Abridged National Statement at the Stockholm+50 Plenary - Dr Amy Khor

Abridged National Statement by Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment, at the Stockholm+50 Plenary on 3 June 2022

Presidents

Excellencies

Distinguished delegates

1 Good morning/afternoon. Fifty years ago, the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment adopted the Stockholm Declaration, which reshaped global governance on the environment.

Opportunities Ahead

2 Stockholm+50 is an opportune moment for us to take stock of the challenges and opportunities facing our planet, and strengthen our resolve to protect it for the prosperity of all. First, as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, we must stay committed to the sustainability agenda. Fifty years ago, Singapore became one of the first countries to form a Ministry dedicated to the environment. Today, sustainability remains at the heart of everything we do.

3 In 2021, we launched the Singapore Green Plan 2030 as a whole-of-nation movement to advance Singapore’s national agenda on sustainable development. It charts bold and concrete sectoral initiatives and targets in this critical decade, strengthening our efforts to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement. In February this year, Singapore also announced that we will raise our ambition to achieve net-zero emission by or around mid-century in line with the Glasgow Climate Pact. We will consult closely with stakeholders before deciding on a specific net-zero year and making a formal revision to both our Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and Long-Term Low Emissions Development Strategy (LEDS) later this year. We will also raise our carbon tax progressively, as an enabler to raise our ambition in this critical decade.

4 Second, the world must shift from a linear resource use model to a circular one, invest in research and innovation to overcome our natural constraints, and make the best use of our precious planetary resources. As a resource-scarce country, Singapore is investing heavily in sustainable infrastructure such as our upcoming Integrated Waste Management Facility to close our resource loop. Circular approaches will also be crucial in tackling global challenges such as plastic pollution. At the upcoming intergovernmental negotiations for an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, Singapore will work with other countries on an instrument that will facilitate innovative solutions to promote the sustainable production, consumption and end-of-life treatment of plastic waste to accelerate the shift towards plastics circularity.

5 Finally, we must continue to enhance partnerships to strengthen our global environment and climate action. Multilateral Environment Agreements (MEAs) continue to provide a good platform to advance our collective response to the global sustainability challenges we face. The Paris Agreement, which was adopted by 196 Parties in Paris in 2015, reflects our collective commitment to address climate change. At COP-26, Singapore also joined several sectoral initiatives, such as the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM4C) , and the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use . We need to faithfully implement our commitments and accelerate our transition to a low-carbon future.

Closing

6 Thank you.