First Intervention at the G20 Environment Ministerial Meeting by Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment

First Intervention by Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment, at the G20 Environment Ministerial Meeting on 22 July 2021

Chairperson

Excellencies

Distinguished delegates

1 Thank you, Chair. First, I would like to thank the Italian Presidency for hosting the G20 Environment Ministers Meeting, under the challenging circumstances of the ongoing pandemic. As each of our countries seek to recover from COVID-19 stronger, greener, and more sustainably, the issues on our agenda are more relevant than ever. Singapore is pleased to contribute to the G20 in this regard.

2 First, we are heartened to see a strong focus on ensuring sustainability of the natural environment in the G20 Environment Ministerial Communique.

3 As a small island city-state, Singapore's natural environment is essential to our survival. We are working to weave nature and biodiversity into the fabric of our growing urban landscape, and to transform Singapore into a City in Nature by 2030. At the global stage, Singapore is also committed to play our part. We look forward to the adoption of an ambitious, yet realistic, post-2020 global biodiversity framework at the 15th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity.

4 Second, we are pleased to see continuing efforts by the G20 to address marine litter. We welcome the 3rd G20 Report on Actions against Marine Plastic Litter (initiated during Japan's Presidency), which will advance understanding of policies and best practices to address marine litter. Given the complex, global, and transboundary nature of the marine litter challenge, such cooperative initiatives are timely and constructive. Singapore is committed to working with all countries to strengthen the global response to marine litter.

5 Third, we commend the G20's leadership on sustainable water management. This is an existential issue for Singapore, and we support all efforts to strengthen water cooperation. Recently, Singapore co-hosted a Regional Preparatory Meeting for the Mid-Term Review of the Water Action Decade together with the Republic of Tajikistan, to take stock of efforts in the Asia-Pacific region in advancing SDG 6 on water. The meeting called for accelerated action to advance SDG 6, and emphasised the immense potential of international, regional, and multi-stakeholder partnerships in building water resilience and sustainability. In this connection, Singapore is committed to contribute to G20 efforts to advance sustainable water management.

6 Finally, we recognize that sustainability is a cross-cutting issue. Promoting green growth and green financing can catalyse the growth of sustainability practices, while boosting economic competitiveness. To make the transition towards a green economy, the G20's leadership in these areas are crucial, and Singapore looks forward to continuing discussions in this regard.

7 Thank you.