STATEMENT BY MR EUGENE NG, DELEGATE TO THE 69th SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY AT THE GENERAL DEBATE OF THE SECOND COMMITTEE, 8 OCTOBER 2014

Mr Chairman,

1                 I would like to align Singapore with the statements by Bolivia, on behalf of the G77 and China; Indonesia on behalf of the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN); and Nauru on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island Developing States (AOSIS), on the general debate.  I would like to make some additional points in my national capacity.

2                 Over the past year, it seemed that the Second Committee had been perpetually working, even though its formal session ended in December 2013.  For example, the Second Committee experts followed up on the conclusion of the formal session last year with the successful negotiations, under co-facilitators appointed by the President of the General Assembly, on the modalities of the Third Financing for Development Conference, as well as the modalities for the overall review by the General Assembly of the implementation of the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society.  Most notably, most of the Second Committee experts participated in the deliberations of the Open Working Group (OWG) on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

3                 Sadly, the burden on the Second Committee is not likely to ease, nor get any easier, in the coming months, with the commencement of the inter-governmental negotiations on the post-2015 Development Agenda.  Singapore looks forward to the UN Secretary-General’s synthesis report on the range of inputs into the post-2015 Development Agenda, and stresses that the OWG report should be the main basis for integrating SDGs into the post- 2015 Development Agenda.  Singapore hopes that a pragmatic, outcome-based, and quantifiable approach to targets can be adopted for the post-2015 Development Agenda.

4                 In this context, Singapore will continue to contribute actively to the discussions in the Second Committee.  Our focus, which is based on our development experience, will be on urbanisation, water and sanitation.  On urbanisation, our delegation had participated actively in the first preparatory committee meeting of the UN Conference on Housing and Urban Development (HABITAT III) from 17-18 September 2014.  We also intend to continue our active engagement on agenda item 20 on the implementation of HABITAT II and the strengthening of the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN HABITAT), as important issues, such as the host country for HABITAT III, are to be discussed.  On water and sanitation, my delegation will be working with the relevant UN agencies and Civil Society Organisations to commemorate World Toilet Day in the context of Sanitation for All on 19 November.  This year’s focus will be on the serious problems faced by women and girls who lack basic sanitation access.  This is an issue which needs more attention than it has received so far.   

Mr Chairman,

5                 In Singapore’s view, another area which needs more attention is the means of implementation, in particular partnerships.  As Co-Chair of the Preparatory Committee of the Third UN Conference on Small Islands Developing States (SIDS), Singapore was privileged to play a small role in the success of the Conference by ensuring that the negotiations on the SAMOA Pathway were concluded in a timely fashion in New York.  This paved the way for us to focus on partnership initiatives and actions during the Conference, in line with its theme - the sustainable development of SIDS through genuine and durable partnerships.

6                 Numerous partnerships were declared at the SIDS Conference.  For these and other potential partnerships to work, the UN would need to play an enhanced role in co-ordinating them, as well as to ensure the implementation of the partnership commitments.  From this perspective, we believe that it is timely to consider the Partnerships Facility (PF), which is a cross-cutting issue involving the Second and Fifth Committees.

Mr Chairman,

7                 To conclude, my delegation, of which one is a member of the Bureau, will constructively engage in all aspects of the Committee’s work in order to assist in paving the way for the post-2015 Development Agenda.

8                 I thank you.

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