STATEMENT DELIVERED BY CHARGE D’ AFFAIRES A.I. OF THE REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE MARK SEAH, AT THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY PLENARY MEETING ON THE RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT, 23 JUNE 2022

Thank you, Mr President,

1 At the outset, allow me to join other speakers in expressing sympathy to Afghanistan over the lives lost to yesterday’s earthquake.

Mr President,

2 I thank the Secretary-General for his report entitled “The Responsibility to Protect: Prioritising Children and Youth” which considers the special needs of children and youth in the context of atrocity crimes. This report is both timely and substantive as the world is unfortunately witnessing a dramatic increase in the frequency and scale of mass atrocity crimes.  

Mr President,

3 Singapore has been a member of the Group of Friends of R2P since the Group was established. We joined because we subscribe to the core principle of R2P that fundamentally, it is the responsibility of each State to protect its own population from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity.  It is also important that the international community should be prepared to take collective action, in a timely and decisive manner, to help to protect populations against such crimes should peaceful means be inadequate and national authorities manifestly fail to do so.

4 This core principle – that each country must protect its population from atrocity crimes – seems to state the obvious. However, nearly two decades after the adoption of the 2005 World Summit Outcome document, consensus on R2P is tenuous at best. History has shown us that it is difficult if not impossible to reach consensus on whether and how the international community can take “timely and decisive action”. It is difficult for the normative agenda of R2P to advance if the concept is undermined to serve the interests of one or a group of countries. It is in this context that Singapore would like to recall and restate our understanding of the three pillars of R2P that form the foundation of our debate today.

5 First, the primary responsibility for the protection of populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity rests with States. National governments cannot abdicate their responsibility to protect their citizens. Instability and extremism flourish when the needs and aspirations of citizens are not met. Singapore places significant emphasis on the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 16 on the promotion of peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development. We are committed to building an inclusive and harmonious society regardless of race and religion and to guard against fault lines that could emerge from within or without.

6 Second, the international community has a responsibility to support States in their national efforts to improve resilience. In line with the Secretary-General’s vision for a “networked multilateralism”, the UN, regional organisations, and civil society must work together to build the necessary institutions and capacities for a resilient and inclusive society. Prevention is better than cure. We must collectively ensure that the conditions for instability and conflict never arise in the first place.

7 This leads me to the third pillar of R2P, that the international community has a responsibility to protect when a national authority has manifestly failed to protect its population. Small states such as Singapore look to the Security Council to live up to its global responsibility to maintain international peace and security. Unfortunately, the veto has been used too often in the past to prevent action to address crimes of atrocity, at the cost of innocent lives. We welcome initiatives calling on Members of the Security Council to respond to and address the risk of atrocity crimes, including the ACT Code of Conduct and the French-Mexican initiative on the use of the veto in case of mass atrocities. Singapore was also pleased to co-sponsor the resolution to create a standing mandate for the General Assembly to hold a debate whenever a veto is cast in the Security Council. This would ensure greater transparency and accountability each time a vote is cast by a permanent member.

Mr President,

8 Singapore calls on the permanent members of the Security Council to make a commitment that they will refrain from using the veto to block Council action aimed at preventing or ending genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. This will not only signal resolve of the Security Council to address mass atrocity crimes, but it will also enhance the credibility and legitimacy of the Council.

9 I thank you.

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