STATEMENT BY MR JEREMY CHAN, DELEGATE TO THE 80TH SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY ON AGENDA ITEM 48, FOURTH COMMITTEE, 29 OCTOBER 2025

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 (ASEAN). 

Mr. Chair, 

3        As we approach the midpoint of the Space 2030 Agenda, its four pillars – space economy, society, accessibility and diplomacy – remain as relevant as when they were first set out in 2021. While we face global challenges, these pillars guide us in supporting peaceful space activities and contribute to sustainable development and global governance here on Earth. We must thus continue to uphold outer space as a domain of opportunity for all nations, and work together towards preserving it as a peaceful, accessible, and rule-based environment for the conduct of space activities. 

4        This is crucial because outer space is no longer merely a distant frontier. Developments in space are felt keenly on Earth and have profoundly shaped our societies and economies. For decades, humanity has relied on space infrastructure and technologies to enable communications, provide navigation, forecast weather, and monitor the health of our planet. While improved access to outer space, and the growing number of space actors, both state and non-state, have brought immense opportunity, they have also introduced new complexities. Maintaining dialogue and cooperation will be key to avoiding conflict and preserving the long-term sustainability of outer space activities. This is especially vital for emerging spacefaring nations who stand to benefit from these advancements. Allow me to make three points to highlight how Singapore is contributing to this. 

5        First, Singapore is committed to ensuring that discussions promoting safe and responsible behaviour in outer space remain open, inclusive, and transparent. This builds on the existing consensus concerning international norms applicable in outer space. While Singapore is a small state, we believe that small states can make meaningful contributions in the promotion of the peaceful uses of outer space. We actively engage in multilateral fora, such as the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), the International Aeronautical Congress, and the ASEAN Sub-Committee on Space Technology and Applications (SCOSA). These efforts underscore our consistent commitment to driving a multilateral approach to shaping best practices, norms, principles and standards to advance peaceful uses and cooperation in space. 

6        Second, Singapore strongly supports the development and deployment of innovative space-based technologies to help us better address present-day climate, sustainability and development challenges. To this end, Singapore’s national space office launched the Earth Observation Initiative (EOI) in February this year, with the aim of using earth observation satellite data to tackle pressing issues like food and water security, climate change, and disaster response across the equatorial belt. The EOI connects stakeholders with clear operational needs to those with the technical capabilities to address them. By combining these elements, we seek to accelerate the innovation of practical solutions to make a positive impact. 

7        Third, to strengthen our contributions to peaceful efforts and cooperation in outer space, Singapore is actively growing our space expertise and capabilities. Earlier this year, we announced our approach to the next bound of development of Singapore’s space sector, accompanied by a S$60 million top-up to the Space Technology Development Programme (STDP) over two years. This brings the total committed government funding to over S$200 million to directly fuel R&D and its translation to practical solutions within our universities and research institutions. Complementing this, Singapore will also convene the inaugural Space Summit from 2 to 3 February 2026, bringing together senior leaders from space agencies, industry players and thought leaders to discuss the theme “New Frontiers: Shaping a Responsible and Inclusive Space Future”. We are also partnering UNOOSA through the Space Law for New Space Actors programme, and earlier this month, hosted a Space Law Technical Advisory Mission to strengthen Singapore’s expertise in international space law. We welcome international agencies and industry partners to collaborate with us on these efforts. 

Mr Chair 

8        In closing, Singapore would like to reaffirm our support for the UN’s efforts to create a peaceful outer space, and emphasise that the realisation of this goal requires the collective will and cooperation of all members of the international community.

9        Thank you.