WELCOME REMARKS BY AMBASSADOR BURHAN GAFOOR, PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF THE REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE TO THE UNITED NATIONS, AT OPENING OF UNITAR BRIEFING FOR DELEGATES ON THE 77TH SESSION OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY AND THE MAIN COMMITTEES, 12 SEPTEMBER 2022, 1000 HRS

Thank you very much, Nikhil Seth, Executive Director of UNITAR.

2               I acknowledge the presence of His Excellency Csaba Körösi, President-Elect of the 77^th Session of the General Assembly, and my good friend.  Nikhil and I were both delegates when we arrived here in September 1990. Indeed, we spent quite a lot of time at the Vienna Café, more so than in the halls of the Plenary.  I would indeed agree with him that it is a worthwhile venue to engage in very meaningful discussions.  I also acknowledge Ruth, who was also a delegate like us in the 1990s - one could not tell by looking at her. But Ruth is a dear friend, and an expert diplomat and delegate before she crossed over to the Secretriat. My friend, Marco, Director of UNITAR’s Office in New York, thank you very much for helping us organise this event.

3               Distinguished delegates, I have to say I am very energised to see so many young faces in this room. Welcome to the briefing for delegates, and I want to once again thank the President-Elect for making time to join us this morning.

4               This is the sixth year that the Singapore Mission, as Chair of the Forum of Small States, has collaborated with UNITAR to organise this briefing.  I am very delighted that we have been able to do so in person this year, after two years of virtual briefings.  At the end of the day, there is no substitute for in-person diplomacy, face-to-face conversations and human contact.  I hope that this meeting, being held in person, is a sign of confidence in the future as we move towards normalcy here at the UN.   

5               Even in the best of times, the ways and methods of the UN can be very, very confusing, even for experienced diplomats, not to mention overwhelming.  To the newcomers, perhaps some of you may find it intimidating.  Do not be intimidated. Behind the machine, there are people, there are diplomats and there are wonderful secretariat officials who want to make this system work.  In any event, that is why we in Singapore thought that it is important to have some kind of orientation for newly arrived diplomats, because in many ways, you represent the future of your country’s diplomacy, and you represent the future of the multilateral system. We hope that this orientation programme or seminar will be a small contribution to helping each one of you better understand the multilateral system, but also make networks of friendship with diplomats of other countries.  The course was [initially] opened to members of the Forum of Small States, which is an informal cross regional grouping that brings together over hundred countries.  In 2019, we thought that because it was so meaningful and sought after, we should open the course to the entire UN membership. Indeed, there are many of you here who are from FOSS, and also from beyond the FOSS membership.  

6               Distinguished delegates, the UN is at a critical milestone and the multilateral system is being tested.  But I want to say that the multilateral system is not dead.  It needs our help.  This is the only universal organisation that we have, and that we must preserve to make sure it works.  It is very important that in these troubled times of politics and polarisation, that we find solutions at the international level.  The UN is there as a neutral platform for us to find solutions to the many, many issues that are on the agenda of the UN.  I will not enumerate the issues because I do not want to give you the impression that we have a selective sense of prioritisation.  Each one of you will have your own priorities as you come to this GA.

7                I want to say a few things: First, in the UN context, the role of individual diplomats matters.  Your role as a diplomat for your country can make a difference.  You are not going to be a faceless or anonymous diplomat from your country, just sitting through a committee meeting.  You, as a diplomat, can and I hope will, make a difference in the context of any discussions that you may be participating in.  It is often very easy to read out instructions from the Capital.  We all do that. Each one of us receives Capital’s [instructions] every day, in the morning, but the challenge is to see how your national position can be accommodated in the overall context of the international community’s position.  That means everyone moving towards a common solution, moving towards the centre.  Reading out national instructions is of course the first step, but you need to go beyond.  That is where, you, as individual diplomats, you can make a difference.  Do not underestimate your influence and your capacity to contribute.  I hope that each one of you, as you are participating in the various committees and informal meetings, will help to find solutions. At the end of the day, multilateral solutions, even if they are not your preferred solutions, is better than no solution.  No solution at the international level means continued polarisation and politics, not to mention conflict.

8               Let me also say that the success of the 77^th session depends on each one of us doing our work in our respective committees.  And doing it well, in a way that we can find solutions.  I have told President-Elect that we want him to succeed.  His success as President of the 77^th session means that we have collectively succeeded.  Ultimately, it is the collective success as an international community that we must be contributing to.

9               With those comments, allow me to now say a few words about our President-Elect. You can see his CV and profile in the programme booklet, so I do not want to repeat what is already there.  I just wanted to say that His Excellency, Csaba Körösi, President-Elect, is an experienced and astute diplomat, an expert on issues of sustainable development.  He has been a lifelong activist for peace and stability. He has been a bridge builder, a peace maker, a friend of the UN, a champion of multilateralism.  But most importantly, I regard him as a close friend.  President-Elect, thank you very much for your time, thank you for spending time with the young diplomats, who in many ways, are going to be the future.  We are going to be talking about the Summit of the Future under your presidency and here we have in this room, a room full of young and energetic diplomats who represent the future of their countries, but also the future of the UN.

10             Over to you, Mr President.   

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