STATEMENT BY MS. KAREN ONG, DEPUTY PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF SINGAPORE TO THE UNITED NATIONS AT THE INFORMAL MEETING OF THE PLENARY WITH THE SPECIAL ENVOY OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL ON MYANMAR UNHQ, TRUSTEESHIP COUNCIL 19 JUNE 2026

Mdm President,

Mdm Special Envoy,

                Singapore thanks Special Envoy Julie Bishop for her briefing, and reaffirms our full support for her mandate and efforts to engage all stakeholders towards a resolution to the situation in Myanmar.  

2             More than five years since the conflict, the situation in Myanmar remains unstable and complex. Hostilities are unabated, civilians continue to bear the heaviest cost, and the humanitarian crisis, compounded by last year’s devastating earthquake, has only deepened. This is not a crisis that the international community can allow to recede from view.   

3             Singapore’s position remains guided by the Five-Point Consensus, or 5PC. We urge all parties to swiftly and fully implement the 5PC, which is ASEAN’s agreed framework for addressing the situation in Myanmar. The principles remain unchanged: a genuine cessation of hostilities, safe and unimpeded humanitarian access regardless of territorial control, and the creation of conditions conducive to inclusive dialogue.

4             We are realistic about the challenges. Progress on implementing the 5PC remains limited, and the conditions necessary to achieve an inclusive political resolution has yet to emerge. Some steps have been taken but there is much more to be done. But limited progress is not a reason to disengage. The UN has an indispensable role to play, together with ASEAN. The UN must press for the cessation of hostilities, sustain attention on the protection and humanitarian needs of civilians, and keep every channel open for dialogue.

5             We are concerned that, amid competing global crises, Myanmar risks slipping off the international agenda. It must not. Sustained UN engagement, including through the General Assembly, is not merely a matter of principle, but as the Special Envoy has alluded to, a test of this organisation’s relevance.

6             Singapore will continue to do our part, within ASEAN and here at the UN. We reiterate our support for the efforts of Special Envoy Julie Bishop as well as ASEAN Chair the Philippines, including Special Envoy Her Excellency Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro, in engaging all stakeholders and leading ASEAN’s response towards a lasting and peaceful resolution in Myanmar.

             Thank you.