Singapore
PERMANENT MISSION OF SINGAPORE
TO THE UNITED NATIONS
318 EAST 48TH STREET, NEWYORK, NY 10017
TEL: (212) 826 0840 FAX: (212) 826 2964
STATEMENT BY AMBASSADOR BURHAN GAFOOR,
PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF SINGAPORE TO THE UNITED NATIONS, AT PARTNERSHIP DIALOGUE 7 OF THE UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE TO SUPPORT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOAL 14
9 JUNE 2017
_______________________________________________________________________
[Please check against delivery]
Distinguished co-chairs, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
1. We are pleased to note that the Call for Action, which is to be formally adopted later today, affirms our collective determination to enhance the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans and their resources by implementing international law as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (“UNCLOS”).
2. More broadly, UNCLOS is the legal framework within which all activities in the oceans and seas must be carried out. It is important for UNCLOS to be fully implemented, and for it to achieve universality in participation. The balance of interests in UNCLOS – including the delicate balance between the need for economic and social development of oceans and their resources and the need for conservation and sustainable use – are integral to a stable international order in which we can engage in all activities in the oceans and
2
seas.
3. It is also important for all of us to have a detailed understanding of UNCLOS and the legal framework that it establishes, especially considering that there are a number of other instruments and treaties that fall within this legal framework. Such an understanding will also promote the plugging of gaps in implementation.
4. As part of our voluntary commitments, Singapore has registered a project that we had launched in April 2016: the Oceans Governance Research Programme. This project is a partnership between the Maritime Port Authority of Singapore and the Centre of International Law of the National University of Singapore. Through the partnership, quality research publications will be generated, and international conferences and workshops will be convened to share and discuss research findings on the implementation of international law under UNCLOS. We are committed to continuing this Programme at least until 2019.
5. Singapore has consistently supported capacity building under our technical assistance programme. Partnerships are critical for our effort to build capacity and raise awareness. Issues involving the oceans and seas require collective international solutions and all States and stakeholders must cooperate. We look forward to a further sharing of ideas, experiences and best practices. In this regard, we hope that this Partnership Dialogue will make a strong recommendation to increase awareness and enhance capacity building to support the understanding and application of UNCLOS, which is accepted as the Constitution of the oceans.
3
6. Thank you.
……
TO THE UNITED NATIONS
318 EAST 48TH STREET, NEWYORK, NY 10017
TEL: (212) 826 0840 FAX: (212) 826 2964
STATEMENT BY AMBASSADOR BURHAN GAFOOR,
PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF SINGAPORE TO THE UNITED NATIONS, AT PARTNERSHIP DIALOGUE 7 OF THE UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE TO SUPPORT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOAL 14
9 JUNE 2017
_______________________________________________________________________
[Please check against delivery]
Distinguished co-chairs, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
1. We are pleased to note that the Call for Action, which is to be formally adopted later today, affirms our collective determination to enhance the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans and their resources by implementing international law as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (“UNCLOS”).
2. More broadly, UNCLOS is the legal framework within which all activities in the oceans and seas must be carried out. It is important for UNCLOS to be fully implemented, and for it to achieve universality in participation. The balance of interests in UNCLOS – including the delicate balance between the need for economic and social development of oceans and their resources and the need for conservation and sustainable use – are integral to a stable international order in which we can engage in all activities in the oceans and
2
seas.
3. It is also important for all of us to have a detailed understanding of UNCLOS and the legal framework that it establishes, especially considering that there are a number of other instruments and treaties that fall within this legal framework. Such an understanding will also promote the plugging of gaps in implementation.
4. As part of our voluntary commitments, Singapore has registered a project that we had launched in April 2016: the Oceans Governance Research Programme. This project is a partnership between the Maritime Port Authority of Singapore and the Centre of International Law of the National University of Singapore. Through the partnership, quality research publications will be generated, and international conferences and workshops will be convened to share and discuss research findings on the implementation of international law under UNCLOS. We are committed to continuing this Programme at least until 2019.
5. Singapore has consistently supported capacity building under our technical assistance programme. Partnerships are critical for our effort to build capacity and raise awareness. Issues involving the oceans and seas require collective international solutions and all States and stakeholders must cooperate. We look forward to a further sharing of ideas, experiences and best practices. In this regard, we hope that this Partnership Dialogue will make a strong recommendation to increase awareness and enhance capacity building to support the understanding and application of UNCLOS, which is accepted as the Constitution of the oceans.
3
6. Thank you.
……
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