Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan's Participation at the Extraordinary G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting, 3 September 2020

Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, in Singapore’s capacity as Convenor of the Global Governance Group (3G), attended the virtual Extraordinary G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on 3 September 2020, at the invitation of Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, His Highness Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud.

Singapore commended the 2020 Saudi G20 Presidency for its leadership and efforts in galvanising the international community to address the tremendous challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.  At the meeting, the Foreign Ministers exchanged views on national experiences and lessons learned in dealing with the pandemic.  They emphasised the need to strengthen international cooperation across borders to mitigate the impact of the measures taken.  The meeting also addressed the need to prepare for a gradual and safe re-opening of borders and work towards a recovery which is more resilient to future shocks.

Minister Balakrishnan stressed the need to keep the global supply chains open, especially for essential goods such as medical supplies.  He also emphasised the importance of accelerating the ongoing digital transformation of societies, as the past nine months have underlined how critical this is.  He underlined that the digital gap needs to be bridged so that no one is left behind.  Minister Balakrishnan added that therapeutics and vaccines should be a global good for all.

Minister Balakrishnan highlighted that Singapore will work with G20 and the relevant International Organisations to explore the gradual resumption of safe cross-border travel through comprehensive testing and rigorous contract tracing.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

SINGAPORE

3 SEPTEMBER 2020