11 Sep 2023
Thank you very much, Nikhil, my dear friend. Mr. President, with your permission, I propose that we rise and observe a minute of silence for the victims of the terrible and tragic earthquake in Morrocco. Please rise. Thank you very much.
2 Mr. President, dear friend Nikhil, my dear friend, Ruth, as well as Dr. Colleen Thouez and dear delegates. This is a session that has become an annual affair at the UN. It is one of the opportunities for newly arrived delegates to come together, and to receive a series of briefings, but in the process also be informed and made aware of how the UN works, how one operates at the UN and how the different committees work and of course, it also provides a setting where fellow delegates can meet each other.
3 Singapore, as the Chair of the Forum of Small States, or FOSS, as it is called, has done these briefings for many, many years. But the demand for these briefings and these sessions were so great that we decided a few years ago to open it to all UN Members. It is in that spirit of openness and inclusiveness that we, the Permanent Mission of Singapore, have partnered with UNITAR and also with the Office of the President of General Assembly to do these briefings. Ultimately, it is important that all of us, from whichever Missions we might be from, work together with the Secretariat and with the Office of the President of the General Assembly to make this session a success. I want to be very brief because a lot of the things that I wanted to say had been said by my good friend, Nikhil. I wanted to make three brief points.
4 The first point is perhaps a paradox. At a moment when the UN is being tested like never before, at a moment when the UN is potentially seen to be irrelevant, the UN has, in fact, become more relevant than ever before, and it has become more needed and more important than ever before. That is the first point I want to make. It is important that each one of you, as you arrive from your capitals, with your respective briefings from your senior officials, with deep insight into your thinking in terms of your own national positions, keep this broader picture in mind.The United Nations is the only universal body that we have as an international community, as a planet, and this is the only universal, inclusive, legitimate, democratic body that we have on this planet. That is the unique value of the United Nations. I do not ever believe for a moment that the UN is becoming irrelevant, or weak, or marginal. The UN is here, and it is functioning in many, many areas. It is doing its best. If the UN is not doing well, it is an indictment on us, on each one of you, on each of your delegation, because ultimately all of us have a collective responsibility to make the United Nations work, whether it is peace and security, sustainable development, the implementation of Agenda 2030 and the SDG goals. All of these requires that we work in a collective spirit and in a spirit of solidarity.
5 There are also a range of new issues: Artificial Intelligence, digital technologies, cybersecurity. All of these requires that we go beyond our national boundaries and work to find global frameworks, global rules, and global governance systems. Climate change is a good example of how a problem of the global commons cannot be solved by one country. It has to be, by definition, solved by all of us. Where do you do that? In the context of a global framework, in the context of the United Nations. That is just one example. Oceans is another issue. This year, we had a very successful adoption of what is known as the BBNJ Treaty, or High Seas Treaty, which seeks to balance the conservation of the oceans with the aspirations of developing countries for sustainable development. It was an intergovernmental treaty that was adopted this year, even though the geopolitical context was challenging. That is just demonstration that the UN can work, if we let it work.
6 This leads me to my second point. Diplomacy makes a difference and you as diplomats can make a difference and must make a difference. Do not underestimate your role, influence, agency and autonomy to make things happen at the UN. Yes, you have your instructions and yes, your instructions will say, “do not let that happen” but think beyond the box. Keep an open mind. Listen to others, build understanding, build your knowledge, build bridges because you, as a diplomat, you do not need to betray your national instructions, but you can make a difference by building understanding and laying the foundation for global solutions, even if those solutions may not be immediately possible at this session but you are facilitating dialogue, understanding and solidarity. The earthquake in Morocco is not going to be the last natural disaster. There has been a range of natural disasters, floods, earthquakes, and other disasters, man-made as well. We need to have solidarity for the suffering of other people in other countries. So, have that sense of solidarity, and also humanity, and try to balance that with your national positions, national interests and your national instructions. No one is asking you to betray your national instructions or your positions but try and find a way to find solutions that can serve all our interests.
7 That leads me to my last point. We must make the 78th session a success. Success at the United Nations cannot be defined in zero-sum terms. Success cannot be defined in terms of your delegation getting what it wants. Success must be defined in a collective way, which means every delegation must have a sense of ownership in the outcome, must be able to see their own interest being served in some ways. That means an inclusive process. That means very long negotiations and sometimes these processes are an inclusive way to give everyone a sense of ownership. It could be a few paragraphs that you contribute, it could be a few words, or it could be a compromise suggestion that you put forward, but everyone has to own an outcome collectively. That is what success at the UN looks like. It cannot be wanting things your way. You have to be flexible because ultimately, the success of the United Nations and the success of the 78th session is very important for all of us as an international community. I have told the President of the General Assembly that his success will be our goal because when he succeeds, the United Nations succeeds and the United Nations demonstrates to the world that it is relevant, it is resilient, it is responsive, and is able to meet the aspirations and needs of people not just in your country but for countries around the world.
8 So, my friends, you are going to be bombarded with a series of briefings, some of which will be very technical, rules of procedure, very difficult and detailed agenda items but do not be intimidated. All of us have been there before. Like Nikhil, I was a delegate in 1990. It was many years ago but we all came with an open mind. We were all committed to making the process here work. So, I count on your energy, I count on your enthusiasm, and I count on your hard work and knowledge to help make the 78th session a successful one.
9 Now, with regard to the 78th session, it gives me great pleasure to introduce a dear friend, a wonderful professional diplomat, who has been a colleague here in New York as the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Trinidad and Tobago, and who recently assumed the post of President of the 78th session. I am really proud of my good friend, Dennis Francis, because he is not only a consummate diplomat, he is a good listener. He is a good practitioner. He looks for solutions. He comes from a relatively small country and when one is from a small country, one is sometimes obliged to listen more than others because we cannot always insist on our way. As President of the General Assembly, Ambassador Dennis Francis has already hit the ground running; he has a very accomplished career of diplomacy of more than 40 years serving his country in various positions. We are very honoured and lucky to have him as our President and I am also very honoured and happy, Mr. President, that you could spare some of your time this morning. So, without further ado, may I invite you to share with us your remarks. Thank you.
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