Singapore Review - 52nd session of Universal Periodic Review

Good afternoon, all colleagues, members and observers of the Human Rights Council.
The president had to first negotiate with the new chair, as a new one.
But Excellencies, distinguished colleagues, I hereby declare open the 14th meeting of the 52nd session of the working group of the Universal Periodic Review.
We will now proceed with the review of Singapore.
Before we begin, please let me remind you that all delegations should upload their oral statements through the online system of inscription of the list of speakers, the events, before the opening of the review they intend to address.
In accordance with the Human Rights Council resolution five slash one, the review is based on the National report and the compilation of UN information and the summary of stakeholders information, both prepared by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Before I give the floor to the delegation, I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to the government of Singapore for its support in funding the live broadcasting of the 52nd session of the working group of the UPR, and of course, for its full support to the UPR process through this participation.
I now have the honor to give the floor to His Excellency, Ambassador Jaya Ratnam permanent representative of the Republic of Singapore to introduce the delegation.
Excellency, you have the floor.
Mr.
President, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, Singapore is proud to participate in our 4th UPR.
We are building a society where our people feel safe and secure, live within harmonious and cohesive communities, and lead meaningful lives and feel proud of Singapore.
The issues we face, especially being a multi religious and multi ethnic society are increasingly complex and cross cutting in this fast changing world.
Singapore sees the UPR as a valuable opportunity to take stock of the progress we have made while reviewing the areas where we can do better.
Since our last UPR, we have undertaken significant legal and policy initiatives to implement the recommendations we accepted.
We recognize that responding to today's challenges is not enough.
To help us chart our course forward, we have regularly engaged international human rights mechanisms through, among others, our periodic treaty reviews, communications with special procedures mandate holders, including hosting a visit by the Special Rapporteur on human right to clean, healthy, and sustainable environment last year and making regular substantive contributions to special procedures reports since our last review.
We also place especially great importance on regularly engaging Singaporeans, other residents, and civil society to ensure we are on the right track.
Ahead of our UPR, we conducted additional rounds of such consultations, which our interministry Committee on Human Rights closely considered in preparation for our national report.
We approach our 4th UPR today in a similar spirit of openness to constructive dialogue and a desire to do better in line with the aspirations of Singaporeans.
Mr.
President, may I introduce our head of delegation, miss Rahayu Mahzam.
Miss Rahayu is currently the Minister of State for Health, as well as Digital Development and Information.
She previously served at the Ministry of Law.
In Singapore, human rights is the responsibility of the whole of government.
Our choice of Minister Rahayu to lead our UPR is testament to this holistic approach.
Miss Rahiayuis accomplished lawyer by profession and a community leader by conviction.
She's a longtime champion of the special needs community, youth development, and women empowerment.
It is now my pleasure to invite the minister to outline Singapore's approach to human rights and the progress made since our last review, Minister.
Mr.
President, Excellencies, distinguished delegates, a very good afternoon to all of you.
My delegation and I are honored to address you today for Singapore's 4tth UPR.
Singapore marked 60 years of independence last year.
As a young and small nation born of diversity, milestones such as this not only give us time to reflect on how far we have come, but more importantly, where we are going next.
Our efforts in promoting and protecting human rights is an ongoing journey as we build our nation and make lives better for our people.
We therefore regard today's review as an important opportunity to engage constructively with the international community, to listen, and to learn so that we may better safeguard the dignity of all persons and build inclusive societies where all have the opportunities to fulfill their potential.
Allow me to begin by sharing Singapore's story and approach to advancing human rights.
Singapore has come a long way since independence in 1965.
We were once described as an improbable nation, a small island with an ethnically diverse society, high unemployment, overpopulation, a lack of natural resources, and an economy that depended entirely on trade with other countries.
We quickly realized that our survival and success depend heavily on our people.
We had to build our future on human talent, a strong economy, and a united society.
Given our limited resources and the risk of divisions in our society, we have worked hard to build a country where our people can thrive and achieve their aspirations.
This requires order and stability, adherence to the rule of law, and a commitment to keep improving and adapting to new challenges.
These realities shape our two pronged approach to human rights.
First, we recognize that there is no one single approach to the realization of human rights.
Each country has to approach it in ways that take into account its own national context and social realities.
Across the world, we have seen how global pressures, including geopolitical tensions, economic uncertainty, and the impact of technology can strain social unity.
Therefore, even as we create space for diverse views and opinions to be expressed in Singapore, we emphasize the importance of forging a shared national identity and strengthening social empathy.
Second, we seek to protect human rights in a pragmatic, outcomes focused manner.
We judge progress by lives improved, and our outcomes have been encouraging.
