SINGAPORE’S EXPLANATION OF VOTE ON THE “TREATY ON THE PROHIBITION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS” AT THE FIRST COMMITTEE, 74th UNGA, 4 NOVEMBER 2019

1         Thank you, Mr Chairman.

2        Singapore is fully committed to the goal of a world free of nuclear weapons. We will continue to support resolutions and initiatives that contribute to concrete and meaningful progress in nuclear disarmament.

3        Singapore’s position on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) has been clearly expressed and remains unchanged. Our abstention on this resolution and our position on all other resolutions and paragraphs in the First Committee that make reference to the TPNW should be viewed through the same lens.

4       Singapore participated actively in the TPNW negotiations. We regret that our concerns were not fully taken into account when the TPNW was adopted. Singapore reiterates our view that the TPNW should not in any way affect the rights and obligations of States Parties under other treaties and agreements, including the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), the Comprehensive-Nuclear-Test-Ban-Treaty (CTBT), the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, as well as treaties establishing regional nuclear-weapons-free-zones.

5        There are multiple pathways to a nuclear weapon-free world. To achieve meaningful progress in nuclear disarmament, all the relevant parties need to be involved in a collective global effort. The international community should work towards finding a realistic and complementary role for the TPNW within the existing global disarmament architecture, of which the NPT remains the cornerstone.

6        I thank you, Mr Chairman.

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