Transcript of Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan's Wrap Up Interview with Singapore Media during the 80th Session of The United Nations General Assembly High Level Week in New York, 28 September 2025

TRANSCRIPT OF MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS DR VIVIAN BALAKRISHNAN'S WRAP-UP INTERVIEW WITH SINGAPORE MEDIA DURING THE 80^TH SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY HIGH-LEVEL WEEK IN NEW YORK, 28 SEPTEMBER 2025

Minister Vivian Balakrishnan: Good morning, thank you for waking up so early to join me. It has been a very hectic week. I started Monday in Parliament in Singapore, explaining our position on the Israel-Hamas conflict and the recognition of Palestine. Then I rushed to catch a plane to get here just in time for the opening of the UN General Assembly High-Level Week. It has been super hectic. I think I must have had at least 30 formal meetings, but if you add up all the informal interactions, I probably interacted with almost 80 ministers over the course of the week. 

I also had to chair the Global Governance Group, the ASEAN-Pacific Alliance Meeting, and attended a variety of receptions. Just to get a sense of the zeitgeist, the concerns, and the anxieties on a wide variety of issues. I should say I spent a fair amount of time, especially with our Arab friends, informally – particularly Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE and Morocco. Another behind-the-scenes meeting was with an Israeli minister as well. All in all, these meetings gave me a good overall view of what are the concerns, what are the issues, both at the UN as well as in specific regions of the world, some of which clearly are areas of conflict, areas where peace cannot be taken for granted. 

I would say the key issues that surfaced over this week; number one, of course, concerns war and peace, the ongoing wars in the Middle East, Ukraine, Africa and some anxieties relating even to the Pacific. That is one area of concern. The other area of concern that unfolded over the week, of course, was tariffs, export controls, the impact on the global economy, and that remains background anxiety as well. And the other issue which the UN is concerned with, relates to the 80^th anniversary of the UN. Everyone knows reform is needed, but this is also occurring in a particularly delicate and difficult time. The question is whether there will be enough support for the UN to reform, and whether the UN will be able to deal with issues related to peace, economic development and sustainable development, and management of the global commons – including pandemics and climate change. 

The other event that I participated in was to address the Security Council on Artificial Intelligence (AI). I dealt with the potential and the opportunities that the AI revolution presents, as well as the challenges, particularly where it impacts war and peace. On war, the question of lethal autonomous weapons. At the strategic level, the impact of AI on diplomacy and deterrence, and how this will probably rewrite a lot of the fundamental perceptions that have undergirded the way diplomacy is conducted, the way deterrence is enforced. So, all in all, it has been a very hectic week covering wide-ranging issues, but it was useful for Singapore to be represented, to be heard, and to renew friendships which we have had over the years, and to form new partnerships. A few formal agreements were signed for bilateral consultations with countries like Kenya and El Salvador. And we formally established diplomatic ties with Monaco, a state which we actually have had de facto relations with for a very long time. We got that done with the Monaco Foreign Minister and witnessed by His Serene Highness Prince Albert II. 

Hariz Baharudin (Straits Times): Minister, can I ask you, what are your key takeaways from the discussions at the UNGA this year, and in your view, what role does Singapore actually play in influencing or even contributing to regional and global geopolitical affairs?

Minister: Well, as I said, first, the three big clusters of issues at the UN: war and peace; economic development, sustainable development; and global commons – climate change, pandemics, and how to deal with AI. Those were the themes that were on the table this year. 

Particularly for Singapore, I would say we are a small State, but we have been present, we have been constructive, we have been a bridge builder, we have been sometimes a coordinator. And in my speech, I outlined that even in this time when there is deep anxiety about the ability to achieve consensus, the ability for the UN to be effective, the ability for decisions to be made – there was actually some pieces of good news.

For instance, earlier this week, for the BBNJ Agreement, which you recall, was presided by Ambassador Rena Lee of Singapore. Earlier this week, we went past the 60 ratification threshold needed to bring that into effect. So, the Agreement will come into effect in January next year. Another example the Open Ended Working Group on Cyber Security, which was chaired for five years by our Permanent Representative to the UN Mr Burhan Gafoor, and you can imagine that on such a sensitive topic, to be able to achieve consensus agreement involving the United States, Russia, China, and, in fact, the entire UN body, it shows that multilateralism is still alive. Countries still recognise that despite all the tensions, there are issues which are best dealt with in a multilateral, consensual way. And Singapore was able to help bring about that consensus. I also highlighted the example of two treaties concluded in the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the Riyadh Design Law Treaty and Genetic Resources and Associated Traditional Knowledge (GRATK) Treaty. Again, to my pleasant surprise, consensus was achieved, and treaties were made. I think we had a very competent Singaporean in charge of World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Mr Daren Tang.

So, you know, we may be small, but we are able to make a contribution. The main point which I was trying to put across is that small states like Singapore or even medium powers still have agency, still have strategic options, and there is a need for us to lean in to support one another, and to keep multilateral processes and that mindset alive and well. And I would say it is a combination of anxiety for the state of the world, but still a sense that small countries, collectively, can make a difference.

Wong Siew Fong (Lianhe Zaobao): My question is on this year's UNGA dynamics. The Singapore Government has long warned about fracturing global order, and this was quite clearly on display on this year's UNGA. What does this signal about the current dynamics between major powers, not just between US and China, but also between US and its traditional European allies. Thank you.

Minister: Well, first, I would say the UN is still the only organisation in which you get 193 countries, all represented. From America, President Trump was here and made a speech. Not everyone will agree with everything he said, but nevertheless, he was present. From China, Premier Li Qiang was here, and made a speech to the General Assembly as well. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov from Russia was here. Of course, the Europeans, Africans, everyone was present. 

So yes, there are issues; yes, there are tensions; yes, there are disagreements. But the fact is, this is still the only forum where everybody is present, and if there is sufficient goodwill and maturity, in fact, some very good conversations can be had, even on very difficult issues. So, I would say there is a risk of fracture, but the UN is still the only game in town, and it is our duty to lean in and to help this process of engagement. I leave here with a realistic sense of anxiety, but with optimism that multilateralism is still alive and well.

Batrisyia Baharim (Berita Harian): You have often said that for small States like Singapore, the international rules-based order is an existential necessity. But in today's volatile and multi-polar world, the order is under strain and unpredictability is rising. So against this backdrop, what is Singapore's main message in its national statement at this year's UNGA? And how do you hope it will resonate with both the global community and Singaporeans?

Minister: Thank you. Well, if you look at the statement that I just delivered, the first point of reflection is on the past 80 years after the Second World War, certainly for states like Singapore, who achieved the domestic prerequisite of national identity, national cohesion, good governance, and having hardworking and disciplined people, the last 80 years was a time of opportunity. It was a time when, first, there was no World War in the last 80 years, there was no nuclear holocaust because of the Mutually Assured Destruction Doctrine. Yes, there were proxy wars. But if you reflect on Singapore's journey and that of many other small states, these 60 to 80 years was a time of opportunity when you saw independence, economic development, prosperity, global supply chains, the dissemination of technology, ideas, and intellectual property (IP). 

So for the first point, on balance, the past 80 years was a unique, and productive and constructive phase of human history, quite different from the first half of the 20^th century - two world wars, tens of millions of lives lost. The next point, however, is that this phase, that old world order is over. And it is over for a variety of reasons and the superpower that underwrote this world order has taken a narrower or more transactional view of things. It feels that the world order that it underwrote perhaps did not compensated as well as it anticipated. It was worried about others who were free riding or taking advantage of it.

Be that as it may, the fact is the Underwriter-in-Chief has decided that it is not business as usual. The second factor why the world order ended is that you now have a new superpower China, which has risen especially since 1978 with the reform and opening initiated by Deng Xiaoping. 
 
That sharper superpower contestation does make it more difficult for consensus to be achieved at the UN. It also does make it more difficult for multilateralism to work and to forge collective and effective responses to issues affecting the global commons such as climate change, pandemics, and in the future, AI. 
 
There is also anxiety about the effectiveness of the UN. I made the point in my statement that if you look at the UN and if you look at the Security Council, it is still an edifice that reflects the realities of 1945. But 80 years later, the distribution of power, the distribution of technology, the distribution of influence is very different. 

Yet, there has been difficulty in reforming the UN to make it more representative and fit-for-purpose. But the point is that this is work in progress, and the UN is still the only game in town. Multilateralism and rules-based multilateralism is still essential, especially for small States. We must not lose hope, and we must still insist on our own agency and our own autonomy and work together.

