MFA Press Statement: Visit of Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office, Ministry of Manpower and Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sam Tan to Norway, 21 to 25 January 2018

Minister of State Sam Tan and Norwegian Foreign Minister Ine Søreide

Minister of State Sam Tan delivering remarks at the Arctic Frontiers Plenary Session IV, "Speaking Truth to Power. Science Based Policy in a Post-fact World"

Minister of State Sam Tan and Swedish Minister for Enterprise and Innovation Mikael Damberg

Panel Discussion at the Arctic Frontiers Plenary Session IV, "Speaking Truth to Power. Science Based Policy in a Post-fact World"

Minister of State (MOS) in the Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Manpower and Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sam Tan was in Tromsø, Norway from 21 to 23 January 2018 to attend the 12th Arctic Frontier Conference. The event was attended by about 3000 participants from over 40 countries and organisations.

  MOS Tan delivered remarks at a plenary session entitled “Speaking Truth to Power. Science Based Policy in a Post-fact World”. The session focussed on the role of science in policy-making, especially with regard to the increasing international discourse surrounding climate change. The session was moderated by BBC HardTalk presenter Stephen Sackur. The full text of MOS Tan’s speech is appended.

  On the sidelines of the conference, MOS Tan met with Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ine Eriksen Søreide, Swedish Minister for Enterprise and Innovation Mikael Damberg and many Arctic interlocutors including Finnish State Secretary in the Prime Minister's Office Paula Lehtomäki and Rector of the University of Tromso Anne Husebekk and several senior Arctic officials.

MOS Tan also met with representatives from the Arctic Council Indigenous Peoples Secretariat (IPS), and a Singaporean Student from the Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Mock Yuan Ning, who presented at the Arctic Frontiers Student Conference.

MOS Tan is in Hammerfest today and will visit a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Terminal operated by Statoil, as well as meet with senior officials from the Hammerfest municipality.

MOS Tan will depart for Singapore tomorrow.

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SPEECH BY MINISTER OF STATE IN THE

PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE, MINISTRY OF MANPOWER AND

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS SAM TAN CHIN SIONG

AT THE 12TH ARCTIC FRONTIERS CONFERENCE, SESSION IV,

“SPEAKING POWER TO TRUTH. SCIENCE BASED POLICY

IN A POST-FACT WORLD”

TUESDAY, 23 JANUARY 2018

Distinguished speakers and guests

Ladies and Gentlemen,

1          Good morning. It is always a privilege and pleasure to return to Tromsø for the Arctic Frontiers Conference. I would like to firstly thank the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for inviting Singapore again to participate at this year’s conference.

The Need for Science

2           The world is changing fast and unpredictably in weather patterns. Last year, heat waves swept across the globe, leading to prolonged droughts and increased wildfires in many countries. Even tropical countries like Singapore have experienced climate change. 2017 was recorded as one of the warmest years for Singapore with the highest temperature at 34.6 degrees. However, entering 2018, Singapore experienced one of our coldest spells with the lowest temperature at 22 degrees.

3            As the bellweather for climate change, the Arctic experiences thesechanges in the extreme. Science will help us to better understand these changes and prepare us to better protect the precious but fragile Arctic.

Singapore’s Arctic Research Policy

4             Singapore’s Arctic research policy aims to build up our Arcticknowledge, develop solutions to Arctic challenges and create awareness of Arctic issues in our region. In doing so, Singapore hopes to make more informed and meaningful contributions to the work of the Arctic Council. To deepen our knowledge, institutes like the National University of Singapore (NUS), conduct research on various Arctic-related topics like remote energy systems and climate change. Other initiatives such as the Oceans Governance Research Programme will also help to improve our understanding of ocean governance and maritime law. In addition to our own Arctic research efforts, the NUS Centre for International Law and the K.G Jebsen Centre for the Law of the Sea at the University of Tromsø have collaborated to publish a book on the “Governance of Arctic Shipping” which will be launching at the Arctic Frontiers this year!

5             Efforts must also be made to translate knowledge into sustainable solutions to the region’s challenges. To this end, Singapore has established laboratories to explore these Arctic technologies. We are also constructing the Technology Centre for Offshore and Marine Singapore which will house a state-of-the-art deepwater basin that can simulate Arctic conditions. This will allow us to test offshore and marine systems faster and more accurately.

Science to Share

6              Research, however, cannot be conducted in isolation and people must come together to share knowledge and exchange experiences at various Arctic platforms. In this regard, Singapore shares data on Arctic migratory bird populations and our experience in oil spill mitigation with the AC’s CAFF and EPPR Working Groups respectively. The signing of the “Agreement on Enhancing Scientific Cooperation” in May 2017 is a welcome development and will pave the way for deeper cooperation between Arctic States and non-Arctic States alike.

Science to Inform

7               Scientific findings should also be communicated to the public to ensure transparency and to increase awareness of the Arctic’s importance. In this regard, we joined the Finnish Embassy and the High Commission of Canada to organise the “Ice in the Tropics” seminar in November 2017. In September last year, we also cooperated with the Norwegian Embassy in Singapore and NUS to organise the first Arctic Frontiers Abroad Forum in Asia. The forum featured sessions on political cooperation, scientific diplomacy and responsible businesses and was well attended by academics and business representatives. Singapore hopes to continue educating the public and providing platforms for healthy and constructive discourse on the Arctic.

Conclusion

8               The Arctic Report Card published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, reported 2017 as the second warmest year in the Arctic since 1900 with the lowest maximum sea ice. If we hope to keep the Arctic cool, we ourselves must remain “cool-headed”. To that end, a collective, science-based approach is needed to help us secure the future of the Arctic for generations to come. Thank you.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

SINGAPORE 

24 JANUARY 2018