Life expectancy has increased from about 64 years at independence to 84 years today, reflecting strong progress in our promotion of the right to health.
Access to education has improved substantially with our primary and secondary schools reaching near universal cohorts and with strong learning outcomes.
Singapore continues to be recognized as one of the least corrupt countries in the world, ranking third in Transparency International's 2025 Index, a reflection of our strong public governance.
At the same time, we know that there is always more to do.
We continually engage our people to understand gaps and how we can do better.
It is my government's strong belief that meaningful participation and dialogue are essential to shaping policies that uphold the rights and aspirations of all members of our society.
For example, in 2022, we embarked on an 18 month nationwide consultation to review and refresh our social compact.
Over 200,000 Singaporeans joined this conversation and shared their views on the future they wish to build together.
Singaporeans expressed a clear desire to be empowered to pursue diverse aspirations and their own definitions of success, to have the assurance of being cared for and protected at every stage of life and to share collective responsibility for building a more inclusive and cohesive society.
These continue to guide our efforts to advance and protect human rights.
Mr.
President, we reviewed the feedback from our citizens and civil society organizations seriously.
Since our last UPR, we have taken concrete steps to enhance protections against discrimination, expand access to justice, and strengthen safeguards for communities at risk.
In line with our ongoing effort to ensure that human rights are protected in our laws, policies and practices, Singapore signed the optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the child on the sale of children, child prostitution, and child pornography last year.
We also lifted our reservation to Article 25E of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, after strengthening our domestic nondiscrimination guidelines.
In 2025, our parliament passed Singapore's first workplace anti discrimination law, helping to ensure that no worker is unfairly disadvantaged due to who they are.
We included new legal protections for platform workers covering their unique retirement adequacy and work related injury needs, areas where regulations are still evolving globally.
Since our last UPR, we have continued to strengthen support for communities that need more protection.
We expanded subsidies for workplace modifications that help women, persons with disabilities, and older persons remain in the workforce, fostering more inclusive employment practices.
We also established the Public Defender's Office to improve access to criminal defense aid and strengthen the right to a fair trial.
In 2022, our parliament voted to repeal a colonial era law criminalizing consensual sex between men.
At the same time, constitutional amendments clarified Parliament's role in defining and regulating marriage.
These followed years of careful public consultation and national debate.
This approach reflects our continued commitment to combating discrimination, while also being committed to managing social differences and differing views with care and sensitivity.
This has helped us to largely avoid the culture wars phenomenon, which can polarize societies and worsen discrimination in practice.
We continue to invest heavily in education, housing, and healthcare.
We have strengthened social safety nets so that no one is left behind.
We expanded lifelong learning and digital skills training so that our people can adapt to a fast changing world with confidence.
We have built more neighborhood based care systems for an aging population, and we're taking concrete steps to address climate risks.
These are long term investments in our people's dignity, resilience, and opportunity.
Mr.
President, in our experience, social harmony among diverse groups does not happen on its own.
It must be nurtured patiently, deliberately, and together.
One example, Singapore's public housing system, which houses over 80% of our population is designed to ensure that families of different ethnic backgrounds live side by side.
It is not left to chance.
It is built into policy and reinforced daily through lived experience.
Such everyday interactions build understanding and empathy and ultimately create a more cohesive society.
We remain committed to strengthening inclusion, mutual respect, and equal belonging for all members of our society.
Even as we celebrate the progress we have made, we recognize that we must continue to advance equality and inclusion, reinforce protections, and provide more opportunities for at risk groups in our society.
We must also ensure that pressing challenges like digital inclusion and aging population and climate change are addressed.
We are a constant work in progress.
We will have to be bold and creative to meet new challenges and fulfill the aspirations of our people.
This UPR process reminds us that human rights advancement is a shared endeavor, strengthened not by uniformity, but by mutual learning and sincere engagement.
We look forward to today's dialogue.
We thank all states for taking the time to participate in our review.
I now invite miss Cynthia Lau, Deputy Secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, to speak on Singapore's focus on preserving racial and religious harmony.
Cynthia, please.
Mr.
President, distinguished delegates, today, I will speak about Singapore's efforts and progress in building a cohesive society.
Singapore is a small and densely populated city state shaped by people of many races, languages, and religions.
We remain the most religiously diverse country in the world, according to a 2026 Pew Research Center study.
For 60 years, Singapore has placed great importance on forging a cohesive nation despite our diversity.
Our early struggles are well documented.
We experienced racial riots a year before independence and lives were lost.
We therefore do not take social harmony for granted as Singapore continued progress hinges on our national unity and cohesion.
Today, 93% of respondents in the 2024 Gall World poll said that Singapore is a good place for racial and ethnic minorities, placing Singapore first among 134 countries and territories poor.
