Singapore, 2012

I extend my

congratulations to Mr. Vuk Jeremić on his election as

President of the General Assembly at its sixty-seventh

session. I wish him every success in the year ahead.

The global economic situation remains uncertain.

Europe is in recession and growth in other places is

weakening. There is increasing concern that this

combination of weak consumer demand in developing

countries and a continuing crisis in the eurozone may

lead to a global recession. An even greater danger,

especially for small States like Singapore that depend

on global trade, is the risk of increased protectionism.

Populist pressures in countries affected by austerity

and economic crisis can cause further instability as

politicians become unwilling or unable to deal with

long-term, structural economic problems. While

emerging economies focus on maintaining economic

growth, developed economies are preoccupied with

both immediate and structural socioeconomic problems.

Understandably, there is less focus on strategic regional

and international issues. However, serious, long-term

challenges remain. Rising income disparities, climate

change issues and worries about food security are not

being adequately addressed at the global level.

Amid that uncertainty, no State or group of

States currently has the power to definitively set the

international agenda. Decision-making and governance

on global issues have and will continue to become

increasingly complicated. The multiplicity of interests makes finding consensus in international forums that

much more difficult. Frustration over the inability of

existing multilateral institutions to deal with those

global challenges is growing, and that has given rise to

a greater tendency for countries to turn to smaller and

more exclusive groupings outside of the United Nations

framework for solutions.

The Group of 20 (G-20) is one such example.

Without the G-20, the 2008 economic crisis may have

well led to a global depression. However, the G-20 is an

exclusive grouping; it leaves out the vast majority of the

United Nations membership, particularly small States.

It is a self-selected group, but one that is here to stay in

the foreseeable future. The Global Governance Group

was therefore established by like minded-countries,

including Singapore, to strengthen the engagement

between the G-20 and the general membership of the

United Nations. Even as we work with the G-20, we

should look for ways to strengthen and reform existing

multilateral institutions, including the United Nations,

the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and

the World Trade Organization. That will help us to

achieve greater efficiency, rather than continuing to

invent more smaller groupings.

Many of us often fault the United Nations, including

the Security Council, for its inability to act to resolve

ongoing conflicts. However, as frustrations mount, let

us not forget that the United Nations and its organs,

including the Security Council, can do only what

its Members choose to do, so we are responsible for

the current state of affairs. The United Nations is an

organization of sovereign nation States. It has no more

authority than what its Members give it. Any failure

of the Security Council and the United Nations in

maintaining peace and security represents a failure of

the Member States themselves.

We should therefore support ongoing and new

efforts aimed at strengthening the United Nations,

instead of denigrating it. The United Nations is unique

in its ability to come up with global solutions because

of its universal membership, legitimacy, experience

and presence on the ground. No other organization

is as well equipped to do so. A significant expansion

of the United Nations mediation capabilities, good

offices and peacekeeping efforts has made it central to

international crisis prevention and the mediation and

settlement of disputes. We should continue to support

the strengthening of those aspects. The five permanent members of the Security

Council, with their veto powers, have the primary

responsibility to make the Council more effective.

That is why Singapore has consistently called for

improvement in the Security Council’s working

methods. The Security Council is not a rubber stamp

for the interests of its individual members. Its power, if

not visibly and openly wielded for the greater good and

to discharge its mandate in all instances, will eventually

undermine its legitimacy and leadership role in the

international community. That is in no one’s interest.

Singapore believes that the long-term goal of the

United Nations should be to provide an effective system

of international law and resilient mechanisms for the

peaceful settlement of disputes. That will provide a

platform for States under threat to bring their problems

before those mechanisms with confidence, rather than

trying to resolve them by force.

The President has selected an important theme for

the sixty-seventh session of the General Assembly:

bringing about adjustment or settlement of international

disputes or situations by peaceful means. In a fast-

changing environment, where the global governance

structure is fragmented and coordination is difficult,

the parameters of dialogue among States become

crucial.

In that dialogue among States, respect for the rule

of law by all parties is essential. If that were not the

case, small States would lose their independence and

autonomy, and even the larger and stronger States could

never feel entirely secure. A stable international system

is critical to our collective security. Small States like

Singapore are vulnerable even at the best of times, and

these are not the best of times. It is therefore particularly

important for small States to be in an international

environment where international law and institutions

based on law can flourish. We need a predictable and

stable, rules-based international system in order for all

of us to survive.

Singapore firmly believes in the importance

of safeguarding the international rule of law. We

have participated actively in various multilateral

negotiations, used international dispute mechanisms,

such as the International Court of Justice and the

International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, to

resolve disputes we have had with other countries. Our

view is that disputes, including those over territorial

sovereignty, can and should be resolved peacefully, in

accordance with international law. As major beneficiaries of a stable international

system, it is incumbent upon small States to not only

support the international rule of law, but to also speak

up against its violation. This year, the 105-member

Forum of Small States will commemorate its twentieth

anniversary with a high-level conference on small

States on 1 October. The conference will discuss the

role of small States in international relations, including

our commitment to the rule of law and the peaceful

settlement of disputes. We invite all Member States

to attend the conference. We hope that the conference

will be a platform for small States to share our

experiences and remind the international community

that small States, too, have contributions to make to the

maintenance of an international system that benefits all

nations of any size.