STATEMENT BY AMBASSADOR BURHAN GAFOOR, PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF THE REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE TO THE UNITED NATIONS ON AGENDA ITEM 120: “REVITALIZATION OF THE WORK OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY”, 4 NOVEMBER 2024

Thank you very much, Madam President.

1 My delegation aligns itself with the statements just delivered by Malaysia on behalf of ASEAN and by Algeria on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement. At the outset, I would like to congratulate Ambassador Cornel Feruță, Permanent Representative of Romania and Ambassador Mathu Joyini, Permanent Representative of South Africa, on their appointment as Co-Chairs of the Ad-Hoc Working Group on General Assembly Revitalisation. I assure them of my delegation’s full support. We also thank Ambassador Menissa Rambally, Permanent Representative of Saint Lucia, for her leadership and contributions during the past Session.

Madam President,

2 The role of the General Assembly has become more and more important in recent years. In a world of geopolitical tensions and growing multipolarity, the United Nations provides the foundation for an international system based on rule of law and the principle of sovereign equality of all nations. The UN also provides a platform for dialogue and cooperation among all nations of the world. It is a reality that as a result of geopolitical tensions, the Security Council has not always been able to demonstrate unity and leadership. While the role of the Security Council remains essential for the maintenance of international peace and security, it is equally important and necessary that we pay greater attention to the role played by the General Assembly in addressing all issues, including issues related to peace and security.

3 In this regard, the adoption of the Pact for the Future was a significant milestone for the multilateral system. The Pact for the future fundamentally reaffirms the commitment of all Member States to the UN and to the principles and purposes of the UN Charter. This expression of commitment is not trivial in the current geopolitical context. It sends a very important political statement that multilateralism and the UN Charter remain important cornerstones of our international system, not only for the present but also for the future.

4 The Pact for the Future also represents a commitment to strengthening the role of the United Nations in the maintenance of international peace and security. In a context where the Security Council is paralysed, and polarised, the commitment to strengthening the role of the United Nations must also be understood as a commitment to strengthening the role of the General Assembly. In this regard, it is worth reflecting on Action Item 16 of the Pact for the Future in which Members underlined the importance of the pacific settlement of disputes, preventive diplomacy, and mediation, as well as other aspects of the role that could be played by the United Nations. These are areas where the General Assembly can and must play an important role.

5 If we are serious about revitalising the role of the General Assembly, we should reflect seriously on the role of the General Assembly in the maintenance of international peace and security. The General Assembly is the only UN organ with universal representation, where all Member States, regardless of size, have an equal role and voice. It is also the UN’s principal deliberative and policymaking organ. The UN Charter is explicit about the Assembly’s importance. Articles 10 and 11 of the Charter make clear that the General Assembly may consider any matters under the scope of the Charter, and any questions related to the maintenance of international peace and security. In fact, Article 14 of the Charter allows the General Assembly to recommend measures for the peaceful adjustment of any situation that may impair the general welfare or friendly relations among nations. Additionally, we have to recognise that resolutions adopted by the General Assembly set norms, create standards, and articulate international law, as well as express the collective will of nations. This is why Singapore supports revitalising the role of the General Assembly, and we strongly endorse Action Item 42 of the Pact for the Future which calls for further efforts to revitalise the role of the General Assembly.

Madam President,

6 Allow me to first commend the work already done on the revitalization of the Assembly over the past year. And I would like to highlight three key developments.

7 First, the publication in August of this document known as the Assembly for Peace, which was A Digital Handbook of the UN General Assembly’s Past Practice on Peace and Security, which was produced by the UN University Centre for Policy Research. Singapore was honoured to have contributed to the production of this digital handbook in line with our longstanding commitment to implementing resolutions on revitalising the Assembly. The handbook is a useful guide to the Assembly’s past practice on peace and security, and also it serves as a useful resource when we reflect on the role that the General Assembly could play in the future with regard to the maintenance of international peace and security.

8 Second, we are pleased to note that there have been initiatives leveraging technology to improve UN work processes and to increase transparency, accountability, and inclusiveness. We welcome the ongoing launch of the mobile-friendly igov.un.org portal in all six official languages of the UN which was done in response to the request in General Assembly Resolution 77/335 which was intended to consolidate existing services on the e-deleGATE platform. We look forward to the completion of this project, which would make an important contribution to accessibility of information on the work of the UN for everyone, not just diplomats here, but also members of the public.

9 Thirdly, we are happy to note that on 17 October this year, just a few weeks ago, the First Committee adopted without a vote a draft decision proposed by Singapore and South Africa titled “Information on requests for votes”. This decision will enhance transparency, build confidence by facilitating the flow of information among all Member States, and contribute to mutual understanding and dialogue. With this decision adopted, the identity of the Member State or States that request a vote on specific paragraphs or draft resolutions as a whole must be provided by the Chair of the First Committee to the Committee when requested by any Member State. We thank members for their support for the adoption of this decision in the First Committee and we hope to have your support when that decision comes to the General Assembly for adoption later this month. 

Madam President,

10 Please allow me to make a few additional points.

11 First, we echo calls, including in the recent Report of the Ad Hoc Working Group to keep Assembly resolutions concise, debates short, and meetings to a minimum and held during regular working hours. 
The proliferation of agenda items and resolutions, and the lengthening of texts and preambular paragraphs, makes negotiations inefficient. And numerous, lengthy, and overlapping meetings impose heavy burdens on small delegations that are not well-staffed. We also reiterate our earlier calls to biennialise and triennialise resolutions, particularly where there are only technical updates. Exceptions can be made where delegations present specific and compelling reasons. Let us be more ambitious in streamlining the Assembly’s work.

12 Secondly, we repeat the need to continue to strengthen the Office of the President of the General Assembly. We thank current President, 
His Excellency Philemon Yang, for his leadership and efforts so far to unite the General Assembly. The report of the Ad Hoc Working Group outlines practical ways we can do this, ranging from building up the institutional memory of the Office, ensuring adequate resourcing, and expanding its external engagement and public profile. This would be particularly important when the President of the General Assembly comes from a smaller country with limited additional resources to fund the work of the Office through their own means. We call on all Member States to contribute and provide relevant resources for the work of the Office of the President of the General Assembly. 

13 Thirdly, we reiterate the need for transparency and inclusiveness in the selection and appointment of the UN Secretary-General, as stressed in operative paragraph 58 of Resolution 77/335. My delegation had put forward a proposal at the 77th Session of the General Assembly in which we had called upon Member States “to outline and describe the process for the selection of the UN Secretary-General”. The proposal we had put forward was a very simple one, and it was intended to introduce greater transparency in the selection process by outlining and describing the process for the selection of the Secretary-General. It is our hope that this proposal will be reconsidered when we meet again in the Working Group at this session, and we hope that our proposal will be considered in a positive light, in line with the sentiments expressed in Resolution 77/335 on the need to improve the working methods of our Organisation.

Madam President,

14 Let me conclude by saying that a stronger, more effective UN begins with a stronger and more effective General Assembly. Singapore is committed to working with all Member States to deliver ambitious and forward-looking outcomes at this Session’s meetings of the Ad Hoc Working Group, especially as we prepare to negotiate the biennial resolution to be adopted under this agenda item. 

15 I thank you very much for your attention.

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