Our model for social harmony is founded on the principle of equality as enshrined in our constitution.
With this foundation, we promote mutual understanding among different racial and religious communities to foster social cohesion.
This allows us to build strong social networks and relationship that binds society together.
The harmony we enjoy today is a result of continuous and deliberate efforts across two areas.
First, strengthening our legal framework and second, fostering social cohesion.
Under Singapore's Constitution, all persons are equal before the law and entitled to equal protection.
Our laws provide strong safeguards against discrimination with clear boundaries against divisive behavior and prevent the mixing of religion and politics.
We regularly enhance our laws and policies to ensure we remain relevant and responsive to our evolving social contexts.
Last year, we introduced the maintenance of Racial Harmony Act to strengthen protections for social cohesion, taking close reference from our existing maintenance of Religious Harmony Act.
The Act creates a new council to advise the president on certain matters concerning racial and religious harmony and introduces additional safeguards such as community based measures to encourage reconciliation and understanding between racial groups.
Next, let me highlight our efforts to foster social cohesion.
Singapore's model of multiculturalism is one where we embrace individual cultural identities and seek to weave a larger tapestry of national identity by bringing different cultures together.
We actively support policy and programs which maximize our common space and encourage social mixing so that Singaporeans from all backgrounds can live together while appreciating each other's differences.
This is reflected in the intentional design of our public housing, where all races, Chinese, Malays, Indians, Eurasians, and others are represented in each block.
Our public housing also features common corridors and shared spaces that encourage daily interactions.
We recognize harmony is built by people.
We therefore encourage community led efforts to bring different acial and religious groups together to deepen understanding and collaboration.
Our racial and religious harmony circles are community networks that build understanding, trust, and confidence across different faith, beliefs, and cultures at the grassroot level.
Last July, our community partners organized our annual racial and religious Harmony Month, which brought together some 100,000 people to celebrate our multicultural roots.
Beyond peaceful coexistence, we celebrate each other's cultures.
We do this through community arts and cultural performances that bring these multicultural experiences into our neighborhoods.
We also provide funding for community interfaith and cross cultural projects, as well as the development of traditional and multicultural art forms.
And to ensure our next generation of Singaporeans will carry on and build on our ethos of multiculturalism, we partner with youth to run dialogue, ground up projects, and community events to foster social cohesion.
Mr.
President, Singapore has built an environment where social cohesion is a lived reality shaped by the active hands and hearts of our people.
It is not perfect and is a constant work in progress.
However, we believe our efforts have been effective in ensuring racial and religious harmony and in protecting our people's social and cultural rights.
I thank you.
Thank you, Cynthia.
Mr.
President, I give the floor to you.
Thank you, Minister Rahau and I thank also through you, the delegation of Singapore for their statements.
We shall now begin our interactive dialogue before giving the floor to delegations for their quick questions and comments.
I would like to remind you that the speaking time will be 50 seconds for all.
I wish to reiterate that issues of a political, bilateral, and territorial nature should be kept out of our deliberations.
Moreover, United Nations terminology should be used when referring to states and territories.
Please be reminded that only the use of words recommend recommendation will ensure that the relevant parts of your statements are included in the recommendation section of the working group report.
Also, allow me to recall that the Human Rights Council strongly rejects any acts of intimidation or reprisal against individuals and groups who cooperate or have cooperated with the United Nations and its representatives and mechanisms in the field of human rights.
We will now begin with the list of speakers, and I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Kenya.
Mr.
President, Kenya warmly welcomes the Singaporean delegation.
We note the comprehensive national report which reflects the significant strides made since the third cycle, particularly in advancing inclusive development, strengthening social protection systems, and promoting workforce skills development in an evolving digital economy.
In a spirit of constructive dialogue, Kenya offers the following two recommendations for current consideration.
One, to sustain the commendable efforts in promoting inclusive and equitable access to education and skills development, two, to sustain efforts aimed at strengthening social protection systems and supporting vulnerable groups, particularly in the context of evolving labor markets and digital transformation.
We wish the delegation of Singapore a most successful review session.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Kirbas.
Mr.
President, CRS welcomes the esteemed delegation from Singapore, a fellow sits and thanks the delegation for the presentation of the National report.
In the spirit of constructive dialogue, CuS offers the following recommendations to Singapore.
One, further enhance social protection systems, including support for vulnerable groups such as persons with disabilities and older persons to ensure inclusive access to services and opportunities, two, Further enhanced protection for migrant workers, particularly in relation to working conditions, access to justice, and safeguards against exploitation.
Three, consider reviewing the application of the death penalty including by establishing a moratorium on executions with a view to its eventual abolition.
