STATEMENT BY MR BURHAN GAFOOR, PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF SINGAPORE TO THE UNITED NATIONS, ON PLENARY AGENDA ITEM 121 ON: REVITALISATION OF THE WORK OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, 6 OCTOBER 2016

Thank you, Mr President.

1                 Singapore aligns itself with the statement delivered by Laos on behalf of ASEAN and by Algeria on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement.  I would like to make five additional points.

2                 First, the revitalisation of the General Assembly is a work in progress.    We have made great strides over the last two years, with the adoption of two milestone resolutions, under the able leadership of the Permanent Representatives of Croatia and Namibia, and I take this opportunity to congratulate them.  However, we must not rest on our laurels.   As you said, the process to improve the work of the General Assembly and its processes must continue, and it must continue on the basis of consensus and enlarging the circle of consensus.      

3                  Second, we welcome your commitment to strengthen the transparency, accountability and institutional memory of the Office of the President of the General Assembly (OPGA).  We support the practical initiatives taken by former President of the General Assembly Mogens Lykketoft, notably the preparation and circulation of the Handover Report, which helped to not only strengthen the institutional memory of the Office of the President of the General Assembly, but also promote greater transparency in the work of the Office of the President of the General Assembly. We would suggest that the President of the General Assembly build on the Handover Report by compiling best practices that can be adopted by future incoming Presidents of the General Assembly. We welcome your decision to retain several staff, including the Chef de Cabinet of your precedessor.  We believe that these initiatives will promote greater continuity and strengthen the operational effectiveness of the Office of the President of the General Assembly.  We call on the next Secretary-General to place priority on this issue, and we look forward to the proposals by the Secretary-General to review the budget allocation to the Office of the President of the General Assembly.

4                  Third, the process to make the selection and appointment of the Secretary-General and other heads must become more open and transparent.  We welcome the new standard of openness and transparency that has been established for the selection and appointment of the next UN Secretary-General, which was ushered in by the former President of the General Assembly. 

5                  In this regard, we look forward to the earliest opportunity for the General Assembly to engage in a meaningful, interactive dialogue with the Secretary-General designate. We hope this interactive, informal dialogue can take place before the formal appointment of the next Secretary-General by the General Assembly. 

Mr President,

6                 We would also suggest as Singapore that you, President of the General Assembly, consider initiating a regular dialogue with the UN Secretary-General.  This could take the form of a townhall meeting, held on a regular basis, with all members of the General Assembly and presided by you.  The aim will be to continue to build on the interactions and understanding between the General Assembly and the office of the Secretary-General.

7                  The fourth point that I wish to make is that the improvements in the appointment process must not stop with the Secretary-General but must extend to all other senior appointments within the organisation.  We call on the next Secretary-General to make appointments based on merit, taking into accout gender and geographical balance, while ensuring also the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity.   We do not believe that the appointment of senior officials, in particular the USGs and ASGs, can be considered as being part of any deal or any pre-agreed package among a handful of countries.

8                  Fifth and finally, my delegation attaches importance to improving the working methods of the General Assembly and its main committees.   One priority is to ensure that the agendas of the General Assembly, especially the Second and Third Committees, and the Economic and Social Council and its subsidiary bodies, work coherently to support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.  Our Leaders have adopted the 17 goals and its 169 targets.  The onus is on all of us to ensure that we deliver on them.  We are happy to note that the President of the General Assembly has made the implementation of the 2030 Agenda a key priority.  We look forward to your strategy paper and will work with you to see how best the UN can work together with Member States to make a difference to our citizens.  I also endorse your comments, Mr President, on the need to review the arrangements for the High-Level Week. We should aim to have less numbers of high-level meetings but try and make them more focused and effective.

Mr President,

9                 Let me conclude by saying that we have every confidence in you that you will build on the strong foundations laid by your predecessor, and take the General Assembly to new heights of transparency, accountability, efficiency and legitimacy.  My delegation stands ready to continue working closely with you and your team and to contribute positively to this process.

10               I thank you, Mr President.

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