Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan to deliver Singapore's statement at 81st UN General Assembly

SINGAPORE: Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan will attend the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly this week, where he will deliver Singapore’s statement at the general debate on Saturday (Sep 26).

Held in New York, the annual gathering comes against a backdrop of wars, deepening geopolitical divisions, the rapid rise of AI and a worsening climate crisis.

Dr Balakrishnan will be at the General Assembly from Sep 22 to Sep 28, accompanied by officials from his ministry, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement on Monday. 

Dr Balakrishnan will host several high-level events, including the Global Governance Group ministerial meeting. The group comprises small- and medium-sized UN member states, and its annual meeting aims to deepen collaboration between them as well as foster greater transparency and consultation.

He will also host a reception for the Forum of Small States, co-chair the ASEAN-Gulf Cooperation Council foreign ministers’ meeting alongside his Bahraini counterpart Abdullatif Rashid Al Zayani, and attend the ASEAN-Pacific Alliance ministerial meeting.

He will represent Singapore at events including the Alliance of Small Island States leaders’ meeting, the high-level ministerial meeting of the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, and the high-level meeting on the Global Development Initiative.

He will also deliver a speech at the Asia Society and engage policymakers and academics on regional geopolitics and emerging issues.

At last year's General Assembly, Dr Balakrishnan called on the global body to rein in the rising use of veto powers by the five permanent members of the Security Council and pressed for a more representative and inclusive UN.

At the same time, he said that Singapore believes that the multilateral system and international law, underpinned by the UN, still remains the best way to uphold global peace and prosperity in a fair and inclusive way.