27 Oct 2016
Madam Chair,
1 Thank you for giving me the floor. My delegation thanks the Special Rapporteur Ms Yanghee Lee for her presentation and her work.
2 Singapore welcomes the peaceful and orderly political transition in Myanmar. Understandably, public expectations are high and the new government has many issues to tackle. We should not underestimate the challenges the Myanmar government has to grapple with in this nascent transition.
3 There will be no quick fix for many of the challenges confronting Myanmar. More than five decades of armed conflict and close to 20 years of isolation and sanctions have compounded the scale of the tasks that the present and future governments have to deal with.
4 Singapore joins all friends of Myanmar to welcome the Myanmar government’s continued commitment to peace, national reconciliation and development. We welcome and support the Myanmar government’s efforts in engaging various stakeholders, building an inclusive political process and cooperating with the UN. We hope that continued close and frequent consultations with the various stakeholders will help rebuild trust, understanding and confidence, and bring about lasting peace. We also welcome Myanmar’s continued engagement and constructive cooperation with the UN.
Madam Chair,
5 We are pleased to note that there will not be a resolution tabled against Myanmar in the Third Committee this year. It is a reflection of advancement on the ground. We hope the international community will engage Myanmar in a spirit of cooperation as it advances on its path to peace, national reconciliation and development. On our part, Singapore has consistently assisted Myanmar in building up its capacity in concrete ways over the years and will continue to support Myanmar as it continues on the path of progress. We stand ready to share our experience where needed and will continue to be a supportive partner in Myanmar’s development. Singapore is confident in the Myanmar people’s resilience, and optimistic about the Myanmargovernment’s determination to foster an inclusive, harmonious and prosperous community.
6 I thank you.
. . . . .