We wish Singapore a successful review.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Kuwait.
Thank you, President.
We welcome the head of Singapore's delegation, and we applaud the efforts deployed by the government as highlighted by the report with regards to the judiciary law in 2025 which prevents discrimination at the workplace.
We wish to offer the following recommendations.
Firstly, continue efforts to reinforce child rights, particularly through reinforcing integrated education for children with a disability.
Secondly, ensure the provision of affordable health care services, particularly for particularly for vulnerable people.
We wish Singapore further success and prosperity within the framework of the UPR.
Thank you, President.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Kyrgyzstan.
Mr.
President.
The Kyrgyz Republic warmly welcomes Excellency, Madame Masam and her distinguished delegation.
We express our content that Singapore accepted the recommendations made by Kyrgyzstan during the third UPR cycle, demonstrating a shared commitment to advancing human rights.
Building on this positive cooperation, Kyrgyzstan would like to offer the following recommendations.
Sustained efforts to empower women to increase their representation in public and political life, further strengthen measures to maintain interracial harmony and inter religious understanding, continue improving the protection and welfare of migrant workers.
We wish Singapore every success in the current UPR cycle and reaffirm our support for its endeavors to uphold and advance human rights.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Lao PDR.
Mr.
President, the La Pedia warmly welcomes the high level delegation of Singapore to TPR session and thanks for its comprehensive report.
The La PDia commends Singapore for the remarkable progress made in the advancement of human rights through the implementation of the adopted recommendation in the previous cycle, particularly in building its inclusive, queenship and resilient society.
In the spirit of constructive dialogue, my delegation proposes two recommendation.
One, enhance its efforts further to promote c right, including the promotion of inclusive education for San with disability.
Two, further improve the protection and welfare of migrant workers.
We wish Singapore a successful review.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Australia.
Thank you, Mr.
President, we thank the delegation for its presentation.
Australia welcomes Singapore's repeal of Section 333778 of the Penal Code, strengthen family violence protections under the Women's Charter, improved housing and healthcare for migrant workers, and its first binding anti discrimination framework through the Workplace Fairness Act.
Australia is concerned Singapore's executions reached their highest level in over 20 years in 2025.
Australia recommends Singapore re establish a moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty.
Strengthen the protections for migrant workers by establishing a government run recruitment system to prevent deceptive hiring and contract substitution and amend the Workplace Fairness Act to prohibit other forms of discrimination, including on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, and sex characteristics.
We wish you every success.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of L Soto.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
The Kingdom of Lesotho welcomes the high delegation of Singapore and thanks Singapore for its continued engagement with the UPR process.
We commend Singapore for its continued efforts in advancing the protection of women's rights.
Lesotho, however, recommends Singapore to, one, intensify efforts to empower women and expand their participation in public and political life.
Two, continue to adopt and implement legislation and policies to protect all persons against discrimination, including racial minorities, persons with disabilities, and other vulnerable groups.
Three, strengthen the protection of migrant workers, particularly migrant domestic workers by ensuring fair labor conditions, access to justice, and protection from exploitation and abuse.
Lo wish Singapore a successful review.
I thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Libya.
S C.
Thank you, President.
We welcome the delegation of Singapore and we thank them for their presentation and the efforts made to ensure the rights of people, particularly social and cultural rights and gains with regards to education, health and social development.
We tabled the following recommendations.
Firstly, continue efforts to combat human trafficking and ensuring social and legal protection for survivors.
Secondly, P elder persons and provide necessary services to them in a manner that is affordable.
Three, continue empowering women in order to ensure her participation in public life.
In closing, we wish the delegation a successful UPR.
Thank you, President.
You, I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Lithuania.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Lathana welcomes the delegation of Singapore.
We acknowledge Singapore's leadership in advancing digital inclusion through community partnerships, ensuring everyone's access to digital services.
We commend steps taken since the last UPR cycle in strengthening the resilience of society to respond to the growing hybrid challenges, including disinformation and information manipulation.
Lithuania would like to make the following recommendations.
One, strengthen school based mental health support services for young people.
Two, sign and ratify the core International Human Rights treaties, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Three, establish a moratorium on the death penalty with a view to its complete abolition.
We wish Singapore all success in the current UPR.
I think you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Luxembourg.
Monsieur President Vice President, Luxembourg would like to welcome the delegation of Singapore.
We thank the delegation for the presentation of the National Report.
My delegation commends the efforts made by Singapore to promote human rights.
Luxembourg would like to make the following recommendations to Singapore.
Firstly, to introduce a moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty.
Secondly, to ratify the United Nations fundamental Instruments on Human Rights, to which Singapore is not yet a party.
