STATEMENT BY MS KAREN ONG, DEPUTY PERMANENT REPRSENTATIVE OF SINGAPORE TO THE UNITED NATIONS, AT THE 63RD SESSION OF THE COMMISSION FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT, 10 FEBRUARY 2025

Mr Chair,

1 With five years to go, we are regrettably far from achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The crises we face today – pandemics, climate change, geopolitical tensions – have all served to make achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals much more complex. Yet they also underscore the critical importance of social resilience and cohesion. 

2 Singapore is a small island State with very few natural resources. Our most valued resource is our people. That is why Singapore’s governance has been built upon developing a fair and inclusive society that prioritises building social resilience and social cohesion. Allow me to outline a few of our social development policies that exemplify this approach.  

3 First, Singapore believes that strong and stable families are the bedrock of our society. We are committed to supporting families and ensuring that Singaporeans can achieve their marriage and parenthood aspirations. Last year, we doubled the Government-Paid Paternity Leave to four weeks, increased Unpaid Infant Care Leave, and introduced a new Shared Parental Leave scheme comprising up to 10 weeks of paid leave, on top of existing parental leave entitlements. This will crucially help new parents, especially fathers, be more involved in caring for their children, and encourage shared parental responsibility. We also released the Tripartite Guidelines on Flexible Work Arrangements (FWAs) to foster a more inclusive workplace. With these initiatives, we aim to help parents and caregivers better manage work and family commitments, fostering social cohesion at both the family and community levels.  

4 Second, Singapore strongly believes that older persons should be enabled to age with purpose and dignity. By 2026, Singapore will reach super-aged status – where 21% of our population is aged 65 and above. We understand the importance of ensuring that older persons are given the support to live independently. That is why, in 2023, we launched “Age Well SG”, an inter-ministry effort to support our seniors to age actively, stay socially connected, and be cared for within their communities. Age Well SG will undertake a nationwide transformation across the areas of housing, transport, active ageing and care services to anchor ageing in the community. This includes the expansion of the network of Active Ageing Centres to make them accessible to every senior. Through a holistic approach, we aim to foster a stronger sense of community among the elderly, strengthen intergenerational bonds and maintain the social fabric even as our demographic profile continues to evolve. 

5 Third, we believe that building an inclusive society in which persons with disabilities (PwDs) are empowered and enabled to participate fully is essential for true social cohesion. In line with our international obligations, including those under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, we launched the fourth iteration of our national disability roadmap in 2022, the Enabling Masterplan 2030 (EMP2030). Under this plan, we set specific goals to strengthen support for lifelong learning, enable PwDs to live independently, and create inclusive physical social environments. To support inclusive employment, Singapore has introduced a range of measures, including legislation to prohibit workplace discrimination, enhanced job placement and job coaching services, and provided job redesign grants and wage offsets to encourage employers to hire inclusively. We also launched our first pilot Enabling Business Hub in December 2023, to encourage more inclusive employment in growth industries and showcase how jobs could be redesigned to include employees with disabilities. Through these efforts, the employment rate of PwDs has increased to 33 percent in 2023 from 28 percent in 2019. We aim to raise this further to 40 percent by 2030.

Mr Chair,

6 These initiatives are some examples of Singapore’s social development policies. As we approach the Second World Summit for Social Development, we must seize the opportunity to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. With collective resolve, we can build inclusive and resilient societies in which every individual and every family can participate fully. 

7 Thank you.  

. . . . .