STATEMENT BY COLONEL LIM TONG HAI, MILITARY ADVISOR AND COUNSELLOR, PERMANENT MISSION OF SINGAPORE TO THE UNITED NATIONS, AT THE THEMATIC DISCUSSION ON CONVENTIONAL WEAPONS, FIRST COMMITTEE, 21 OCTOBER 2016

Madam Chair,

1.    Singapore reiterates our support to you and the members of your Bureau in our work to achieve concrete outcomes at this session.

2.    Singapore aligns itself with the statements delivered by Indonesia on behalf of the Group of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and by Thailand on behalf of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Madam Chair,

3.     Singapore reaffirms the sovereign right of States to acquire arms for legitimate defence and responsible law enforcement purposes. As a principle, States should also fulfil the legal and international obligations with regards to the production and the distribution of conventional arms. The illicit diversion of arms has been a key enabler to armed conflicts. This has led to more violence which threatens global peace, security and social-economic development.  Singapore fully supports international efforts to deal with the threat posed by illicit arms trade.

4.     Singapore has consistently supported and complied with the common international standards for the transfer of conventional arms.  As one of the world’s busiest transhipment ports that manages a fifth of the world’s shipping containers, Singapore is committed to play our part to eliminate the threat posed by illicit arms trade. Singapore demonstrated this commitment by signing the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) in December 2014.  Singapore welcomes the entry into force of the ATT and actively participated in the Second Conference of States Parties in Geneva in August 2016.  Singapore is reviewing our domestic processes and will work towards early ratification.

Madam Chair,

5.     The UN Programme of Action (POA) and the International Tracing Instrument (ITI) are effective levers to curb illicit production and trafficking of small arms and light weapons (SALW).  Singapore fully supports the UN’s efforts and the international coordination in tackling illicit trade of SALW.  We have put in place robust arms manufacture legislation and our export policies are in line with the obligations under various UN Security Council resolutions.  We are also pleased that significant progress was achieved at the Sixth Biennial Meeting of States (BMS6) in 2016, which will help to advance the implementation of POA and ITI.

6.     Singapore also played a constructive role as a Group of Governmental Expert member for the 2016 UN Register on Conventional Arms (UNROCA) meeting series.  Through the GGE’s collective efforts, the UNROCA voluntary reporting instrument has been strengthened to better reflect the transparency in international arms transfers and developments in conventional arms.  We need to build on the progress achieved and work to encourage more countries to use the UNROCA voluntary reporting instrument.

Madam Chair,

7.     The indiscriminate use of anti-personnel mines, cluster munitions and conventional weapons has caused adverse humanitarian impact, especially when directed at defenceless civilians. Singapore continues to support initiatives against the indiscriminate use of such weapons governed under the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the use of Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW), the Ottawa Convention and the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM).

Madam Chair,

8.     Before I conclude, let me reaffirm my country’s support for international efforts in combating illicit arms trade and the indiscriminate use of conventional arms. My delegation stands ready to work with the First Committee and fellow Member States to preserve peace and security through disarmament.

9.     Thank you.

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