STATEMENT BY MR NATHANIEL KHNG, MINISTER-COUNSELLOR (LEGAL), PERMANENT MISSION OF THE REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE TO THE UNITED NATIONS, ON AGENDA ITEM 84, ON THE RULE OF LAW AT THE NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL LEVELS, SIXTH COMMITTEE, 17 OCTOBER 2024

Thank you, Mr Chair,

1 I wish, at the outset, to reaffirm Singapore’s unwavering support for the rule of law at the national and international levels.  The rule of law is an existential matter for small States like Singapore.  It is also fundamental for the maintenance of international peace and security, and for the achievement of sustainable development.  

2 My delegation thanks the Secretary-General for his report under this agenda item.  We take note of the information that it contains on the United Nations’ rule of law-related activities.  One development highlighted in the report, which we welcome, would be the adoption and opening for signature of the BBNJ Agreement.  During this year’s UN Treaty Event, in line with our strong support for the rule of law, Singapore deposited our instrument of ratification to became a party to the Agreement.

3 One other recent development that my delegation welcomes would be the recent adoption of the Pact for the Future.  Grounded in the rule of law, Member States in the Pact have reaffirmed our unwavering commitment to act in accordance with international law, including the Charter of the United Nations and its purposes and principles. My delegation agrees with the President of the General Assembly that the Pact offers a powerful blueprint for strengthening multilateralism and the rule of law at the international level towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. We are honoured to have been the proponent of two rule of law-related actions in the Pact—namely, Action 17 relating to the International Court of Justice and Action 22 on maritime safety and security. 

Mr Chair,

4 I now turn to the sub-topic of the debate.  Allow me to share four ways in which Singapore has supported “full, equal and equitable participation at all levels in the international legal system”.

(a) First, Singapore is an ardent supporter of peaceful resolution of disputes. Singapore plays our part by improving accessibility to international dispute settlement mechanisms, including by hosting an international office of the Permanent Court of Arbitration, being a venue for the peaceful settlement of investment disputes before the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), and being the first country to have a model agreement for proceedings before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea to take place outside the Tribunal’s headquarters. 

(b) Second, Singapore participates actively in the work of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), including in the discussions that culminated in the adoption in principle of the Statute of the Advisory Centre on International Investment Dispute Resolution. The Advisory Centre seeks to help States build capacity to prevent and address investor-State disputes. This is a step towards helping States to achieve full, equal and equitable participation in managing international investment disputes. 

(c) Third, the ASEAN Law and Policy Academy was held in Singapore this year. This is a flagship programme of the Centre for International Law (CIL) of the National University of Singapore, and is a cross-disciplinary programme for policymakers, practitioners, and academics. The modules were created and taught by an international faculty of experts and provide participants with a deeper understanding of ASEAN institutions and key developments in ASEAN’s economic integration, foreign affairs and legal framework.

(d) Fourth, Singapore has partnered with the World Justice Project to promote the rule of law. In June this year, the Centre for Asian Legal Studies (CALS) of the National University of Singapore and the World Justice Project, with the support of our Ministry of Law, held a research conference in Singapore on the theme “Advancing the Rule of Law in Asia Pacific”. More than 50 participants from a range of jurisdictions attended the event, including academics, legal practitioners, civil society actors and government officials. 

Mr Chair,

5 I wish to conclude by highlighting that the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea celebrates, in November this year, the 30th anniversary of its entry into force. This is significant as the Convention, the constitution for the oceans, remains to this day one of the United Nations’ greatest achievements in addressing complex issues of the global commons through the codification and progressive development of international law. We reiterate our call for Member States to draw inspiration from the success of the Convention as we continue to strive collectively to strengthen the rule of law.

6 Thank you, Mr Chair.
   

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