STATEMENT BY MR BRANDON CHOONG, DELEGATE OF THE REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE TO THE 78TH SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY ON AGENDA ITEM 24, ON SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT, THIRD COMMITTEE, 28 SEPTEMBER 2023

Mr Chair,

1 Thank you for giving me the floor. Singapore aligns itself with the statements made by Cuba on behalf of the G77 and China, as well as Viet Nam on behalf of ASEAN. Singapore also congratulates the Chair and Bureau on your election. We assure the Chair of our support and constructive contributions.

2 As a small country with limited natural resources, Singapore’s approach to governance has always been aimed at building a fair and inclusive society that prioritises the social and economic development of our people. Allow me to touch on several aspects of our social development policies.

3 First, Singapore strongly believes in the importance of building a society where persons with disabilities are empowered and enabled to participate fully. Our disability initiatives are grounded on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In line with our international commitments, Singapore launched the fourth iteration of our national roadmap last year, called the Enabling Masterplan 2030 (EMP2030). The EMP2030, developed in consultation with persons with disabilities, outlines the ways in which Singapore can enable persons with disabilities to pursue their aspirations and participate as integral members of society. As part of its implementation, Singapore launched its first Enabling Services Hub in August this year to better extend support for persons with disabilities and their caregivers in our local neighbourhoods.

4 Second, Singapore is strongly committed to supporting families, which form the bedrock of Singapore society. From January 2024, government-paid paternity leave will be doubled, from two to four weeks, to enable fathers to take on a greater share of caregiving responsibilities. To keep preschool education accessible and affordable, Singapore has also doubled the number of preschool places over the past decade and tripled our infant care workforce in the span of five years, from 2017 to 2022. We will continue to find new ways to support families as we look ahead to the 30^th Anniversary of the International Year of the Family next year.

5 Third, Singapore is committed to building a “future-ready” society, with policies that ensure that young Singaporeans can take the lead in shaping policies for their future. This year, we will be launching “Youth Panels”, for our youth to develop policy recommendations together with Singapore government policymakers. These panels will consist of 20 to 30 young people and will address issues that the youth themselves feel are important. Singapore is also developing a plan to mentor youths in policy participation, and has launched a SGD 100 million National Youth Fund to support policy and ground-up initiatives.

6 Fourth, Singapore is committed to helping older persons remain active, empowered members of our society. By 2030, 1 in 4 Singaporeans will be aged 65 and older. It is therefore important to provide support for older persons to live independently, with dignity and choice. To this end, Singapore has introduced several support schemes over the years such as the Silver Support Scheme, which provides quarterly cash supplements to low-income Singaporeans with little or no family support in their old age, and the Senior Mobility and Enabling Fund, which provides subsidies for assistive devices and home healthcare items for seniors. Singapore has also launched “respite services” which provide caregivers of elderly relatives temporary relief by offering care services for seniors.

7 This year, Singapore’s Ministerial Committee on Ageing also refreshed its Action Plan for Successful Ageing which was launched in 2015. The refresh aims to provide greater support for seniors around the three thrusts of ‘Care’, ‘Contribution’ and ‘Connectedness’. Initiatives of this refresh include increasing the number of Active Ageing Centres, which provide a suite of care services and engagement activities for seniors, from the current 119 to 220 by 2025. We also hope to help older persons move around safely by implementing 50 Silver Zones by 2025. These are stretches of roads with enhanced safety features such as prominent road markings and longer crossing times for seniors at pedestrian crossings.

Mr Chair,

8 This agenda item includes a wide scope of issues, and we have highlighted only a few today. There is still much that we can, and must do. Singapore will continue to ceaselessly realise inclusive societies, where both individuals and families are enabled to pursue their aspirations, achieve their potential, and participate as integral members of society, for 2030 and beyond.

9 I thank you Mr Chair.

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