06 Dec 2021
Mr President,
Singapore aligns itself with the statement delivered by Brunei Darussalam on behalf of ASEAN, and adds the following points in our national capacity.
2 My delegation thanks the Secretary-General for his comprehensive report on promoting a culture of peace and interreligious and intercultural dialogue. The examples cited, of how respect for diversity and cultural pluralism are key enablers of a culture of peace, are especially pertinent today. The COVID-19 pandemic has widened fault lines and social tensions both within, and between, societies. It has threatened not just our health, but the fragile fabric of our societies. In this context, achieving a global culture of peace is more crucial than ever.
Mr President,
3 Singapore is a diverse society in a densely-populated city-state. 5.5 million people – Chinese, Malays, Indians, Eurasians and others – live together on an island smaller than New York City. Many of the world’s great religions are represented.
4 We enjoy a high level of racial and religious harmony. People live, study, and grow up together, and celebrate one another’s cultural festivals. According to the 2019 Gallup World Poll, 95% of respondents in Singapore said that Singapore was “a good place to live” for racial and ethnic minorities. The global average was about 70% and Singapore was ranked first worldwide among 124 countries polled. But the state of peace that we have now was not always so. Our current harmony is built on painful lessons drawn from racial riots that marred our early years of independence. It remains a continuous work in progress for us, and we cannot rest on our laurels.
5 To protect and promote this harmony, we continue to build bridges of understanding across racial, religious, and cultural differences. At the initiative of our President, Singapore organised the inaugural International Conference on Cohesive Societies in 2019, which brought together over a thousand delegates from almost forty countries. We look forward to the next iteration in 2022.
Mr President,
6 Articles 5 and 8 of the Declaration on a Culture of Peace affirm the key roles of civil society and religious bodies in the full development of a culture of peace. Recognising that ground-up organisations, and people of faith themselves, play the largest role in building mutual understanding and trust, the Singapore Government also works closely with our non-governmental organisations, such as the Inter-Religious Organisation. Founded over seventy years ago by leaders of six different faiths, the organisation has grown to reflect the religious diversity of Singapore, and is now led by a Council of thirty-one leaders of ten different faiths. By working directly through religious groups, the organisation has made significant ground-up contributions to religious harmony in Singapore. These include building networks amongst people of different faiths, countering religious extremism and radicalisation, and promoting local and international inter-faith dialogue.
7 Our religious and community leaders also work with one another to resolve sensitivities which arise from time to time, preventing them from flaring up and causing wider misunderstandings. Their efforts complement national initiatives such as our annual Racial Harmony Day, which is celebrated in schools to expose our students to racial, religious, and cultural sensitivities from a young age.
Mr President,
8 Singapore will continue working closely with the international community to promote inter-racial and inter-religious harmony, towards our common goal of fostering a global culture of peace.
9 Thank you.
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