Fourth Committee

STATEMENT BY COLONEL LIM TONG HAI, MILITARY ADVISOR AND COUNSELLOR, TO THE 74th SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY ON AGENDA ITEM 49(a) ON “INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION IN THE PEACEFUL USES OF OUTER SPACE”, FOURTH COMMITTEE, 30 OCTOBER 2019

30 Oct 2019

Mr Chairman, Chairman COPUOS, Director UNOOSA and Distinguished Delegates,

1. Singapore aligns itself with the statement delivered by Indonesia on behalf of the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN).We wish to make the following three points.

    

2. First, Singapore firmly believes that outer space should be preserved as a peaceful global commons. Like many other countries, Singapore depends on outer space to support essential civilian and government functions. These include urban planning, weather monitoring, telecommunications, as well as peace support and disaster relief operations. As the world becomes increasingly reliant on space-based infrastructure and applications, we also face challenges such as increasing space debris and orbital congestion. The need to address these challenges in order to preserve global access to outer space for peaceful uses has become increasingly crucial.

    

3. Second, Singapore supports efforts to enhance cooperation and strengthen consensus on international norms for space. In this regard, Singapore has applied to become a member of the Committee of Peaceful Uses of the Outer Space (COPUOS), in order to participate more actively in international dialogue and cooperation so as to promote the peaceful uses and long-term sustainability of space activities. We welcome the adoption of the voluntary Guidelines for the Long-Term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities at this year’s COPUOS session. This is an important milestone. We look forward to more collective efforts of the international community to strengthen and maintain the relevance of the global space governance framework, including keeping pace with latest technological advances.

    

   Mr Chairman,

    

4. Third, small states can play a part to promote the peaceful uses of outer space. The Office for Space Technology and Industry (OSTIn) was established in February 2013 under the Singapore Economic Development Board to grow our nascent space industry to support the burgeoning demand for satellite-based solutions.OSTIn continues to work with the relevant stakeholders to better coordinate Singapore’s activities in space and nurturing space innovation.

    

5. Singapore also has a vibrant scientific community engaged in space-related research. Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University’s Satellite Research Centre and the National University of Singapore’s Satellite, Technology and Research Centre have both collaborated closely with overseas research institutes and space agencies from Japan, India and the United Kingdom. Singapore seeks to forge stronger cooperation with partners in our region and beyond, and to encourage the responsible use and exploration of outer space for the benefit of humankind.

    

   Mr Chairman and Distinguished Delegates,

    

6. Singapore hopes that our application for COPUOS membership will be considered favourably at the General Assembly and looks forward to contributing constructively to the promotion of peaceful use of outer space, particularly through COPUOS.

    

7. Thank you.

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