Thirdly, to undertake assessments and multi stakeholder consultations on laws relating to freedom of expression and freedom of association with a view to strengthening safeguards linked to those rights.
We wish Singapore every success in this review.
I thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Malawi.
Mr.
Mr.
President, Malay warmly welcomes Singapore to this review and thanks the esteemed delegation for the presentation.
Malay commends Singapore for the progress made in the promotion and protection of human rights since the last review.
In the spirit of constructive dialogue, Malay makes the following recommendations to Singapore.
One, continue efforts to empower women to increase their representation in public and political life.
Two, enhance awareness and preventtion programs against violence against children and cyberbullying of children.
And three, continue cooperation with OHCHR and other UN human rights mechanisms.
We wish Singapore all the best at this review.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Malaysia.
Mr.
President, Malaysia warmly welcomes the delegation of Singapore to Geneva and thanks Excellencya Shia Yazan for the presentation of the National Report.
Among others, Malaysia commends Singapore and improving the rights of women, children, and older persons through key legislations and initiatives.
In the spirit of constructive engagement, Malaysia recommends the following.
One, Continue efforts to uphold the right to life, including by ensuring that appropriate discretion and safeguards are applied in the most serious of crimes involving persons with intellectual disabilities.
Two, enhance measures to allow individuals to manifest their religion or beliefs without undue restrictions, including in the public sector.
And three, continue efforts towards the protection of children against harmful online content.
We wish Singapore a successful review.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of the Maldives.
Mr.
President, the Maldives welcomes the high level delegation from Singapore to this fourth cycle review.
Maldives commend Singapore for its commitment to uplifting its people and fostering a cohesive and stable society where all can thrive.
In a constructive spirit, the Maldives makes the following recommendations.
One, strengthen measures to protect children from harmful online content, including focusing on online safety of children.
Two, strengthen inclusive urban planning to further support older persons and persons with disabilities.
Three, ensure continued support for children from low income families.
We wish Singapore a fellow seats a successful review.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Malta.
Thank you, President.
Malta welcomes the delegation of Singapore and thanks them for the national report.
We acknowledge the high level of development enjoyed by Singapore and its commitment to fulfilling Agenda 2030.
We'd like to make the following recommendations.
One, ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, social and cultural rights.
Two, implement a moratorium on the death penalty as a first step towards its abolition in all instances.
Three, amend legislation to allow citizens to exercise their right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
Four, introduce legislation to ban so called gay conversion practices.
We wish Singapore a successful review.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Marshall Islands.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
The Marshall Islands welcome the delegation of Singapore and thanks them for their presentation of the report.
We are encouraged by continued efforts to strengthen women's rights in Singapore, including through its enactment of the Workplace Fairness Act 2025.
In the spirit of constructive dialogue, we recommend the following.
One, promote the meaningful participation of women in environmental and climate change decision making.
Two, consider establishing a DR moratorium on the application of the death penalty.
And number three, consider ratifying core human rights instruments, including the ICTPR, the ISIS CA, and the UCA.
We wish the delegation every success during the fourth UPR cycle.
Kolda I thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Mauritania.
Thank you, President.
We wish to welcome the delegation of Singapore and applaud their participation in the UPR process.
We acknowledge the efforts deployed by Singapore to establish a prosperous society efforts that are reflected in its gains in housing, healthcare, social cohesion, and education.
In a spirit of constructive dialogue, we offer the following recommendations to reinforce access to health care services to migrant workers by supporting social psychological support and social protection.
Secondly, prevention against harmful electronic content, particularly for older persons and children while ensuring access to non basic digital services.
Lastly, we wish the delegation a successful UPR.
Thank you, President.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Mauritius.
Thank you, Chair.
Mauritius warmly welcomes the delegation of Singapore.
We commend Singapore for its efforts to building an inclusive society and the support provided to vulnerable groups through targeted policies and community measures.
We welcome Singapore's efforts to combat climate change and sea level rise and its role played in the BBNJ Agreement and in ensuring a human rights based approach to ocean conservation.
A constructive spirit, we recommend that Singapore involves persons with disabilities in relevant policy making processes and enhances workplace protections relating to maternity, caregiving responsibilities, and flexible work arrangements with a view to increasing the participation of women in the workforce.
We wish Singapore a successful review.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Mexico.
Thank you.
We would like to thank Singapore for its report and we welcome the decriminalization of sexual relations between men.
In a constructive and respectful way, Mexico recommends, firstly to impose a moratorium on the death penalty with a view to its abolition and to consider commuting all existing death penalties that have been handed down.
Secondly, to prevent and eradicate female genital mutilation through its criminalization, the regulation of its medicalization, awareness raising campaigns, and mechanisms for connecting disaggregated data.
