Statement by Singapore at the Intersessional Meeting for Dialogue and Cooperation on Human Rights and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, 16 January 2019

Mr Chair,

Our goal in Singapore is to build a nation where our citizens can lead fulfilling lives in a fair, just and inclusive society.

Attaining SDGs 4, 8, 10, 13 and 17 is critical to help us achieve this goal.

We are transforming our economy to create good jobs for our people, and to share the fruits of growth with all Singaporeans. 

Our Future Economy Council is working closely with unions and businesses to implement 23 Industry Transformation Maps that covers 80% of our economy, inculcate lifelong learning in our workforce through SkillsFuture, and help affected workers to adapt and grow in new jobs and careers.

At the same time, we are doing more to tackle inequality to strengthen the social compact with our citizens. 

We continue to support lower-income Singaporeans through schemes such as Workfare Income Supplement and other subsidies in education, housing, healthcare.

We invest heavily in education to prepare our children – including those with disabilities – to allow all Singaporeans to realise their potential and achieve their aspirations, regardless of their starting point in life. 

We pay particular attention to children from disadvantaged backgrounds through programmes like KidSTART.

We are not for “growth at all cost”. We promoted sustainable development and growth by declaring 2018 as the Year for Climate Action and launched the Year Towards Zero Waste last week.

Mr Chairman,

Our pragmatic and outcomes-based approach towards attaining the SDGs and safeguarding our people’s human rights have worked for us so far – Singapore is ranked 9^th on the latest 2017 UN Human Development Index and 1^st on the World Bank’s human capital index in 2018.

But we are fully aware of the importance of continuously learning from others – developed and developing countries – as there is no one-size-fits-all approach in tackling wicked challenges like combating inequality and the Future of Work.

That is why Singapore launched the Sustainable Development Programme in 2015 to promote the sharing best practices and experiences between countries in attaining the SDGs.

Our experience has been that policies and programmes have the greatest impact on the ground if they are implemented in a practical manner, taking into account local circumstances.

Singapore will continue to learn from others and share our own experiences.

I thank you, Mr Chairman.