Senior Minister of State (SMS) for Foreign Affairs and Defence Dr Mohamad Maliki Osman is in Luxembourg to attend the 12th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (FMM12) from 5 to 6 November 2015. Delegations from 51 Asian and European countries, as well as the ASEAN secretariat and the European Union, convene every two years for the ASEM Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.
Dr Maliki spoke at the first plenary session on 5 November 2015 entitled: “Climate Change, 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Disaster Risk Reduction and Management”.
Dr Maliki highlighted three major global challenges to the fulfilment of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) facing all countries. Dr Maliki also emphasised that international cooperation is the only way to deal with cross border issues such as climate change, pandemics and the man-made forest fires which have produced the thick haze that has plagued Southeast Asia for the past few months. He stressed that closer international cooperation is needed to pressure companies which continue to profit from illegal slash-and-burn methods.
He also said, “Disaster risk reduction is a key component in sustainable development. It is not only crucial for long-term economic growth but also a cornerstone in national and regional security. Singapore therefore fully supports the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and is strongly committed to its implementation. “
Dr Maliki met Secretary-General and Undersecretary for External Economic Policy and Development Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Estonia -Väino Reinart, where they discussed bilateral issues including exploring ICT cooperation.
He also mentioned the 3rd Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Conference in Samoa and that Singapore launched a three year technical cooperation package for SIDS that includes customised programmes in areas like climate change, sustainable development and disaster management. In collaboration with the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, it conducted a specialised training course for SIDS on implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, including climate change adaptation and mitigation measures.
