Press Statements

Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan's Engagements in Matera, Italy from 28 to 29 June 2021

Country

Canada

India

Indonesia

Italy

Rwanda

30 June 2021

Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, attended the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, Foreign and Development Joint Ministerial Session, and the Development Ministerial Session in Matera, Italy on 29 June 2021. These were his remarks ...

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Participants at the G20 meetings stressed the importance of multilateralism and global governance, especially in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and accelerating the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. They emphasised the need to promote trade and investment, which are key engines of recovery and growth. The participants also spoke about strengthening collective actions to ensure global food security and achieving the Zero Hunger goal by 2030.

In his interventions, Minister Balakrishnan highlighted the need to strengthen national and global pandemic preparedness, response and alert systems to avoid a similar crisis in future. He also spoke about the importance of an open and rules-based multilateral trading system, enhancing supply chain resilience, and fostering greater technological innovation and collaboration. Minister Balakrishnan reaffirmed Singapore’s commitment to work with the G20 and the international community to strengthen multilateralism and global governance, including in our capacity as Convenor of the Global Governance Group. The full text of Minister Balakrishnan's remarks are appended.

On the sidelines of the G20 events, Minister Balakrishnan also had meetings with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada Marc Garneau, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia Retno Marsudi, Minister of External Affairs of India Dr S Jaishankar, and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Rwanda Vincent Biruta. Minister Balakrishnan and his counterparts reaffirmed the importance of strengthening ties and cooperation amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. They also had fruitful discussions on regional and international developments.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

SINGAPORE

30 JUNE 2021

REMARKS BY MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS DR VIVIAN BALAKRISHNAN AT

G20 FOREIGN MINISTERS’ MEETING

MULTILATERALISM AND GLOBAL GOVERNANCE

MATERA, ITALY

29 JUNE 2021

1 Thank you for the invitation to the tiny city-state of Singapore to participate in this Session as an Observer.

2 In order to be useful, I am going to be frank, brutally frank. There are three tests in which the world has failed or is failing.

3 The first test is that COVID-19 became a pandemic. It quickly transgressed national boundaries and established itself everywhere. Our alert systems for radical transparency and the free flow of information obviously failed. So that is one strike.

4 The second test is whether or not COVID-19 became endemic. After it had established itself in the world, at the domestic level, there was insufficient control. We gave the virus probably more than one billion human beings in which to mutate and evolve, and we now have variants. Therefore, the second test that we have failed is that COVID-19 is now endemic. It is never going to leave us.

5 The third test is how we are going to achieve herd immunity. By this time next year, the world will have achieved a significant level of herd immunity. The only question is, will we achieve herd immunity through infection, with all the mortalities and deaths that it entails, or will we achieve herd immunity through vaccination? These are three tests in which we are not doing well.

6 In this room, there are at least 50 of us and we have been here for two hours. That means we have all been exposed to the same level of viral load. Let me speak to you as a doctor. The only difference is whether or not we have been wearing our masks, and whether or not we have been vaccinated. Otherwise, take it from me, we are all equally exposed.

7 At a macroscopic level, that is the world’s situation. So think about it, think about our information systems, think about our domestic systems, and think about how we are going to achieve herd immunity through effective collaboration.

8 Thank you Luigi.

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REMARKS BY MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS DR VIVIAN BALAKRISHNAN AT

G20 FOREIGN MINISTERS’ MEETING

FOOD SECURITY

MATERA, ITALY

29 JUNE 2021

1 Singapore understands the gravity of food security. I speak as a country where 90 percent of our food is imported from over 170 regions. When we say supply chains, this is existential for us. Only one percent of our land is available for food production.

2 I just want to make three quick suggestions.

Supply Chain Connectivity

3 First, few countries are self-sufficient in food production. Therefore, what it means is that maintaining global supply chain connectivity is essential to ensure food security for all.

4 This is particularly important during a crisis when borders, airports, and ports quickly closed. Hence, I would like to thank G20 members Australia, Canada, China, France and Japan, who affirmed our commitments to keep food supply lines intact.

5 Second, maintaining connectivity is also important for many livelihoods that depend on it – from farmers and fishermen to retail workers worldwide. More open, rules-based trade, and not protectionist autarky is key to support a sustainable, global recovery.

Sustainability

6 Third, resources will always be finite but climate change has now wreaked havoc on resource availability, and scientists estimate there will be a widespread decline in crop yields of up to 25 percent by 2050, while global food demand will keep rising. These two curves suggest a crisis in the making. That is all more reason why we need to double down efforts to ensure sustainability. Agriculture and food production should be efficient and climate-friendly, with a view to maintaining a circular economy.

7 To achieve these aims, government, scientific and private sectors must collaborate and embark on further research and innovation in agri-technology. Technical assistance and capacity building will be absolutely necessary to help developing countries leverage advances in technology to grow more with less. Let us work together to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, including Zero Hunger.

8 Singapore has built up some knowledge in agri-technology and strengthening food security. We will continue working with the G20 and other countries, including in our capacity as Convenor of the Global Governance Group (or 3G), to strengthen multilateralism, global governance, and to enhance global food security for all. Thank you Luigi.

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Singapore Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan at the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting
Photo credit: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore

Singapore Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan’s meeting with Canada Minister of Foreign Affairs Marc Garneau