STATEMENT BY AMBASSADOR BURHAN GAFOOR, PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF SINGAPORE ON THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL NEGOTIATIONS (IGN)

Good morning Co-chairs, 

1      As this is our very first meeting, please allow me to congratulate our two wonderful co-chairs for their courage and commitment in leading this very important intergovernmental, multilateral process. I assure both of them of Singapore’s full support. 

Co-chairs, 

2      The IGN process has made some progress and built some areas of convergence, thanks to your work as co-chairs and the work of your predecessors.  The fact is that we are meeting today, faced with turbulence, great power rivalry and the unilateral exercise of power. The UN and the multilateral system are being challenged and severely tested. But we have no alternative but to press on with this process and build on the areas of convergences. The need for reform has become even more urgent and necessary, to protect and strengthen the multilateral system. 

3      Singapore has taken the consistent position that the composition of the Council must reflect the diversity of the UN membership and current realities in order to be credible and have legitimacy. We have also expressed our support for expansion in both categories of membership – permanent and non-permanent. We will also, as a delegation, keep an open mind and take a pragmatic approach as we review all the different models. In particular, we will focus on how the models contribute to inclusivity and representativeness. In this regard, please allow me to make a few points. 

4      Firstly, any reform exercise must address the perspectives and aspirations of small states who represent the large majority of the UN membership.  No reform model would be credible if it does not make a reference to the representation of small states, especially small states from under-represented regions or regional groups that do not practice subregional rotation. We welcome and endorse the idea of an additional cross-regional rotating seat for SIDS. This is a good step forward, but we think that we need to go further. Only one extra seat for SIDS when more than 50 small states have never served in the Council is not reasonable nor realistic. We do not have a specific proposal at this stage in terms of numbers or models. Our requirement at this stage is that small states have to be more equitably represented in any reformed Council, and that would be the criteria against which we will assess all models. 

5      Secondly, priority must also go towards addressing the historical underrepresentation of Africa and other regions. My own region, the Asia Pacific region, one of the UN’s largest and most diverse groups, is also proportionally under-represented on the Council. Representation across the regional groups must be fair and equitable. No single region should dominate the Council. 

6      Thirdly, reform is not only about improving the representativeness of the Council but enhancing its performance. A reformed Council must operate within certain parameters that reinforce respect for international law and adherence to the UN Charter. We believe that there is a need for safeguards that will strengthen the accountability of all members of the Council, especially the permanent members. We have previously suggested the idea of a Declaration of Responsibilities for both existing and potential members to meet this objective of enhancing accountability. This has to be, in our view, part of any agreed package of reforms to be eventually adopted. 

7      Singapore stands ready to continue engaging constructively with all Member States. We thank you for your leadership. 

.    .    .    .