UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon toasts Singapore's water strategy

He says know-how can be shared with other water-scarce countries

By Phua Mei Pin & Ben Nadarajan, The Straits Times, 24 Mar 2012

SINGAPORE'S NEWater has found a champion in United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon, who said that he would recommend the strategy of recycling waste water to other countries suffering from water scarcity.

After visiting the NEWater complex in Changi yesterday, Mr Ban told The Straits Times in an interview: 'I was very much impressed by the idea - of recycling waste water to help people have access to safe drinking water.'

He added that 'such Singaporean experience and know-how... should be shared by many countries which have water scarcity problems'.

About 1.3 billion people do not have access to safe drinking water, he noted, adding that water scarcity could become a source of tension between countries.

Mr Ban was so enamoured with what he saw that later in the day, during a dinner at the Istana hosted by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, he toasted Mr Lee with a bottle of NEWater instead of the traditional glass of wine.

Brandishing the bottle, Mr Ban called it 'something far more valuable' than a glass of wine - 'the elixir of life and in this case, Singapore's own special brand: NEWater'.

At the same dinner, Mr Lee responded that Singapore was happy to share its experiences in sustainable resource management. 'One example is water, which is strategically important to Singapore.'

In his toast to Mr Ban, Mr Lee pledged Singapore's commitment to support the UN's priorities, as laid out in the Secretary-General's five-year action plan.

Highlighting one of them - sustainable development, Mr Lee said: 'Being resource-constrained ourselves, we will continue to support international efforts to promote sustainable development.'

The spirit of cooperation, he said, is more important today than ever, in a world that is increasingly connected.

'No single country can solve the world's problems by itself,' he said. 'All must play their part in managing our shared challenges, be it climate change, international terrorism or nuclear proliferation.'

This is especially crucial for small countries such as Singapore. Calling the UN 'the most important international body' to which it belongs, Mr Lee said: 'Through the UN, small states like Singapore have a voice in international affairs and have access to the rule of law.'

In that context, Singapore established channels for the UN to engage other groups of countries. In 1992, it started the Forum of Small States (FOSS), a group of 101 small states to create a common constituency within the UN. It later initiated Global Governance Group, a cluster of 28 small and medium-sized states.

Noting that Asean was the other important grouping to which Singapore belongs, Mr Lee expressed happiness with the deepening of Asean-UN relations.

Calling the ties between Singapore and the UN comprehensive, mutually beneficial and excellent, Mr Lee said: 'I am confident that our partnership will continue to strengthen in the years ahead.'

The exchange came at the tail end of Mr Ban's two-day visit to Singapore at Mr Lee's invitation. A highlight was his delivery yesterday of the inaugural lecture in the Fullerton series by the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

In his speech entitled 'Securing our future: Singapore, the region, and beyond', Mr Ban said that 'the world has much to gain from the Singapore example'.

Besides NEWater, he lauded Singapore's policies and hard work, its ability to overcome crises and its grasp of multilateral dynamics. He also paid tribute to Singapore's multilateral contributions, to the extent of wearing a Foss pin on his lapel throughout the day.

Mr Ban said of Singapore: 'You may be limited in your geographical borders, but you are showing there is no limit to creativity, possibility and imagination.'

As part of his visit, Mr Ban also met President Tony Tan Keng Yam, Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong and Foreign Minister K. Shanmugam.

An orchid-naming ceremony was also held for Mr Ban. A purplish-blue orchid with dark purple spots was named the Vanda Ban Ki Moon 'Yoo Soon Taek', combining the names of the UN Secretary-General and his spouse.

On the lighter side, Mr Ban joked with the diplomatic corps that besides lessons in recycling water, another thing he wished to take back to the UN from Singapore was its restaurants.

'SINGAPORE'S THE FACE OF THE NEW'

'I love coming to Singapore for many reasons, but the most important is your outlook. Pragmatic. Can-do. Entrepreneurial. Attuned to how the world is changing, every day and in every way.

'One Singaporean put it this way: 'We are perpetual worriers. We take nothing for granted. We must change to stay relevant to the world. This constant restlessness sets Singapore apart.'

'This could be the motto for the United Nations (UN).

'Every worry in the world comes to our door. Sometimes, I wonder, where do we begin?

'I came to the UN as an agent of change - determined to do all I can to adapt the UN to our fast-paced modern age.

'We face a new set of challenges and opportunities - climate change, peacekeeping, the Arab Spring and the rise of democracy, a growing population, new scarcities of food and water.

'These are big changes. Once-in-a-generation moments. All require a modern, can-do UN.

'A UN that works to make itself not simply relevant, but essential to resolving the problems of our time.

'In all of this, Singapore sets an example. You are at the cutting edge of innovation and change. 

You are constantly searching for solutions. In so many ways, you are the face of the new.'

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon, in his toast at dinner with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong

Ban rallies international support for Myanmar

By Ben Nadarajan, The Straits Times, 24 Mar 2012

UNITED Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon yesterday urged the international community to offer its support in any way it can as Myanmar goes through a transitional period of reform.

