INTERVENTION BY MR JOSEPH TEO, CHARGE D'AFFAIRES, PERMANENT MISSION OF THE REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE TO THE UNITED NATIONS AT THE FIRST MEETING OF AD HOC WORKING GROUP ON THE REVITALISATION OF THE WORK OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, 20 FEBRUARY 2017

1.            I would like to start by associating ourselves with the statement delivered by the distinguished Permanent Representative of Algeria on behalf of NAM.

2.            I would also like to congratulate both of you on your appointment as co-chairs of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalisation of the work of the General Assembly. 

3.            We are particularly happy to see that there is finally gender balance in the General Assembly Revitalisation process.  We welcome Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh as the new co-chair.  We are delighted with the selection of Ambassador Nusseibeh of the UAE and we reassure both of you of Singapore’s support.

4.            We would also like to thank the President of the General Assembly (PGA) for his thoughtful remarks earlier this morning.

Co-Chairs,

5.            As we begin another round of discussion on General Assembly revitalisation, it is worth asking ourselves a fundamental question; what exactly are we trying to achieve?  What are our objectives?  From our point of view, there are three broad objectives. First, to reinforce the role and authority of the General Assembly as a primary organ and universal body of the UN system.  Precisely because the General Assembly is a universal body, it has a level of credibility and legitimacy that no other organ can acquire.  Our role must be to reinforce the General Assembly’s role, and not weaken its role relative to other organs. Second, we must enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the General Assembly. This means we have to find ways to work smarter and work better and hopefully make life easier for ourselves as we carry out our work in the General Assembly.  There is a third objective that is equally important, namely to enhance transparency and inclusiveness in the work of the General Assembly.  There is some tension between the need for transparency and the need for efficiency.  But we do not believe that transparency and inclusiveness can be sacrificed at the altar of efficiency and effectiveness. For small countries, transparency and inclusiveness in the work of the General Assembly is critical because small countries do not always have the opportunity to be represented or to be elected to the various bodies of the General Assembly.   For Singapore, the three objectives I have identified will be the yard-stick by which we will measure our work and measure our progress.

Co-Chairs,

6.            In the last two years, the General Assembly revitalisation process has been a bright-spot in the UN landscape.  We made good progress over the last two years, with the adoption of two milestone resolutions (Res 69/321 and 70/305). Both of these resolutions were shepherded through by Ambassador Vladimir Drobnjak of Croatia and Ambassador Wilfried Emvula of Namibia, and I take this opportunity to thank them.  Together, they serve to strengthen the authority and credibility of the General Assembly and the Office of the President of the President of the General Assembly.  It is important for us to build on this positive momentum and continue our efforts to improve the work of the General Assembly and its processes on the basis of consensus.      

7.            First, we should take a leaf out of the selection and appointment process of the Secretary General and consider what improvements we can introduce to improve the selection process of the PGA.  Currently, regional groups have the responsibility to nominate their candidates and if there is a consensus within the regional groups we should respect that.  But if there is no consensus and a process of election is triggered, then we should ensure that the process is managed in a transparent and inclusive way. This may require some kind of informal dialogues and hearings along the lines of what was done for selection process of the Secretary-General.  But even if there are no elections for the PGA, it is worth considering having some kind of hearings for the sole endorsed candidate for the PGA because that is one way where the UN membership can communicate directly with the PGA candidate before he or she is endorsed and for the PGA candidate to share his or her ideas and visions.  It is one way of enhancing transparency and enhancing inclusiveness in the process.

8.            Second, the improvements in the appointment process of the Secretary General must not stop with the Secretary-General but must extend to all other senior appointments within the organisation.  We call on the Secretary-General to make appointments based on merit, taking into account 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.   We welcome the Secretary-General’s appointment of Amina Mohammed as the next Deputy Secretary General (DSG).  We look forward to having an exchange with her on her priorities as DSG soon.  We believe that regular dialogues between the UN membership and the Secretary-General and his deputy should be institutionalised as it would help to enhance the transparency of the work by the Secretariat and provide member states with an open and transparent avenue to provide their inputs and feedback.

9.            Third, as the PGA has suggested this morning, we should take steps to preserve and enhance the special place of the general debate on the calendar of world leaders and the Organisation, and to further improve the overall preparation for and effectiveness of the annual UNGA high-level week. One suggestion is to limit the number of high-level meetings during the high-level week, possibly to no more than two, to make them more focused and effective.  This would allow Leaders/Ministers to have focused and interactive discussions on one or two critical issues at each session.  The key issues raised and guidance given by our Leaders could then be used to guide the work of the General Assembly over the rest of the year.  

10.       We should also consider rationalising, if not better organising, the number of side-events held during the high-level week.  Currently, there are just too many side-events organised, with many delegations not knowing who is organising which side event, when and on what topic.  There are also often clashes which would affect participation at each event.  Of course, it is the prerogative of each delegation to organise side-events, but if there is some way of sharing information, consolidating or coordinating information about who is organising what side event and on what topic, this will lead to firstly a greater transparency about what is happening and where, but also give delegations a sense of what is happening on a particular day.  So if we know that there are already five side events on a particular morning, we may have to think twice about hosting another one.   One suggestion is for the Secretariat to take a lead in setting up a dedicated portal for side-events during the high-level week, which member states could use to publicise their events.  Such a portal will help to enhance the transparency of the slate of meetings organised during the high-level week.

11.       Fourth, we need to continue with our work to ensure that the work of the General Assembly is fit for purpose.   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.  But there is no guarantee that subsequent PGAs will devote the same priority and attention.  The onus is on us – the member states - to ensure that the work and agenda of the General Assembly drives and supports the effective implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

12.       Finally, we support the suggestion that we look into the current practices of election campaigns at the UN to ensure that they do not inadvertently lead to an escalating spiral of costs, as each competing delegation try to outdo the campaigns of other, as this would put smaller developing countries at a disadvantage.  Campaigns should ideally focus on the quality of the candidates and their ability to contribute to the work of the body that they are seeking membership.  It should not be less about the gifts, or lavish receptions.  The Ad Hoc Working Group has successfully came up with a code of ethics for the OPGA last year.  Perhaps we could consider coming up with some guidelines for future election campaigns as part of our work this year.

Co-Chairs,

13.       The above are some suggestions to enhance the role, authority, effectiveness, efficiency, transparency and inclusiveness of the General Assembly.  Other delegations will have other ideas.   At this first meeting, we should not a priori rule out any ideas, but try to cast our net as wide as possible to gather as many ideas in our first draft for further consideration and prioritisation. My delegation looks forward to working with you co-chairs to deliver another meaningful outcome this year.

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