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New York UN

STATEMENT BY AMBASSADOR BURHAN GAFOOR, PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF THE REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE, AT THE DEBATE ON THE WORKING METHODS OF THE FIRST COMMITTEE AND PROGRAMME PLANNING, 3 OCTOBER 2025

3 October 2025

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Thank you very much, Mr Chairman. 

I would like to start by expressing my congratulations to you and members of the Bureau on your election, and I have every confidence that you will lead our Committee to a productive and successful conclusion.  I have two points with regard to the working methods of our Committee.  

2 First, I would like to endorse the statement just made earlier by the delegation of South Africa. My delegation emphasises the need to fully implement decision 79/516 entitled “Information on Requests for Votes”, which was adopted by the Committee last year. Singapore and South Africa had the honour to jointly present this decision and we thank members for their support. The objective of decision 79/516 is to enhance transparency in the work of the Committee and to bring our working methods in line with the practices of other Main Committees of the General Assembly. The full implementation of the decision is essential not only to strengthen transparency, but also to build confidence, foster dialogue and enhance the credibility of our work in this Committee. We therefore call on you to continue the good practice established last year by providing information on the votes requested in the Committee.

3 Second, as we undertake our broader UN80 and GA revitalisation efforts in line with resolution 79/327, we should also reflect on the Committee’s existing working methods and consider how they can be further streamlined. The heavy workload of this Committee places a disproportionate burden on small States and many developing countries. It is a fact that this is the Committee with one of the highest numbers of resolutions adopted by voting. And as we explore ideas to streamline our work, we should be guided by the principles of inclusivity, impartiality and non-selectivity. As a delegation, we would support any proposal to streamline resolutions by bi-annualising or tri-annualising annual resolutions. 

4 My delegation has an open mind to consider all proposals and we will take a pragmatic approach, and we are ready to engage constructively with all Member States to improve the way we work in this Committee. Thank you very much for your attention.


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