Speaking during a lecture at the Fullerton Hotel to government officials, diplomats and academics, Mr Ban said he will probably visit Myanmar next month, after closely watched by-elections there in which long-time political detainee Aung San Suu Kyi will take part for the first time in decades.

'Myanmar still faces many challenges and will need our support along the way. I look forward to visiting Myanmar in the near future to continue advancing our common efforts for national reconciliation and reform,' he said.

Mr Ban has visited Myanmar twice before in his current role and said he is 'encouraged' by the recent steps taken by the Thein Sein-led government.

'Whether it was through quiet diplomacy or more public efforts, we have been working diligently and consistently alongside Myanmar,' he said.

Highlighting Asean as being instrumental in supporting international engagement in Myanmar and political reform, he added: 'Our collective work - the consolidated engagement of all partners - has helped lay the foundations for change.'

And it is regional groupings, such as Asean, which are going to play an increasing role in global issues, he said. In Ivory Coast, the call for change was led by the Economic Community of West African States and the African Union. And in Libya, it was a coalition of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the African Union and the Arab League.

'We are seeing the power of partnerships, of regional organisations leading to get global results,' he said, terming it an 'evolution of global governance'.

'In more and more crisis zones, global and regional institutions are pushing in the same direction. This is true multilateralism for a multilateral age. This is the beginning of a reshaping of the political landscape for the 21st century - and perhaps even a readjustment of the power politics within the broader UN.'

There were, of course, several countries which have proven to be more difficult to handle, such as North Korea, Syria and Iran.

The UN Secretary-General, who playfully said his designation of SG actually stands for 'scapegoat', strongly condemned North Korea over its announcement that it would launch a satellite on a long-range rocket, in an interview with The Straits Times, after his speech.

'It is very worrisome,' he said. 'Not only is it a clear violation of Security Council regulations, it also undermines recent positive diplomatic dialogue between the United States and North Korea.'

Several weeks ago, Pyongyang had agreed to suspend nuclear weapons testing and enrichment and allow international inspectors to verify and monitor activities at its main nuclear facility as part of a deal that included US food aid.

As for the nuclear problem in Iran, where talk has been rife that Israel and its allies may strike Iran, Mr Ban called for peaceful dialogue to defuse the tension. 'The Iranian government has to prove that its nuclear programme is genuinely for peaceful purposes and so far, they have not done so,' he said.

Mr Ban also said during his interview that one of his top priorities was to look hard into issues concerning young people.

About half of the world's seven billion population are under the age of 25 and Mr Ban said many youth felt their views had not been heard and respected, which led to mass protests during the Arab Spring revolutions as well as protests across Europe and the US.

To do this, he will soon appoint a special adviser and an advisory group. There is some debate on whether the adviser should be a younger person or a much more senior person.

'If we have someone young, they may not have the political leadership. And the adviser should be someone who can mobilise and work with governments around the world,' said Mr Ban. 'But if it's someone from the old establishment, they may not have fresh ideas or come up with visions or aspirations that connect with the young people.'

He urged young people to prepare themselves to step up to the plate.

'Only ambitions or ideas will not make you realise your dreams. Be practical, and have your two feet on the ground all the time,' Mr Ban said. 'By challenging your leaders, you motivate your leaders to do better.'

Ban spotlights Singapore’s work on disaster management and sustainable development
UN News Centre, 23 Mar 2012

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today praised Singapore’s response to natural disasters as well as it policies on sustainable development and added that the country’s participation and experience vital for the international community.

Mr. Ban stressed that the lessons learned by Singapore and other countries in the region on issues such as natural disasters can also be applied for human protection in other regions and under different circumstances. He was delivering the inaugural Fullerton Lecture at a special event of Singapore’s International Institute for Strategic Studies.

“In a larger sense, when it comes to enhancing human protection, I believe there are many lessons to learn from this region,” Mr. Ban said. “Clearly disaster preparedness and early warning systems make a difference. They require national capacity building plus regional and global collaboration to meet a common threat.

“To meet the needs of each population and each country in the region, leaders of sovereign states chose to work together on a common plan rather than going it alone. That is practical sovereignty at work. We must apply these lessons on meeting natural disasters to cases of man-made disaster,” he said, adding that the same multilateral warning systems could be applied to prevent human mass atrocities and violence.

“Violence – like water – comes in waves. Here too, early warning and assessment are essential,” he said.

Mr. Ban also congratulated Singapore for its efforts to implement sustainable development policies and encouraged it to engage in the upcoming UN Conference on Sustainable Development, also known as Rio+20, in Brazil in June.

“As a densely populated small island, you have sh2own leadership on issues of climate change and sustainable development,” Mr. Ban said, adding that to be able to obtain lasting peace and development, the country would need to forge partnerships with other to achieve the same goals.

“In the next twenty years, the world will need at least 50 per cent more food, 45 per cent more energy, and 30 per cent more water. To address these challenges, we need to think and act in an integrated way.”

During his visit, Mr. Ban met President Tony Tan Keng Yam, with whom he discussed cooperation between the UN and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, as well as Myanmar, nuclear security and Rio+20. The Secretary-General also held meetings Prime Minister Lee Hsein Loong and Foreign Minister K. Shanmugam, covering regional and international matters.