STATEMENT BY MR MARK SEAH, DEPUTY PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF SINGAPORE, ON AGENDA ITEM 112, ON MEASURES TO ELIMINATE INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM, SIXTH COMMITTEE, 3 OCTOBER 2022

1 Thank you, Mr Chair. I would first like to congratulate you and members of your bureau on your election.  Please be assured of Singapore’s full support.

2 Despite the other challenges we face, the international community must not neglect our efforts to counter terrorism and extremism.  We must not allow terrorist groups to exploit vulnerabilities in our social structures which may have been exacerbated by other global challenges.  It is now more important than ever that we stay vigilant.

3 Eliminating international terrorism requires continuous efforts by all Member States at the national, regional and international levels.  I wish to highlight some of the steps taken by Singapore to combat terrorism at each of these levels.

4 First, the Singapore Government completed work this year on our National Strategy on Countering the Financing of Terrorism, which will be published soon.  This strategy lays out the blueprint for Singapore’s approach to addressing terrorism financing risks.  It will serve as a roadmap for future action to prevent, detect and deter terrorism financing.  It sets out five points: (1) coordinated and comprehensive risk identification; (2) strong legal and sanctions frameworks; (3) robust regulatory regime and risk targeted supervisory framework; (4) decisive law enforcement actions; and (5) international partnerships and cooperation.  

5 Second, Singapore rehabilitates radicalised individuals.  Identified radicalised individuals engage in religious, psychological and social rehabilitation which is customised to meet their specific needs and circumstances.  Such rehabilitation helps counter radical ideology imbibed by these individuals, and addresses their vulnerability to radical influence.  This helps them integrate back into society and successful reintegration will strengthen the fabric of our society against the threat posed by terrorist groups.

6 Third, at the regional and international levels, Singapore continues to actively engage other Member States on counter-terrorism.  As a member of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), Singapore regularly participates in and supports regional forums and projects on counter-terrorism within our region.  We are party to 15 global counter-terrorism agreements.  On 21 September 2022, the Counter-Terrorism Information Facility was officially opened in Singapore.  This multilateral, inter-agency facility, which began operations in January 2021, brings together like-minded countries with the intention to combat terrorism through the use of collective intelligence and data-driven methods.  

Mr Chair,

7 In closing, I reiterate Singapore’s support for the working group established with a view to finalising the process on the draft comprehensive convention on international terrorism.  I acknowledge the efforts of Ambassador Rohan Perera of Sri Lanka, the Chair of the working group, and Ambassador Michael Kanu of Sierra Leone, the coordinator of outstanding issues on the draft convention, in trying to find a consensual resolution to the outstanding issues.

8 Thank you, Mr Chair.

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