Visit of Special Envoy for Arctic Affairs Sam Tan to Nuuk, Greenland for the Arctic Circle Greenland Forum, 26 to 30 August 2022

Special Envoy for Arctic Affairs Mr Sam Tan visited Nuuk, Greenland to attend the Arctic Circle Greenland Forum from 26 to 30 August 2022 as part of Singapore’s ongoing engagement of the Arctic since becoming an observer state in the Arctic Council in 2013. The Arctic Circle Greenland Forum was attended by close to 400 speakers and participants from 15 countries, including government officials, representatives of the Arctic indigenous peoples, and members of the business and academic communities. Special Envoy Tan delivered a speech during the opening session on “The View from Asia”, where he highlighted Singapore’s contributions and participation in various Arctic initiatives over the years. Special Envoy Tan also took part in a panel discussion moderated by former President of the Republic of Iceland and Chairman of the Arctic Circle Assembly Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson. The text of the speech is appended.

On the sidelines of the Forum, Special Envoy Tan met Chairman Grímsson as well as Iceland Minister for the Environment, Energy and Climate Guðlaugur Þór Þórðarson, Greenland Minister for Foreign Affairs, Business and Trade Vivian Motzfeldt, and Faroe Islands Minister of Foreign Affairs and Culture Jenis av Rana.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

SINGAPORE

30 SEPTEMBER 2022

REMARKS BY SPECIAL ENVOY FOR ARCTIC AFFAIRS SAM TAN AT THE ARCTIC GREENLAND FORUM ON “THE VIEW FROM ASIA”, 27 AUGUST 2022

Excellencies,

Distinguished Speakers,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

1. I am delighted to be back in Nuuk after 6 years, and to address the Arctic Circle Greenland Forum again.

2. The topic for this segment is “The View from Asia”. So, I will speak from the perspective of an Asian, and how a small country like Singapore is trying to contribute to the efforts of mitigating the challenges of global warming and Arctic melting. Asia is a vibrant region with enormous potentials. Today, Asia accounts for 40% of the world’s GDP and is home to four of the world’s ten largest economies. It also has more than half of the world’s population.

3. The world’s economies have undergone rapid changes and become more integrated and inter-connected over the past few decades. With the signing of many multilateral FTAs, the most recent being the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) which is the world’s largest FTA comprising 30% of global GDP, many Asian economies have become important global trading and investment partners.

4. Apart from global economies, the global strategic outlook is also rapidly changing and getting more contentious and worrying. For example, we are seeing the escalation of conflicts and tensions in East Asia, Europe and Middle East. The resulting geopolitical tensions are not only felt keenly throughout these regions but also the rest of the world. These ongoing conflicts have also exacerbated the spike in food and energy prices and affected supply chains around the world. However, political and economic dynamics are not the only challenges facing the global community, many countries are now experiencing severe consequences of climate change such as droughts, floods, extreme weather patterns, etc. In December 2019, a study from NASA and the European Space Agency found that around 3.8 trillion tons of ice had been lost from Greenland’s icesheet between 1992 and 2018 as a result of global warming. I am sure no one can feel the impact of this loss more than our friends in Greenland.

5. Amidst these difficult times, it is even more important for us to work closely to support multilateral institutions like the Arctic Council, and of course the Arctic Circle Assembly led by President Grímsson.

6. We believe that we can all make a common cause on initiatives of the Arctic Council. To this end, Singapore has partnered with various Arctic States to invest in technology and research in the maritime sector. For example, the Maritime Port Authority of Singapore is participating as a “Core Member” of the Zero-Emission Shipping Mission. This is a coalition of countries led by the Danish Maritime Authority and the Maersk McKinney Moller Centre for Zero Carbon Shipping.

7. Singapore also works closely with Arctic Council’s various working groups. We have regular exchanges through the Emergency Preparedness, Prevention and Response (EPPR) Working group and hosted representatives of the Arctic indigenous peoples to three Singapore Study Visits in 2012, 2014 and 2017. Singapore also worked closely with Arctic Circle Assembly Chairman President Grímsson to organise the “Singapore Forum on the Arctic” in November 2015. The objective of this forum is to bring the discussions of the Arctic issues to the Southeast Asian region.

8. Beyond our existing collaboration, Singapore is keen to step up cooperation with many Arctic States in mitigating climate change given its profound impact on all of us. As a low-lying coastal nation, Singapore is especially vulnerable to rising sea levels.

9. To mitigate this, Singapore has taken a decisive step to accelerate the decarbonisation of our economy. We aim to achieve net zero carbon emission by around mid-century. We plan to quadruple local solar energy production from 2020 levels by 2025. In addition, we introduced the first carbon pricing scheme in Southeast Asia in 2019. This is aimed at reducing emissions, creating green and sustainability projects, and transiting to an energy-efficient, low-carbon economy.

10. In conclusion, given the excellent relations between Singapore and the Arctic States, I look forward to seeing more governmental, academic, and business interactions ahead. We welcome our Arctic friends to visit us to exchange views on how Singapore can better collaborate with the Arctic States. Thank you.

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SE Photo 1

Special Envoy for Arctic Affairs Sam Tan delivering a speech during the opening session on “The View from Asia”.