REMARKS BY AMBASSADOR BURHAN GAFOOR, PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF SINGAPORE TO THE UN, AT THE INFORMAL INTERACTIVE DIALOGUE WITH HER EXCELLENCY ANNALENA BAERBOCK, CANDIDATE FOR THE POSITION OF PRESIDENT OF THE 80TH SESSION OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY TRUSTEESHIP COUNCIL CHAMBER, UNITED NATIONS, NEW YORK 15 MAY 2025

Mr President,

                Thank you very much for convening today’s important interactive dialogue, and I also thank Her Excellency Annalena Baerbock for her opening remarks which has laid out a very positive, constructive and comprehensive vision of the role of the General Assembly and her own role as President of this important organ of the multilateral system.

                I welcome in particular, the theme of “Better Together”, because it is a fact that we are always better when we work together. It is also a fact that the multilateral system is facing unprecedented challenges. We are witnessing great power rivalry, economic fragmentation, and also an erosion of respect for the rule of law. It is therefore more important than ever to double down on multilateralism that is founded on the Charter and international law. We cannot allow the notion to prevail that might is right and that the rule of law is malleable. In this regard, we do not want a “Me First” multilateralism. What we want is a multilateralism of “We” – the peoples, that is practised and reinforced. For many small States like Singapore, a multilateral rules-based system founded on the UN Charter and international law is the foundation of our very existence and survival.

Your Excellency Ms Baerbock,

                You have addressed many of the points that I wanted to raise, so I will not dwell on them further. But in particular, I wish to underline the importance of the implementation of the Pact for the Future, the need to strengthen the role of the General Assembly in peace and security, and our need to work together in implementing the UN80 initiative.

                There is one issue that I wish to raise which has not yet been raised, which is in relation to the ocean. Clearly, urgent actions are needed in line with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea to address the wide range of threats to the health of the oceans. The upcoming Ocean Conference in Nice will provide an opportunity to raise ambition and increase momentum for concrete action. An important step would be the early entry into force of the BBNJ Agreement. We expect that the BBNJ Agreement will very likely enter into force under the next President of the General Assembly, likely under your Presidency, which will be the case if we have sufficient ratifications. In this regard, I wanted to ask whether you have any plans on how you intend to support this process and give it the visibility that we all need and deserve in order to protect the oceans.

                I thank you very much for your attention.

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