STATEMENT BY MR TOH SHIN HAO, DELEGATE TO THE 77TH SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY, ON AGENDA ITEM 76, ON THE UNITED NATIONS PROGRAMME OF ASSISTANCE IN THE TEACHING, STUDY, DISSEMINATION AND WIDER APPRECIATION OF INTERNATIONAL LAW, SIXTH COMMITTEE, 20 OCTOBER 2022

1 Mr Chair, we thank the Secretary-General for his report on the implementation of the Programme of Assistance and the activities planned for the coming year.

2 Singapore is a strong supporter of the Programme, as we believe that it contributes to greater adherence to international law. International Law is the foundation of our rules-based multilateral system, which is today, more necessary than ever. We commend the Codification Division of the Office of Legal Affairs for its continued efforts in providing online training opportunities despite the constraints caused by the pandemic. We are pleased that in-person training has now resumed with the conduct of the International Law Fellowship Programme in The Hague from July to August 2022, and look forward to the successful in-person conduct of the Regional Courses in International Law in the coming months.

3 During this period, the Audiovisual Library of International Law has been a particularly invaluable resource. Singapore welcomes the active work in revamping its website and greatly appreciates the responsiveness of the Codification Division in considering feedback from Member States towards this end. We previously suggested having a search engine and raised for consideration the possibility of leveraging on existing media platforms to provide a more user-friendly interface for the navigation of the wealth of online resources. We also suggested encouraging lecturers to upload presentation slides or other visual aids on the website. This would help users follow the lectures and recall the content more easily. We hope that our suggestions will assist in the ongoing efforts to modernise the website.

4 Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, Singapore continues to actively contribute to the teaching, study, dissemination, and wider appreciation of international law through capacity-building initiatives. During the period under review, the Singapore Cooperation Programme conducted five courses on International Law relating to topics in global health, maritime issues, aviation, climate change and governance. We are happy to have received more than a hundred government officials from 57 countries and regional organisations in these programmes. Furthermore, earlier this year, the Centre for International Law at the National University of Singapore conducted the fourth iteration of the ASEAN Law Academy Advanced Programme, which included lectures on ASEAN’s legal framework, treaties and dispute settlement mechanisms. The fifth iteration is tentatively scheduled to take place in February 2023, in a virtual format. In addition, Singapore’s Ministry of Law and the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) jointly organised the UNCITRAL Academy last month. The programme included capacity-building workshops for government officials on international legal instruments on dispute resolution, including in the investor-State context.

5 To conclude, my delegation wishes to thank Ambassador Harold Adlai Agyeman, the Permanent Representative of Ghana, for his stewardship of the Advisory Committee on the Programme, as well as Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and UN Legal Counsel Miguel de Serpa Soares and Director of the Codification Division and Acting Secretary of the Advisory Committee Huw Llewellyn for their contributions. The Advisory Committee’s discussions earlier this month were very fruitful and my delegation greatly appreciates the opportunity to contribute as a member of the Committee. Singapore will continue to contribute constructively and collaboratively to the Committee’s work.

6 Thank you, Mr Chair.

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