MFA Press Statement: Visit of Minister of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Social and Family Development Sam Tan to Iceland, 18 to 21 October

Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Social and Family Development Sam Tan is in Reykjavik, Iceland and delivered a statement at the opening session of the 6th Arctic Circle Assembly (ACA).  Over 2000 participants from around 60 countries are attending the ACA this year.

MOS Tan updated the audience on how Singapore has contributed to the work of the Arctic Council in the areas of oceans and sustainability.  Singapore has also raised awareness about the importance of the Arctic and the impact of developments there to Southeast Asia.  The full text of the opening statement is at Annex.

On the sidelines of the ACA, MOS Tan met several key Arctic interlocutors including Chairman of the ACA and former President of Iceland Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, and representatives from the Arctic Council Working Groups and indigenous peoples.

MOS Tan will attend a breakout session co-organised by the National University of Singapore Energy Studies Institute (NUS-ESI) and the Arctic Council Sustainable Development Working Group Arctic Renewable Energy Atlas Project later today.

In addition to the ACA, MOS Tan also called on and reaffirmed bilateral ties with Icelandic President Guðni Thorlacius Jóhannesson, Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir and Minister for Foreign Affairs Guðlaugur Þór Þórðarson.

MOS Tan will depart for Singapore tomorrow.

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OPENING STATMENT BY MINISTER OF STATE (FOREIGN AFFAIRS) (SOCIAL AND FAMILY DEVELOPMENT) SAM TAN AT THE 6^TH ARCTIC CIRCLE ASSEMBLY (ACA), REYKJAVIK, ICELAND, 19 TO 21 OCTOBER 2018

His Excellency Ólafur Grímsson

Her Excellency Katrín Jakobsdóttir

Chairpersons Mr Frederik Paulsen and Ms Alice Rogoff

Excellencies

Ladies and gentlemen

1       A very good morning to all of you and thank you for having me today.

2       It has been only four years since I last attended the ACA, but many things have happened since then. For example, there has been an unprecedented decline of Arctic sea-ice with the summer of 2018 recording some 1.63 million square kilometres less of ice cover as compared to the annual average in the last 40 years, and increasingly volatile weather patterns, including forest fires within the Arctic Circle, and record number of subtropical storms and super typhoons across the Atlantic and Asia. I think Mother Nature is telling us that there is greater urgency to tackle climate change and related issues before it is too late. And there is no better place on earth to do this than in the Arctic.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,     

3       Arctic sustainability requires international involvement and commitment, and a robust Arctic Council (AC) is therefore vital. However, the AC cannot do everything by itself and requires the support of like-minded partners. To this end, international forums such as the ACA complement the AC, and acts as a big “Lavvu” (a big traditional Sami tent) to bring key stakeholders together under one roof.

4       Singapore is privileged to be an AC observer since 2013. After speaking at many Arctic forums and platforms in the last 6 years, I believe many of you now understand our concerns and how Singapore can contribute to Arctic sustainability efforts. Today, I would like to give an update on our recent work on oceans, sustainability and, raising awareness about the Arctic in South East Asia.

5       While new sea routes present opportunities, it also raises issues such as maritime governance and safety. To draw focus to these issues, the National University of Singapore’s Centre for International Law (CIL) co-launched a book titled “Governance of Arctic Shipping” with the University of Tromsø’s Jebsen Center for Law of the Sea (JCLOS) at the 2018 Arctic Frontiers Conference in Tromsø.

6       By the same token, increased shipping activities will impact the environment; and it is crucial to understand the implications. To this end, we partnered Norway for an Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Conference on “Green Shipping” in Singapore in April 2018. Our interest in biodiversity conservation also goes above the seas and into the air. Some 30 species of Arctic migratory birds make their annual “winter holiday visits” to Singapore’s Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. We have hosted a Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) Coordinator in this wetland since mid-2018 to assist with conservation efforts along the East Asia-Australasia Flyway. We pay particular attention to the conservation of the critically endangered spoon-billed sandpiper. They are so vulnerable that my colleagues at the National Parks Board call them the “panda” of the north.

7       Given the far-reaching causes and consequences of a warming Arctic, we have also sought to raise the awareness of Arctic issues around Southeast Asia, through organising events such as the Arctic Circle Forum in 2015 and the Arctic Frontiers Abroad Forum in 2017. Both were the first of its kind in Asia.

8       Looking ahead, I am also happy to note that Singapore’s youth are taking greater interest in the Arctic. A Singapore university student Victoria Lim, attended a 16-day expedition in July 2018 in the Canadian Arctic, while another university student Gina Goh, spoke at the ACA last year in this same building. We organised a youth forum in August 2018 on the theme of “A changing Arctic” which attracted more than 100 youth participants.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,      

9       We only have one Arctic. And whatever happens inside the Arctic does not stay inside the Arctic; and whatever happens outside the Arctic also does not remain outside the Arctic. All of us are stakeholders and collectively, we should do something to prevent the Arctic from melting away.

10      By doing our small part to raise awareness of the challenges confronting the Arctic, Singapore hopes to create “hot” discussions on protecting the Arctic, so that all of us can work towards making the Arctic “cool” again.

11      Thank you.

Minister of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Social and Family Development Sam Tan delivering an opening statement at the 6^th Arctic Circle Assembly.

Minister of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Social and Family Development Sam Tan with Icelandic President Guðni Thorlacius Jóhannesson.

Minister of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Social and Family Development Sam Tan and Singapore Ambassador to Iceland Foo Chi Hsia with Icelandic Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir.

Minister of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Social and Family Development Sam Tan with Icelandic Minister for Foreign Affairs Guðlaugur Þór Þórðarson.

Minister of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Social and Family Development Sam Tan with former President of Iceland Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson