Transcript of Remarks by Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan at the Forum of Small States Reception at the Permanent Mission of Singapore to the United Nations in New York, 24 September 2026

Excellencies,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

First, thank you for joining us today. This is our annual Forum of Small States (FOSS) gathering, a chance to reconnect with old friends as well as make new friends. We meet as always on the sidelines of the busiest week in our diplomatic year, and therefore, for you to even spend a few minutes with us is all more precious and we are deeply grateful.

This is a time of profound change for the world and for us – and especially for small states. I do not need to talk about geopolitical fragmentation, conflict, war and peace, or a new industrial revolution, especially in digital technologies. Basically, the point is that for small states, this is an uncertain and potentially dangerous phase especially where international relations are concerned. The rules-based multilateral system which we almost took for granted is being tested, and frankly, respect for international law and norms is declining.

But the point we want to make, and I believe all of you have made repeatedly, is that this does not mean that small states should be passive bystanders and surrender to our fates. All of us have agency. All of us have choices to make. And we must be determined to protect our sovereignty and our independence.

But the point is to do that as a small state. Our first reflex should be to make common cause with each other. Because no one owes us a living and no one owes us our sovereignty. Nevertheless, because we are all in the same boat literally, we need to get our act together. We need to coordinate, and we need to get a sense of our direction, our common destiny, and take good and sensible steps in that longer term journey.

I am pleased to see that so many small states have emerged as some of the most active and vocal defenders of the multilateral system. And I hope you will bear with me as I go through a few examples – because it is easy to just make pronouncements but let me give you a few examples so that you see that there is real meat on this bone.

On maritime security, under Bahrain's presidency of the UN Security Council in April this year, we renewed our collective commitment to ensuring the safety of waterways and freedom of navigation. Singapore, Fiji, Jamaica, and Malta – in fact these are four states that helped to bring the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea to fruition – we stood together in both the Security Council and the General Assembly to reaffirm the right of transit passage through straits used for international navigation. I do not need to remind you this is now under clear and present threat.

On AI, Estonia and El Salvador are co-chairing the UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance, whose inaugural session was held in Geneva in July this year.

On UN reform, Jamaica and New Zealand co-chaired the informal ad hoc working group on mandate implementation review under the UN80 initiative, and Jamaica continues to co-chair the current ad hoc working group with Norway. I see [Norway Minister of Foreign Affairs] Espen in our audience.

Many small state representatives have served as co-facilitators of a variety of UN processes and as vice presidents of the UN General Assembly. This reflects the wealth of talent and leadership that is present within our community of small states.

I am also equally heartened by small states' continued contributions to the work of the Security Council. There are currently five FOSS members in the Security Council: Bahrain, Denmark, Latvia, Liberia and Panama. And from 2027, Austria, Kyrgyzstan, and Trinidad and Tobago will continue to ensure that our voices are heard in that Council. In particular, I have to congratulate Kyrgyzstan for serving the Council for I believe the very first time.

Singapore remains committed to working closely with all of you. We have worked together, we have made our voices heard in ongoing discussions on UN reform, and as we prepare for the selection of a new Secretary-General, it is important for us to compare notes, increase our coordination, and speak with one voice. This is the raison d'etre of FOSS – to provide an informal platform for small states to come together, build bridges and find constructive solutions.

I also want to take this opportunity, if I may, to introduce Ambassador Rena Lee who is here with us this evening. I think she is no stranger to most of you in this room. She chaired the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) negotiations which culminated in the adoption of this landmark agreement by consensus with the strong support of many fellow FOSS members. I do not think I need to belabour the point that in this current global climate, to land anything by consensus is an enormous achievement. So, she understands firsthand how vital international law is, especially for small states, and what multilateral cooperation can accomplish when we come together in good faith. We are proud to have nominated her as our candidate to be a judge of the International Court of Justice for the term beginning in 2027. And we are grateful for the support that Ambassador Lee has received from many of our FOSS friends.

My dear friends, let me end on this note that we are small states. We are permanently small states – just in case anyone had any other ideas. It means that we can and we have to adapt quickly to changes in our global circumstances, and we have to do so by working closely with one another, making common cause, making sure our voices are heard, and that even superpowers and middle powers have, to a significant way, take our interests into consideration. So, let us continue to stand together, speak with common purpose, and ensure that the multilateral system continues to deliver for all states large and small.

Thank you very much and thank you again for your time and for joining us this evening.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

SINGAPORE

25 SEPTEMBER 2026