Let me start by congratulating His Excellency Mr. Abdulla Shahid on assuming the presidency of the General Assembly at its seventy-sixth session. I also thank His Excellency Mr. Volkan Bozkir for his leadership of the seventy- fifth session during an unprecedented and difficult year.
The most important lesson from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is that multilateral cooperation is absolutely essential to overcome the challenges of our global commons and that only coordinated international action can lead us to a sustainable, inclusive and resilient recovery.
That is precisely why the role of the United Nations is so crucial, especially for small and developing countries. The United Nations must empower countries to deal with the challenges of managing our global commons in order to build a more resilient future. I want to welcome and commend the leadership of Secretary-General Antonio Guterres — not only for his achievements over the past term but in putting
forth a bold and visionary Our Common Agenda to reposition and adapt the United Nations for the future. In particular, I welcome his proposal for a summit of the future in order to forge a global consensus.
Today I wish to highlight four key areas that require our urgent attention: public health, climate change, the oceans and the digital revolution.
First, the fight against COVID-19 is far from over. Access to vaccines remains the biggest problem faced by many countries. Our immediate priority must be to redouble efforts to expand access to vaccines by scaling up production and distribution. Singapore is a strong supporter of vaccine multilateralism. We will continue to support the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access (COVAX) Facility and will donate our vaccines, under the COVAX initiative, to other countries with greater needs. We have continued to help our friends and neighbours when possible, through other contributions of medical supplies, oxygen and equipment. As a trans-shipment hub, Singapore has always played its part to keep essential supplies moving to where they are needed most. In the longer term, we need to take forward the recommendations of the Group of Twenty High Level Independent Panel to address the major gaps in preparedness for future pandemics. We must also strengthen multilateral support for the World Health Organization and the United Nations and to mobilize resources for our collective security, because no one is safe until everyone is safe.
Secondly, we need a sustained and ambitious global response to address climate change. The effects of climate change are deeply felt at a local level, but the solution will depend on a collective response at the global level. For a small island city-State like Singapore, climate change remains a clear and present danger. Recent extreme weather events are stark reminders that we do not have time to lose. The landmark Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concluded that global temperatures are likely to rise above 1.5°C within the next two decades, and we are likely to see more intense rainfall, flooding and droughts, loss of sea ice and rising sea levels. The fight against climate change will be a stark litmus test of our ability to manage the global commons through multilateral action. No country acting alone can move the needle. But if we work together, we can make a substantial impact. If we fail, the consequences will be calamitous for every country and for all humankind.
Singapore has always been a strong advocate of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, from the very beginning. Last year, even while battling the pandemic, we submitted our enhanced 2030 nationally determined contributions to the Paris Agreement and our longterm low-emissions development strategy for 2050 and beyond. This year we unveiled the Singapore Green Plan 2030, which outlines a whole-of-nation approach to sustainable development and charts ambitious, concrete targets over the next 10 years. Among other things, we will plant 1 million more trees on our tiny island, quadruple solar energy deployments and reduce waste sent to landfills. We are also committed to working with our partners in new areas, including green finance and clean energy solutions, and we look forward to substantive outcomes at the upcoming twenty-sixth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, in Glasgow.
Thirdly, our oceans are in urgent need of multilateral action. The oceans sustain our global ecosystem; they are a repository of biodiversity and a buffer for climate change. They are also a critical artery for trade and a source of jobs and livelihoods for billions of people. As a tiny island-State at the confluence of key global shipping routes that is heavily dependent on maritime trade, Singapore is an ardent advocate for the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) — the foundation for rules-based governance of the oceans in all aspects. It sets the rules for maritime entitlements and provides the overarching framework for the peaceful resolution of maritime disputes. It is fundamental for maintaining open trade routes and sea lines of communication. The fortieth anniversary of the adoption of UNCLOS next year will be an opportunity for us to reaffirm our commitment to UNCLOS as the primary legal instrument for oceans governance and to do more to ensure its effective implementation. Singapore also firmly believes in the importance of conserving and ensuring the sustainability of our marine environment. We therefore look forward to the fourth session next year of the Intergovernmental Conference on an international legally binding instrument under UNCLOS on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction and to the second United Nations Ocean Conference, to be co-hosted by Kenya and Portugal next year.
