STATEMENT BY MS JEAN KUA, DELEGATE TO THE 79TH SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY, ON AGENDA ITEM 78, ON THE UNITED NATIONS PROGRAMME OF ASSISTANCE IN THE TEACHING, STUDY, DISSEMINATION AND WIDER APPRECIATION OF INTERNATIONAL LAW, SIXTH COMMITTEE, 1 NOVEMBER 2024

Mr Chair,

1 Singapore thanks the Secretary-General for his report on the implementation of the Programme of Assistance and the activities planned for the coming year. 

2 My delegation would like to assure you of Singapore’s continued support for the Programme.  The Programme is a major contributor to capacity-building in international law, and its work in this regard helps promote greater adherence to, and respect for, international law. We commend the Codification Division of the Office of Legal Affairs for its tireless efforts in conducting both in-person and online training programmes despite the liquidity situation of the Organization.  

Mr Chair,

3 My delegation is pleased that the 2024 edition of the International Law Fellowship Programme was successfully conducted and we applaud the regional and gender inclusivity in the awarding of the fellowships.  We are also pleased that the regional courses for the Asia-Pacific, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean were conducted in-person. These courses continue to provide invaluable training in international law. Their in-person format also provides a platform for the participants to build professional relationships with each other and the instructors.  In connection with this, my delegation encourages the Codification Division to continue to develop and strengthen the alumni network of participants in these courses. 

4 Turning to the UN Audiovisual Library of International Law (AVL), my delegation notes that the AVL continues to be an invaluable archive of historical and contemporary material aimed to promoting a better understanding of international law.  Singapore appreciates the updates to the AVL but notes that no new lectures were recorded during the period under review as a result of temporary restrictions on hiring across the Secretariat due to the liquidity situation.  In the spirit of leveraging on new and emerging technology, we suggest that the AVL could explore whether Artificial Intelligence can be used to enhance the management, accessibility and analysis of the resources archived in the AVL, for example, in automated indexing, speech and text recognition, content summarization, enhancing search capabilities and creating personalised learning paths for users.  These could revolutionise the management of the AVL archives, making them more accessible and easier to navigate for all users.

5 Singapore continues to actively contribute to the teaching, study, dissemination, and wider appreciation of international law through capacity-building initiatives. More than 70 government officials attended courses on topics such as the international law of the sea, climate change and WTO trade remedies disciplines over the last two years under the Singapore Cooperation Programme – our primary platform to give back to the international community for the technical assistance that we received in our early years. We will conduct four courses related to international maritime law, international commercial dispute resolution and international trade law in the coming months. Separately, the Singapore Ministry of Law and the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) jointly organised the 2024 UNCITRAL Academy in August this year. This included a capacity-building workshop for government officials on the Singapore Convention on Mediation, as well as on investor-State mediation. 

6 Earlier this year, the Centre for International Law (CIL) of the National University of Singapore conducted the ASEAN Law and Policy Academy, which included lectures for government officials on ASEAN’s legal framework and dispute settlement mechanisms. The CIL will also organise an in-person workshop this November on treaty law and practice for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Pacific Islands Forum Member States, in coordination with the Treaty Section of the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs.   

7 Last but not least, Singapore 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 Secretary of the Advisory Committee Dr Markus Pallek for his 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 looks forward to continuing to contribute constructively and collaboratively to the Committee’s work.

8 I thank you, for your attention. 

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