Singapore, 2011

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.