23rd Indian Ocean Rim Association Council of Minister Meeting, 11 October 2023

  Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, Second Minister for Foreign Affairs, and Second Minister for Education Dr Mohamad Maliki bin Osman attended the 23^rd Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Council of Ministers (COM) meeting in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on 11 October 2023.

At the meeting, Minister Maliki underscored the importance of international cooperation and multilateralism, and called on IORA Member States to work together to promote the sustainable development agenda. Minister Maliki also reaffirmed Singapore’s support to Sri Lanka for its IORA Chairmanship.

Minister Maliki had bilateral meetings with Sri Lanka Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabry, Tanzania Minister of Blue Economy and Fisheries Suleiman Masoud Makame, Mauritius Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade Maneesh Gobin, and United Kingdom Minister of State for the Indo-Pacific Anne-Marie Trevelyan, on the sidelines of the IORA COM meeting.

The transcript of Minister Maliki’s country statement is appended.

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COUNTRY STATEMENT BY MINISTER IN THE PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE, SECOND MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND SECOND MINISTER FOR EDUCATION DR MALIKI BIN OSMAN AT THE 23^RD INDIAN OCEAN RIM ASSOCIATION COUNCIL OF MINISTERS MEETING, 11 OCTOBER 2023

Excellencies

Ladies and Gentlemen

1  On behalf of my delegation, I would like to thank our Chair and host, Sri Lanka, for the excellent arrangements and warm hospitality. I look forward to working with Sri Lanka to advance our mutual interests in IORA. I would also like to thank Bangladesh for steering IORA steadfastly over the last two years. Allow me to also recognise the incoming Vice-Chair of IORA, His Excellency Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs, India.

2 We meet at the critical point in our collective journey to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. Yet, we are badly off track—the SDG Progress Report released by the UN Secretary-General this April showed insufficient progress on more than half of the SDG targets, with 30 percent showing stagnation or deterioration.

3 Given the confluence of crises from climate change to technological disruptions, today’s theme of “Sustainable Development and Partnerships through the Indian Ocean”, is timely. The Indian Ocean is home to nearly three billion people, or about 37% of the world’s population and 53% below the age of 35 years. There is so much at stake for us in the Indian Ocean region. We need to fundamentally shift to put our region and the world on a better path. I will highlight three possible starting points.

4 First, we need to work urgently to tackle climate change. Over the past few decades, climate change has contributed to rapid sea level rise and warming oceans. In 2021, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said that the Indian Ocean has warmed faster than any other waters since the 1950s. These are worrying trends for small island developing states like Singapore, and those whose lives and livelihoods depend on a healthy ocean.

5 Second, the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the benefits of digitalisation. We must seize the opportunities that digital technologies present for sustainable development, without leaving anyone behind. We support efforts toward developing a substantive Global Digital Compact, which should encourage digital inclusion including access to resources, promote innovation, and enhance interoperability. 

6 Third, international cooperation and a rules-based multilateral system are critical to create a conducive environment for sustainable development. The adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in 2015 demonstrated how multilateralism can respond to new challenges, especially when there is political will and collective commitment.

7 As a small but open island state with no natural resources, Singapore is a firm believer of the sustainable development model. We presented our second Voluntary National Review in July this year, and have raised our climate ambition to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.

8 We are strong supporters of multilateralism. To that end, we have convened and hosted sustainability-focused events, and exchanged experiences with fellow developing countries through the Singapore Cooperation Programme. We also launched the Sustainability Action Package last year, which supports capacity-building on a wide range of topics, including adaptation and mitigation strategies, carbon markets and green finance, among others. 

Excellencies

Ladies and Gentlemen

9 Our shared survival relies on our urgent and transformative efforts to rescue the SDGs. Singapore stands ready to work with IORA to build a sustainable, resilient, and inclusive future that leaves no one behind. Thank you.  

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

SINGAPORE

11 OCTOBER 2023

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