Singapore's Foreign Minister Addresses UN General Debate on Global Order and International Law

The Post-WWII Multilateral System

• 💡 The period after World War II was unique, marked by the establishment of a system prioritizing sovereign equality, territorial integrity, and political independence for all nations.
• 🔑 This system, underpinned by the UN Charter and international law, fostered peace, prosperity, and progress, allowing even small states like Singapore to achieve significant economic development.
• 🌍 Singapore's growth from a $500 GDP per capita in 1965 to $85,000 today is attributed to leveraging these global trends and the stability provided by the multilateral framework.

Erosion of the Global Order

• ⚠️ The current global distribution of economic, technological, and military power has shifted significantly, and international organizations have not kept pace.
• 📉 Primary underwriters of the old order now adopt a more transactional approach, reducing their willingness to provide public goods and cooperate.
• 💥 Strategic contests between superpowers have weakened cooperation, leading to a more turbulent, uncertain, and violent world with increased violations of international law and sovereignty.
• 💔 The humanitarian situations in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, and other conflict zones highlight the tragic consequences of this erosion, with innocent lives lost and impunity prevailing.

Challenges to the Trading System and Global Commons

• ⚖️ The multilateral trading system is at risk, with tariffs and export controls used for unilateral advantage, undermining principles like most-favored nation status.
• 📉 This fragmentation leads to bilateral power dynamics in trade agreements, detrimental to small, trade-dependent states.
• 🚫 Collective action for long-term good, essential for addressing existential threats like climate change and pandemics, becomes more elusive.

Singapore's Call for Multilateralism and Reform

• 🌟 Despite pessimism, Singapore believes the multilateral system and international law remain the best path to global peace and prosperity.
• 🤝 Small states and middle powers have agency and can collectively protect their interests and global commons by doubling down on multilateralism.
• 🚀 Singapore highlights recent successes like the BBNJ Treaty, consensus on cybersecurity norms, and WIPO treaties as proof that agreement is possible even in fractured times.
• 🏛️ The UN needs reform to be more representative and inclusive, reflecting current realities, with a particular need to reform the Security Council and constrain the use of vetoes.
• 💡 Harnessing emerging technologies like AI for good, while establishing guardrails for responsible use, is crucial for a future-ready UN.