I would say that as far as the UN membership is concerned, there is still a healthy majority that believes in rules-based multilateralism. That believes a properly reformed UN that can deliver the public goods needed to protect the global commons, maintain peace, and provide hope for economic development.  

Tan Min-Wei (Mothership): Good morning, Minister. Singapore has identified climate action as one of its domestic and international priorities. But what can Singapore do in the face of such strong scepticism, as shown by President Trump during his speech earlier this week? In your own speech, you said, no single country can resolve issues such as climate change or pandemics. Is Singapore's role in this to help convince or are we limited to the partners who do agree with us?

Minister: I would say both. President Trump is clearly not convinced that man-made activities is causing climate change. I think he made that very clear.  
 
Yet, if you also listen to his speech carefully, he talked about atmospheric and marine pollution and the trans-boundary effects of that.  My takeaway is that America, even under the current administration, does understand that there is a global commons, and that from time to time, depending on the modality, the global commons can come under threat.

My response to this is to try to persuade everyone. Let us look at the evidence objectively. So for instance, if the carbon dioxide levels in the world today are at unprecedented levels, you probably have to go back a couple of 100 million years to the last time the world had carbon dioxide like this. For small, low-lying States, like those in the Pacific and the Caribbean, climate change is an observed reality. Rising sea levels, coral bleaching, the anxieties about preserving their sovereignty and their maritime entitlements. Again, the point is, let us follow the science, look at the data, look at the evidence. 

But I was cheered that President Trump acknowledged transboundary impacts and the fact that we do need to work together. So it is a combination of keeping everybody focused on science, reminding everyone that no one country, not even a single superpower, can solve all these problems on its own. All of us need to come up with realistic suggestions and find mechanisms in which we can work together. So I remain a guarded optimist for multilateralism and the protection of the global commons.

Wong Siew Fong (Lianhe Zaobao): My question is if the UN continues to weaken, what are the implications for small states like Singapore?

Minister: No, a weakened or dysfunctional UN is very bad for small states. Small states need international law. We need to be present at fora where our voices are heard. We need to be able to make common cause. Problems in the global commons, climate change, pandemics, AI gone wrong will disproportionately impact small states more so than larger powers. So, we cannot afford to let the UN go down, but we are realistic that the UN does need reform, and my appeal to everyone was to lean in and to help the leadership in the UN, and that this is a collective responsibility to improve the organization and make it fit for purpose. But the common thread through all this is working together.  

The other point, especially for small states, is compliance with international law. Now, the other issue, which obviously had significant traction here, was what is happening in the Middle East. If you think about that, it is an old conflict, a terrible tragedy with immense human suffering. We hope that in the next few days, a ceasefire can come about. In my discussions with my Arab friends and with the Israelis, I know that there is a series of critical meetings happening in the next few days. We hope that good sense prevails. If we can get an immediate ceasefire, an immediate release of hostages, an immediate surge of humanitarian assistance, at least on a human level, we can reduce the suffering. The longer-term issues will always be very difficult. But you know, all wars stop at some point. It usually ends at the negotiating table. It breaks our heart that so much blood is lost whilst waiting for an ultimate solution at the negotiating table.  

The other point is international law. In our interactions, as I told you, with the Palestinian delegation, with my Arab friends and with the Israelis, I made it very clear that Singapore will go by international law. And you know, it has to be handled that way, because if one side is going to insist that might is right, and that the outcome must be based on military might in the long run, that is not how you get a solution that everyone will accept. It is not the solution that will work for the long term. And a world in which might is right is inimical to small States in the long run. So, it was a good opportunity for us to explain Singapore's position at the UN. And I can say that was there was understanding of our position. It does not mean everyone agrees with the stance that we have taken, but there was understanding and appreciation of our perspective. The main point is that they know Singapore is focused on being pragmatic, constructive, helpful, building bridges, and bringing parties together, even when they start off either in a state of conflict or from positions which are very, very different.  

So, to sum up, the world is not short of problems. There is still only one UN. There is still an absolute need for multilateralism. There is still a need for international law. For small States like Singapore, and collectively with our partners, we can make a difference. We have to keep plugging away. 

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