His Excellency António Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations (UNSG), made an Official Visit to Singapore from 31 August to 2 September 2024.
The UNSG called on President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, and Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong on 2 September 2024. The UNSG was also hosted to lunch by Prime Minister Wong. This was followed by a meeting with Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong. The wide-ranging discussions covered global and regional developments.
During his call on President Tharman, they discussed practical ways to strengthen multilateral cooperation to effectively address the risks and opportunities of sustainable development and new technologies. Prime Minister Wong reaffirmed Singapore’s continued strong support for the United Nations, including efforts to strengthen the rules-based multilateral system. Prime Minister Wong also commended H.E. Guterres for his strong leadership of the UN at an exceptionally challenging period globally.
During his visit, the UNSG was hosted to a tour of Marina Barrage and lunch by Minister for Sustainability and the Environment and Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations Grace Fu on 1 September 2024, during which he was briefed on Singapore’s efforts to promote water security, flood resilience, and climate action. They also discussed Singapore’s efforts to promote sustainability and enhance environmental protection, nationally, regionally and internationally.
The UNSG was also hosted to a tour of Punggol Regional Library by Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Digital Development and Information and Ministry of Health, Dr Janil Puthucheary, and received a briefing on Singapore’s digital inclusion policies on 1 September 2024. Minister for Digital Development and Information, Minister-in-charge of Smart Nation and Cybersecurity and Second Minister for Home Affairs Josephine Teo hosted the UNSG to dinner, during which they exchanged views on ongoing international efforts to tackle cybercrime and address challenges and opportunities of technological advances.
A new orchid hybrid, Dendrobium António Guterres, was named in the UNSG’s honour.
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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
SINGAPORE
2 SEPTEMBER 2024