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New York UN
OTHERS

STATEMENT BY AMBASSADOR BURHAN GAFOOR, PERMAMENT REPRESENTATIVE OF THE REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE, AT THE DEBATE ON THE WORKING METHODS OF THE FIRST COMMITTEE AND PROGRAMME PLANNING, 5 OCTOBER 2026

5 October 2026

A concise summary of the main points regarding this article.

STATEMENT BY AMBASSADOR BURHAN GAFOOR, PERMAMENT REPRESENTATIVE OF THE REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE, AT THE DEBATE ON THE WORKING METHODS OF THE FIRST COMMITTEE AND PROGRAMME PLANNING, 5 OCTOBER 2026

Thank you very much, Mr Chair.

Let me begin by congratulating you and members of the Bureau on your election. My delegation is confident that under your leadership, we will bring our work to a successful conclusion. I wish to make two points on the working methods of our Committee. 

2                         First, we have to make a serious effort at this session to further streamline our work and improve our working methods. The First Committee adopts more resolutions by vote than any other Main Committee. This imposes a heavy burden, especially on small delegations. The UN80 reform exercise gives us an additional reason to improve our working methods. We would strongly recommend to all delegations to make a start by reducing the length of resolutions and also by introducing review clauses for new resolutions, where appropriate. Additionally, we would also support the biennialising and triennialising of annual resolutions. As we improve our working methods, it is equally important that we adopt an approach that is even-handed and that is applied across the board.

3                         Second, we must continue to enhance transparency in the work of our Committee. In this regard, delegations will recall that Singapore and South Africa had jointly introduced decision 79/516 entitled “Information on Requests for Votes” at the 79th session in 2024. The objective of this resolution was simple – to improve transparency and facilitate the flow of information among Member States. We believe that enhancing transparency in our work is essential to build confidence, encourage meaningful dialogue and strengthen the credibility of our work. My delegation calls on you, the Chair, Excellency, to continue with the implementation of this resolution at this session.  This year, pursuant to the decision 79/516, Singapore, together with South Africa, and also a group of Member States, intend to submit a formal request calling on the Chair to continue the practice of providing information on the identity of the Member States that requested a vote on draft resolutions or decisions tabled for action in this Committee, or their specific paragraphs.

4                         In conclusion, I wish to underline that working methods is not just a question of time management and reducing the number of resolutions.  Ultimately, working methods are a means to build trust, enhance transparency and strengthen mutual understanding. And most importantly, by improving our working methods, we can deliver meaningful and much-needed results. Singapore stands ready to work constructively with all Member States in this regard. We also take this opportunity, Mr Chair, to extend to you our support for your programme of work, and for your efforts to find a pragmatic solution on this issue so that we can proceed efficiently with the rest of our work. Thank you very much.