Thirdly, to align the definition of disability in legislation in order to include all types of disabilities, including mental and psychosocial disabilities in accordance with the convention's social model.
I thank you very much.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Mongolia.
We welcome Singapore's sustained commitment to advancing socioeconomic development and maintaining social cohesion.
We further note efforts to address discrimination in employment and provide avenues for redress, as well as measures to strengthen protections for vulnerable groups.
In a spirit of constructive engagement, we would like to offer the following recommendations.
One, to continue strengthening its human rights framework, including by further fostering an enabling environment for civic participation, and two, to further intensify efforts to prevent and respond to gender based violence, including by strengthening legal safeguards and support services.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Montenegro.
Mr.
President, Montenegro welcomes the distinguished delegation of Singapore.
We welcome Singapore's vision of an inclusive society where everyone can realize their potential.
We com reform strengthening protection for women, migrants, and persons with disabilities, including measures addressing sexual and family violence, workplace fairness, and hate speech.
Montenegro recommend that Singapore, one, establish an independent human rights institution with a broad mandate to promote and protect human rights in accordance with the Paris principles and two, adopt comprehensive legislation criminalizing all forms of gender based violence against women.
Including domestic and online violence while ensuring adequate protection for disadvantaged and marginalized groups of women.
We wish Singapore a successful review.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Morocco.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
My delegation wishes to thank the Delegation of Singapore for the presentation of the national report.
Morocco welcome the efforts of the government of Singapore to protect and promote human rights, including the recent publishing of a white paper on the empowerment of women, as well as the adoption of anti discrimination legislation.
In the spirit of constructive dialogue, my delegation wishes to make the following three recommendations.
One, continue ongoing efforts to provide adequate financial support to lower income families with a view to ensure affordability of education, Two, accelerate efforts to increase women's representation in leadership positions.
Three, consider establishing a national mechanism for implementation, reporting, and follow up on the basis of the Marrakesh Guidance framework.
We wish full success to the delegation of Singapore distribution.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Thank you.
I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Mozambique.
Mr.
President, Mozambique welcomes delegates from Singapore and thanks them for the presentation of their national reports to the fourth cycle of the Universal Pro Review.
Mozambique commends Singapore for its efforts to ensure that every child has access to a and quality education to give each child a strong start in life.
In the spirit of constive engagement, Mozambique presents the following recommendation.
One, continue efforts to empower women to increase their representation in public and political life and two, continue to enhance protection for children from harmful online content.
Mozambique with Singapore exercise and process.
I thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Namibia.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
I need to extend a warm welcome to the delegation of Singapore and thank them for their comprehensive report.
We commend Singapore for making a notable straight in the realm of gender equality, placing it at number eight globally and the number one in Asia Pacific for gender equality.
In a constructive spirit, Namibia offers the following recommendation.
One, ratify the International Convention on economic, social, and cultural rights, ratify the International Convention on the civil and political rights, and ratify the Convention Against Torture, and the other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, we wish the stem delegation of Singapore a successful review.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Nepal.
Mr.
President, Nepal warmly welcomes the delegation of Singapore to the full cycle of UPR, and thanks them for the presentation of NASA Report.
We appreciate Singapore's commitment to advancing human rights and its constructive engagement with the human rights mechanisms.
We take positive note of the efforts made by Singapore in implementing the recommendation of previous cycle and the progress achieved.
In a constructive spirit, Nepal recommends Singapore the following.
One, strengthen measures to promote equality and non discrimination in labor market.
Two, consider establishing an independent national human rights institution in line with the Paris principles.
We wish Singapore all success in its UPR.
I thank you, Mr.
President.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of New Zealand.
Mr.
President, we warmly welcome the delegation from Singapore.
We acknowledge progress made by Singapore in strengthening its human rights protections, including ending the offense criminalizing same sex acts between men.
New Zealand recommends that Singapore, one, institute a moratorium on executions and move toward the abolition of the death penalty.
Two, ensure that sexual orientation and gender identity are included as protected characteristics in the Workplace Fairness Act.
Three, ensure that laws and policies governing freedom of expression, freedom of association, and peaceful assembly are aligned with international human rights law.
We thank the delegation for their participation today and wish them a successful review.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Nigeria.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Nigeria welcomes the delegation of Singapore and commends the government for the various initiatives undertaken to advance human rights and improve the economic and social well being of its people.
In the spirit of constructive dialogue, Nigeria recommends that Singapore, one, ratify the International Convention on the Protection of the rights of all migrant workers and members of their families.
Two, continue strengthening measures to protect the rights and welfare of migrant workers.
