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New York UN

STATEMENT BY MR. JOSEPH TEO, DEPUTY PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF SINGAPORE TO THE UNITED NATIONS, AT THE PREPARATORY COMMITTEE ESTABLISHED BY GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION 69/292, 28 MARCH 2016

2 March 2016

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Mr. Chairman

1.                  My delegation aligns itself with the statement delivered on behalf of the G77 and China.  We congratulate the members of the bureau on their successful election.  I also wish to reiterate my delegation’s readiness to support you, Mr. Chairman, and the members of your bureau. 

Mr. Chairman

2.                  This first session of the Preparatory Committee on issues relating to the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity beyond areas of national jurisdiction (BBNJ) is a landmark in the process.  After a significant amount of time dedicated to discussions in the context of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Informal Working Group, we are now moving into a new and different phase.  In order to be effective, this new phase should not be a wholesale repetition of our discussions at the Ad Hoc Open-ended Informal Working Group.  Rather, it is time for us to engage with each other on the issues of the package agreed in 2011 and other matters relevant to an international legally-binding instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).  In this way, we can be true to the mandate of the Preparatory Committee, to make substantive recommendations to the General Assembly on the elements of a draft text.  It is in this spirit that my delegation looks forward to engaging constructively with other delegations, to build a common understanding that will take us forward.


3.                  In our discussions, my delegation trusts that we will stand guided by the General Assembly’s resolution 69/292 that established this Preparatory Committee, which resolution was carefully negotiated.  In particular, it would be important that our deliberations proceed on the basis of consensus.  This is because our negotiations must lead to an outcome that will secure the widest possible acceptance and withstand the test of time.


4.                  When engaging on the substance, my delegation strongly desires that we will respect and protect the integrity of UNCLOS.  It is in our shared interest to develop, together and as a whole, the complex and interrelated issues of the package agreed in 2011.  When doing so, we will need to chart a careful course between the competing interests in a way that does not in any way undermine UNCLOS.  The instrument that we are seeking to develop is intended to be under UNCLOS.  This underscores our duty to respect the closely interrelated nature of the provisions of the Convention and the delicate balance of interests enshrined therein. 


5.                  Thank you.



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