnect
between the proliferation of resolutions, which we
debate year after year, and actual present realities.
There is a great need to coordinate better between New
York and the ground. The immense good work in the
field that various United Nations personnel, such as our
humanitarian and aid workers, are doing has to be
better related to what Member States do at
Headquarters.
While established processes are important, that
should not hamper innovative thinking and solutions.
For example, we should set definitive timelines and
specific objectives for resolutions, and retire others.
Let us focus on what needs to be done, who should do
it, and by when it should be done. This will ensure that
there are targeted outcomes and real implementation.
This may seem like a small, procedural change, but to
borrow a phrase, sometimes little things can make a
big difference.
The alternative is to leave the shaping of the new
global governance to other groupings, which will by
definition be less inclusive. That will lead to a further
marginalization of the small and the weak. The United
Nations needs to find ways to work with limited
groupings as complementary parts of the international
system. This is what the Global Governance Group, or
3G, has sought to achieve.
To act as a bridge between the United Nations
and the Group of 20, the 3G has provided ideas to
strengthen the latter’s engagement with the United
Nations. The 3G has focused on areas of ongoing and
potential cooperation such as development, tackling the
problem of food security and fostering the growth of
livable cities. It has also called for a comprehensive
approach to addressing the different factors affecting
food security and the volatility of food prices. That
includes a call for a renewed political commitment to a
universal, rules-based, open, non-discriminatory and
equitable multilateral trading system under the World
Trade Organization, which we believe is critical to
achieving food security.
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The United Nations remains the only truly
universal and international organization. There is no
alternative to the United Nations. The steady expansion
of its membership from 51 at its founding in 1945 to
193 today is a testament to the value that countries
accord to membership in this Organization.
The United Nations is uniquely placed to
influence our collective future. However, we should
not take this position for granted, for the
Organization’s ability to influence global issues is
ultimately dependent on the decisions that we as
Member States take at the United Nations.
Sixty-five years ago, following the devastation of
World War II, we managed to forge a consensus that
was underpinned by the notion of inclusive global
citizenship and manifested by the establishment of a
set of international institutions, practices and norms. At
the forefront was the United Nations Charter.
Globalization and economic integration have
since redefined global governance and decision-
making. The United Nations needs to adjust its
processes to this new environment. But at the core, its
values remain the same: to maintain international peace
and security and to promote development, human
rights and respect for the rule of law.
It is up to us, the Member States, to rally the
necessary political will to put aside narrow self-
interests and act for our collective good and secure the
well-being of our future generations.