STATEMENT BY MR KENNETH WONG, DELEGATE TO THE 76TH SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY, ON AGENDA ITEM 81, ON THE UNITED NATIONS PROGRAMME OF ASSISTANCE IN THE TEACHING, STUDY, DISSEMINATION AND WIDER APPRECIATION OF INTERNATIONAL LAW, 21 OCTOBER 2021

Mdm Chair,

1 Singapore associates itself with the statement by Cambodia on behalf of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. 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 firm supporter of the Programme, as we believe that it contributes to greater adherence with international law. We commend the Codification Division of the Office of Legal Affairs for its efforts in implementing the Programme during the pandemic. While we regret that the regional courses in international law could not be held as planned, we are pleased that on-line training opportunities continue to be made available until in-person activities may safely resume. During this period, the Audiovisual Library of International Law has been a particularly invaluable resource. We welcome the ongoing revamp of its website. To help make the content even more user-friendly, we previously suggested having a search engine to allow users to more easily navigate the trove of information and we look forward to its inclusion in the revamp plans. We also suggest encouraging lecturers to provide presentation slides or other visual aids for uploading on the website. This would help users follow the lectures and recall their content more easily.

Mdm Chair,

3 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. Since the last time this Committee met, the Singapore Cooperation Programme has conducted international law-related courses on topics such as the international law of the sea and its interaction with climate change, intellectual property and the digital economy, international investment law, and global health law and governance. The Centre for International Law at the National University of Singapore also continued to organise virtual courses in international law. This included a webinar on space law that the Centre co-organised with Singapore’s Attorney-General’s Chambers and Office for Space Technology and Industry, which had over 600 participants from across 81 countries.

4 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, and Ms Jessica Elbaz for her contributions as Secretary of the Advisory Committee. We appreciate the opportunity to contribute as a member of the Advisory Committee and will continue to contribute constructively to its work.

5 Thank you.

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