STATEMENT ON BEHALF OF THE ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS BY H.E. AMBASSADOR KAREN TAN, PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF THE REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE TO THE UNITED NATIONS ON AGENDA ITEM 27 ON "TOWARDS GLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS", SECOND COMMITTEE, 4 NOVEMBER 2015

Thank you, Mr Chairman.

1        I am honoured to be speaking on behalf of the 10 Member States of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN): Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, Viet Nam, and my own country, Singapore.

2        At the outset, we would like to thank the Secretary-General for his report on this agenda item, and Executive Director of the United Nations Global Compact Lise Kingo for her statement.

Mr Chairman,

3        ASEAN firmly believes that successful implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (2030 Agenda) will depend on a revitalised Global Partnership that facilitates an intensive global engagement in support of the implementation of all the goals and targets.  We must bring together Governments, the private sector, the United Nations (UN) system and other relevant stakeholders, and mobilise all available resources. 

4        Official Development Assistance (ODA) will remain central, particularly for the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS), which urgently need continued and increased support.  Developed countries therefore need to demonstrate leadership by fulfilling their ODA commitments and ramping up their support to developing countries, particularly those that most need it.  South-South and Triangular cooperation, whilst important and growing, is not a substitute for public funding from developed countries.  However, beyond ODA and South-South cooperation, we also need new multi-stakeholder partnerships with a broad range of actors, notably the private sector.

5        The private sector plays an increasingly important role in the pursuit of sustainable development at the national, regional and international levels.  In this regard, ASEAN welcomes the Secretary-General’s report on this agenda item, which concludes that the 2030 Agenda and related intergovernmental processes and agreements present a historic opportunity for the UN to expand the scope and impact of private sector engagement, such as through the UN Global Compact, cultivating new pathways to achieving common societal goals through diverse, strategic and impactful partnerships.  ASEAN agrees that measures should be taken to strengthen partnership accountability and transparency, embrace holistic and integrated approaches and advance system-wide collaboration to strengthen coherence and build capacity. 

Mr Chairman,

6        In the context of ASEAN, partnerships are of great importance to our national development and our collective efforts to build an ASEAN Community by the end of this year.  As a key stakeholder, the private sector can facilitate greater interdependence among Southeast Asian economies, and beyond and between the larger region and the global economy. 

7         ASEAN recognises the important role that Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) can play in increasing the connectivity in ASEAN.  We also see PPP as an innovative financing mechanism to help ASEAN realise the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity (MPAC).  In this regard, ASEAN Leaders welcomed the ASEAN Principles for PPP Frameworks in November 2014.  The Principles cover four main areas: policy and organisation framework for private sector participation; project selection, development and implementation; affordability and budget transparency; and transnational infrastructure connectivity.  The ASEAN PPP Principles will provide ASEAN governments with guidance on how to implement effective PPP frameworks to create a predictable and efficient PPP environment for infrastructure investment and to address issues related to cross-border regional infrastructural projects.  ASEAN is also working to strengthen PPP in ASEAN through a pipeline of potential ASEAN PPP projects, such as the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia’s (ERIA) ASEAN PPP Guidelines and a database on risk mitigation instruments.  ASEAN has also made progress in promoting Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) under the current ASEAN Strategic Action Plan for SME Development (2010-2015); and in the formulation of the ASEAN Strategic Action Plan for SME Development (2016-2025) with the vision of “Globally Competitive and Innovative SMEs”.

8        With regard to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), the ASEAN CSR Network celebrates its fifth anniversary this year.  It has grown from strength to strength in its efforts to build the CSR capacity of home-grown ASEAN companies, especially the SMEs.  Last month, the ASEAN Responsible Business Forum in Kuala Lumpur brought together stakeholders from the private and public sectors and civil society to engage in high-level dialogues and interactive consultation workshops.  Looking ahead, we will strive to achieve the ASEAN CSR Vision 2020, which will promote responsible business conduct in ASEAN through creating and adopting a shared vision, building capacity and enabling collective action.  ASEAN is firmly of the view that development partnerships with the private sector should be in full compliance with the development priorities of countries, and that the private sector must be committed to the highest standards of business ethics.

Mr Chairman,

9        ASEAN believes that a better enabling environment at all levels will help to facilitate and encourage greater private flows.  National governments need to focus on implementing clear, stable investment frameworks and environments that can enable the scaling up of investments.  However, the UN and international organisations such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) must help to ensure that the global economic framework remains conducive for growth, in the midst of on-going economic uncertainties.  The UN and international organisations, in consultation with developing countries, can and should also help put in place coordinated programmes to build the necessary capacity to enable developing countries to plug into the global economy and reap the benefits of globalisation and the knowledge revolution.

Mr Chairman,

10      To conclude, ASEAN believes that the financing for the transformative 2030 Agenda has to come from a wide variety of sources, both public and private, and including innovative sources.  The issue of public and private finance is not a zero-sum game.  We need a combination.  We stand a better chance of meeting the challenges ahead when we work in concert with each other.  National ownership is key, but new and meaningful partnerships that complement a revitalised global partnership are also important.  ASEAN stands ready to play our part.

11      I thank you.

.    .    .    .    .