STATEMENT BY MR JASON TAN, FIRST SECRETARY (SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT), PERMANENT MISSION OF THE REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE TO THE UNITED NATIONS, AT THE SECOND PREPARATORY COMMITTEE MEETING FOR THE 4TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SMALL ISLAND DEVELOPING STATES, 1 APRIL 2024
1 April 2024
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Thank you, Co-Chairs.
Singapore aligns itself with the statement made by Uganda on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, and Samoa on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS).
2 I thank the co-chairs of the preparatory committee, Maldives and New Zealand, for all your efforts in bringing us closer to finalizing the next programme of action for SIDS for the next decade. This document is the most important deliverable for the 4th SIDS Conference, which we are less than 2 months away from. It needs to be an action-oriented document, filled with commitments from the international community to support SIDS to tackle the challenges of today and tomorrow, and achieve our sustainable development aspirations.
3 But that is not what is happening. We are witnessing commitments being watered down, and ambition being weakened. On issues critical to SIDS, such as climate change, water security, and financing, amongst others, we are seeing greater divergence, and not convergence.
4 But as SIDS, we have not wavered. We have continued to engage constructively, with positivity that we can still come to an agreement on an ambitious outcome document. And we will continue to do so. We remain optimistic that we are still able to build an outcome document that adequately accounts for our vulnerabilities, and adequately lays out the means by which SIDS can leapfrog progress in sustainable development in the next decade.
5 This is why we urge delegations to view this programme of action with the lenses of SIDS, and we encourage you to stand in solidarity with SIDS. This week, we must dedicate ourselves towards a comprehensive outcome document that reaffirms global commitment to support SIDS.
6 Singapore remains committed to an ambitious, action-oriented outcome document for the 4th SIDS Conference. We will continue to engage constructively with all delegations, and look forward to working closely with the co-chairs as well, to achieve this outcome.
7 Thank you.