Three, enhance policies and programs to promote the rights and inclusion of persons with disabilities, and four, continue efforts to promote equal opportunity and non discrimination in employment.
Finally, Nigria wishes Singapore a successful review.
I thank you, Mr.
President.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of North Macedonia.
Mr.
President, North Macedonia welcomes the high level delegation of Singapore and thanks it for presenting its national report.
We commend Singapore commitment to protection of human rights through inter adoption of key legislation to improve the well being of its people, including initiative to strengthen the protection of vulnerable groups and addresses the challenges related to climate change and technology.
Parel, we stress the importance of establishing a national human rights institution in line with the Paris principle and ratifying the remaining core human rights instruments.
North Macedonia offers the following recommendations.
One, further strengthen efforts to combat gender based violence.
Two, enhance support for children from low income families.
We wish Singapore a successful review.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Norway.
President, Norway welcome Singapore's human rights progress, particularly the decriminalization of same sex relation and efforts to strengthen gender equality and social and economic welfare.
However, we are concerned by discrepancies in the rights afforded to certain groups.
Norway recommends that Singapore, one, establish a moratorium on the use of the death penalty with a view to its abolition.
Two, further strengthen respect for freedom of expression, assembly, and association.
Three, strengthen the social protection for all migrant workers.
Four, extend the Employment Act and Work Injury Compensation Act to include migrant workers, especially migrant domestic workers.
Five, strengthen institutional protections for LGBT plus persons.
I thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Oman.
Thank you, Vice President.
We would like to welcome the friendly Republic of Singapore and we welcome the very successful interaction of Singapore with the UPR, as well as progress achieved in terms of strengthening the education system, especially for early childhood.
As access to education has been granted enhanced, we would like to recommend continuing to ensure sustainable levels of coverage for the health care services in order to ensure provision of services.
Secondly, to step up efforts in order to raise greater awareness about psychological or mental health by developing the relevant social services.
We wish the reps in every success and further progress and prosperity.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Pakistan.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Pakistan welcomes the delegation of Singapore and thanks it for the presentation of the report.
We commend Singapore for mayors to strengthen inclusion, including the Enabling Master Plan 2030 for persons with disabilities, expanded care and support for older persons under the Refreshed Action Plan for Successful aging, and continued engagement under ISID.
We also appreciate Singapore's measures to address climate change, including coastal protection, flood resilience, and heat stress mitigation initiatives.
In a constructive spirit, we recommend that Singapore may consider establishing a national human rights institution in line with the P principles to and strengthen legal protection for migrant workers, including domestic workers.
We wish Singapore a successful review, I thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Panama.
Thank you, President.
Panama would like to welcome the delegation of Singapore.
We welcome the National Report, which sets out the efforts the country has made to strengthen its institutional framework.
In a constructive spirit, Panama recommends, firstly, to consider ratifying the International Covenant on civil and political rights and the International Covenant on economic, social and cultural rights in order to bring its legislation into line with international human rights standards.
Secondly, to continue legislative initiatives and policies aimed at promoting gender equality and women's empowerment recognizing the regulatory progress made by Singapore to address discrimination in all spheres of public life.
Panama would like to wish Singapore a very successful cycle.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Paraguay.
President.
Thank you, Vice President, greeting to Singapore and thank you for the report.
We welcome the efforts made to promote social cohesion, and we commend the publication of the white paper and the country's initiatives on education.
We recommend respectfully to consider ratifying those international human rights instruments that have still not been ratified.
Secondly, to consider implementing a moratorium on the death penalty with a view to abolishing it.
Thirdly, to strengthen the legal protection framework for female migrant domestic workers in the face of exploitation to ensure them proper labor conditions and ensure effective access to justice.
Fourthly, to adopt all necessary measures in order to prohibit corporal punishment in all environments and Fly, to consider establishing a national mechanism for the implementation, reporting, and following up of human rights recommendations with a view to receiving cooperation on this as well.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Peru.
Good.
Thank you.
Peru would like to thank Singapore for the presentation of the report.
We acknowledge the measures that have been taken to promote a more inclusive society through measures aimed at meeting the needs of persons with disabilities.
We would recommend, firstly, to adopt a comprehensive legislative framework on disability, which would ensure protection against all forms of discrimination.
Secondly, to ensure effective access and to protection against inhuman treatment, eliminating coercive practices, and introducing the necessary safeguards for persons with disabilities.
Thirdly, to strengthen the guarantees of equality and non discrimination regarding nationality and migratory status to ensure that everybody can enjoy their human rights without discrimination.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of the Philippines.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
The Philippines warmly welcomes the delegation of Singapore, led by He Excellency Ray Mazam, Minister of State, Ministry of Digital Development and Information, and we laud Singapore's significant achievements over six decades of nation building, firmly grounded in the rule of law and the principles of equality, meritocracy, and social cohesion.