Fourthly, we need urgent multilateral action with regard to the digital revolution and its impact on sustainable development. The digital revolution was well under way before COVID-19 erupted, but the pandemic has accelerated the pace and scale of this ongoing revolution. Digital technologies have empowered millions of people, but the gulf of opportunities between digital haves and digital have-nots has actually widened. Today 3.8 billion people remain digitally disconnected. The digital divide has prevented access to education, health care and many other essential services to millions of people around the world. Digital transformation is not just about new technologies or new hardware. Fundamentally, it must be about improving lives and empowering people, especially the poorest and most vulnerable. It is about strengthening the resilience of our societies and economies. In a nutshell, digital transformation should be about sustainable development. To put it differently, if we do not close the digital divide, we will not achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. That is why digitalization poses a global challenge that requires a concerted global response.
There are many questions related to this transformation. How can we provide fair and secure access to digital data so that the data is not monopolized by the few, leaving the vast majority digitally disenfranchised? How can we encourage a freer flow of data across the world in order to promote innovation and inclusive sustainable development? Can we find ways to address the pandemic of misinformation, which sometimes, arguably, has been worse than the pandemic itself? There are no easy, ready answers, but we clearly need to have a conversation about a global framework to maximize those opportunities and deal with the challenges posed by the digital revolution.
The goal is both simple and singular. How can we enhance multilateral cooperation to leverage digital technologies for sustainable development? There are many paths we can take, whether the Secretary- General’s proposal for a global digital compact or perhaps a new United Nations convention on digital transformation for sustainable development, or indeed a framework of norms and principles. I shall leave those options on the table to be part of a conversation that we all need to have at the global level.
As a tiny country and a vital node in the international digital network, Singapore has always advocated a global architecture that is open, inclusive, inter-operable and multi-stakeholder. Such a global digital architecture must be shaped by a few guiding principles.
First, the voices of small States must be heard and our concerns taken into account.
Secondly, digital transformation needs to be people-focused, and it must improve people’s daily lives.
Thirdly, we need to involve all relevant stakeholders, including Government, the private sector and civil society, because it is no longer possible, in today’s digital world, to neatly draw lines between Government, industry and citizens.
Fourthly, we need to think digital, which means thinking in an integrated, multidisciplinary, multisectoral way. The complex problems of today and tomorrow require innovative solutions.
Fifthly, we need concrete action through the identification of a common set of digital development goals and a framework for multilateral cooperation.
At the national level, Singapore is already building partnerships with many countries. We have concluded digital economy agreements with several of our partners. We co-lead the World Trade Organization joint statement initiative on electronic commerce with Japan and Australia, which now includes more than 80 member economies and comprises 90 per cent of global trade. Those can serve as building blocks in a larger global architecture.
At the broader level, we need determined action to close the digital divide, not only within nations but also between nations. There is already much work being done, but we need to give those efforts a stronger push through education, training and improving the digital skills and literacy of our people across the board; investing in infrastructure for universal and affordable internet connectivity; and expanding access to data and digital public goods, including open-source software and digital utilities. We can do a lot more to improve international data governance and to promote inter-operability, trust, and security when we transact in the digital environment.
I have only touched on some of the issues that I believe we need to look at. There are other important issues outlined in the Secretary-General’s road map for digital cooperation (A/74/821). His Our Common Agenda also lays out a way forward on a global digital technology track. The next step is to take action on
those proposals. Singapore will support efforts by the United Nations to advance our global conversation so that, together, we can make tangible progress on digital transformation for sustainable development.
As we seek to build a more inclusive, sustainable future, we need to give each other a hand. That is especially so for small and developing countries. In 1992, Singapore established the Forum of Small States — an informal platform for small States to discuss issues of mutual concern. We started with a group of 16 that has now grown to 108 member States. We will celebrate our thirtieth anniversary next year. To mark that milestone, Singapore will launch a new programme entitled “Forum of Small States for Good”, which will commence in 2022 and focus on priority areas such as digital transformation and COVID-19 recovery, customized for the unique challenges faced by small countries.
We believe that it is only by working in partnership and helping each other that we can reach a more resilient, more inclusive and more sustainable tomorrow. It is always darkest before the dawn, but the dawn will arrive. There is hope and much work ahead of all of us.