STATEMENT BY MS CLARICE LIM, COUNSELLOR AT THE PERMANENT MISSION OF SINGAPORE TO THE UNITED NATIONS ON AGENDA ITEM 45, FOURTH COMMITTEE, 26 OCTOBER 2023

1 Mr Chair, my delegation congratulates you on your appointment, and assures you and your Bureau of Singapore’s full support.

2 Singapore aligns itself with the statement delivered by Vietnam on behalf of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Mr Chair,

3 The space eco-system has now become an integral part of our daily lives in the modern world and its importance cannot be understated. Space-based infrastructure and technology provide capabilities to help tackle existential challenges like climate change, and to support important economic sectors such as aviation and maritime.  As we stand at the halfway mark of our journey towards achieving the SDGs by 2030, space-based applications will also have a critical role to play in supporting the attainment of the SDGs.  From Singapore’s perspective, the case is clear – it is imperative that Member States work together to preserve outer space as a peaceful environment for the conduct of space activities, and as a global common that remains accessible and beneficial for all humankind.

4 In this regard, Singapore has sought to be an active and constructive member of the international space community. For example, we contribute to disaster relief and humanitarian efforts. Both the Nanyang Technological University’s Earth Observatory Singapore Remote Sensing Lab, and the National University of Singapore’s Centre for Remote Imaging Sensing and Processing, are voluntary members of Sentinel Asia, an initiative to share disaster information in real time across the Asia Pacific. To support disaster relief efforts for the tragic Turkey-Syria earthquake in that happened earlier this year.  Earth Observatory Singapore provided damage proxy maps in partnership with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the European Space Agency (ESA).

5 Singapore also strongly supports discussions on best practices, norms, rules, principles and standards that apply to space activitiesthat seek to establish guidelines to ensure safety and responsible behaviour in outer space. We have thus engaged actively in the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) as well as in the  4^th session of the UN Open-Ended Working Group on Reducing Space Threats (OEWG). Singapore also participates actively in other key multilateral fora such as the G20 Space Economy Leaders Meeting, the Asia Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF) and the ASEAN Sub-Committee for Space Technology and Applications (SCOSA), as well as other initiatives such as the Artemis Accords and the Space for Climate Observatory (SCO). We also recognise the importance of keeping the global space community connected to facilitate the exchange of ideas, perspectives, and collaboration for the collective benefit of humankind. To this end, Singapore hosts the annual Global Space and Technology Convention, which provides a useful convening platform for space agencies, industry professionals, and interested space players to discuss space technology, industry and policy developments, explore opportunities for collaboration, and accelerate technological innovations. As an emerging spacefaring nation, we are forging stronger cooperation with our international partners and industry.

6 As an emerging space player, Singapore continues to develop our local space ecosystem, and we are also ramping up our capabilities across different areas. The Office for Space Technology and Industry, Singapore’s national space office, launched a flagship Space Technology Development Programme (STDP) which seeks to develop space capabilities to support domains such as aviation, maritime and sustainability, and to explore how emerging technological domains such as the application of quantum technology in space can be leveraged to support terrestrial applications.  For example, STDP supports SpeQtral, a Singapore start-up that was spun off from the National University of Singapore, to launch its SpeQtral-1 satellite to demonstrate global quantum safe encryption solutions.

Mr Chair,

7 Let me conclude by reaffirming Singapore’s strong support for and commitment to the UN’s efforts to ensure that the use and exploration of outer space is conducted in a responsible manner that benefits all of humankind and our planet. 

8 Thank you.

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