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SINGAPORE’S EXPLANATION OF VOTE AFTER THE VOTE ON A/78/L.48 ON “MEASURES TO COMBAT ISLAMOPHOBIA” AT THE PLENARY OF THE 78TH UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY, 15 MARCH 2024

15 March 2024

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Thank you very much, Mr President.


              Singapore attaches great importance to the issue of combatting Islamophobia and we thank the OIC for submitting this timely resolution. As a multicultural and multi-religious country, Singapore also attaches great importance to combat all forms of religious hatred and discrimination. 


2            In 2014, a Pew Research Centre study identified Singapore as the world’s most religiously diverse country. In 2022, the same survey continued to note that Singapore’s religious diversity was “remarkable on a global scale”. As a nation, Singapore has therefore always prioritised racial and religious harmony as key to our social cohesion. As a reflection of our commitment to ensure harmony, peace and security among various religious groups and to prevent incitement and hatred against any religion, the Parliament of Singapore passed the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Bill in 1990 to ensure that followers of different religions exercise tolerance towards each other’s beliefs, and not instigate religious enmity or hatred. In 2019, the Singapore Parliament updated the Bill to respond more effectively to incidents of religious disharmony and new threats against religious harmony.


Mr President,


3            It is in this context of Singapore’s deep commitment to racial and religious harmony that my delegation had today voted in favour of the resolution L.48 entitled “Measures to combat Islamophobia”. We also wish to place on record that we had voted in favour of the amendment to OP2, as we regard it as being in line with our approach to condemn the incitement to discrimination, hostility and violence against all religions and beliefs. At the same time, we regret very much that the EU’s amendment had failed to reflect concerns about the desecration of religious holy books. Singapore wishes to make it very clear that we condemn the desecration of any religious holy book, without any bias and without any selectivity.


4            Thank you for your attention.


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