We recognize the important steps taken during the DV period to strengthen normative and institutional frameworks, particularly on women's rights and gender equality, social inclusion and non discrimination, and the protection of children from online harm.
In the spirit of our two countries deep and long standing ties, allow us to offer the following recommendations.
One, to uphold the rights of migrant workers, particularly to fair remuneration and decent working conditions.
Two, strengthen policies and programs on active and healthy aging and the protection of older persons from abuse and neglect.
Three, sustain initiatives aimed at increasing women's participation representation governments, the Philippines which and Singapore a successful review.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Poland.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Poland thanks Singapore for the presentation of the National report.
Poland recommends Singapore.
One, to remove the mandatory imposition of the death penalty and to introduce a moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the capital punishment completely.
Two, to ensure full respect for the right to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly and to protect human rights defenders and advocacy groups from reprisals.
At the same time, we would like to acknowledge efforts undertaken by Singapore to reinforce support for persons in vulnerable situations, including women, children, older persons, and persons with disabilities.
We wish Singapore a successful UPR.
I thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished Representative of Portugal.
Mr.
President, Portugal thanks the delegation of Singapore for the presentation of its national report.
Portugal commends Singapore's efforts to promote gender equality and equal opportunities in the workplace, notably through the white paper on Singapore Women's Development and the adoption of the Workplace Fairness Act.
We also welcome Singapore's efforts to strengthen the protection of children, notably the signing of the optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Portugal respectfully recommends that Singapore consider the adoption of a moratorium on the death penalty as a first step towards its abolition.
Portugal wishes Singapore a successful review.
I thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Qatar.
Thank you, Vice President.
My country's delegation would like to welcome the head of Singapore's delegation, and we very much welcome the significant presentation today which reflects respect for human rights, the strengthening of the rule of law, and the building of an inclusive society that is based on cohesion.
We welcome the efforts that have been made in the field of education.
And medical care and housing.
We have the following recommendations to continue national efforts aimed at strengthening the quality of education and medical health care as well as accessible housing.
Secondly, to strengthen regulatory frameworks and preventive measures to protect children from various hazards, including those dangers that are related to the digital environment.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of the Republic of Korea.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
The Republic of Korea appreciates Singapore's efforts since the last review, including in promoting gender equality and the rights of persons with disabilities.
In particular, we welcome the enactment of the Workplace Fairness Act 2025.
With such progress in mind, we'd like to recommend that Singapore, one, consider acceding to the core International Human Rights treaties Notably International Covenant on the Civil and Political Rights and International Covenant on economic, social, and cultural rights.
Two, ensure that the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and association are protected.
We look forward to a successful and constructive review of Singapore.
I thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Romania.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Romania welcomes the delegation of Singapore and appreciates all efforts at national level aiming to implement UPR recommendations.
Romania encourages Singapore to continue these positive trends and in this regard, we would like to recommend the following impose a moratorium on the implementation of the death penalty with a view to its complete abolition.
Ensure that laws and policies on the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association comply with the relevant international human rights standards.
Romania wishes Singapore success in this UPR cycle.
I thank you Mr.
President.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of the Russian Federation.
Thank you, President.
We thank the delegation of Singapore for the report.
We welcome the efforts made to implement the recommendations following the third round of the UPR.
We note ratification of a number of international human rights agreements and their incorporation into the domestic legal system.
We note success in the field of the protection and promotion of the rights and freedoms of vulnerable groups, including children, women, persons with disabilities, and older persons.
At the same time, problems in the field of human rights do remain, including corporal punishment and the difficult situation of labor migrants in this context, we recommend to continue legislative and law enforcement measures to protect the rights of vulnerable groups.
Secondly, to continue targeted measures to enhance the national legislation regarding compliance with human rights and freedoms and thirdly, to take measures to enhance legal defense mechanisms for the rights of foreign migrant workers.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Rhonda.
Mr.
President, we want to welcome the high level dedication of Singapore.
We commend Singapore for adopting a white paper in 2022 outlining 25 corrective action plans to empower, support, and advance women.
In a constructive speech, we offer the following recommendation, strengthen legal and institutional framework to prevent discrimination, racial profiling, and other discriminatory law enforcement practices.
We wish Singapore a successful review.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Samoa.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Sammo warmly welcomes the Singapore delegation and thanks them for their presentation and continued engagement in the UPR process.
We commend Singapore for establishing the Public Defender's Office to improve access to legal services.
In the spirit of constructive dialogue, Samo offers the following recommendations to Singapore.
One, enhance awareness and prevention programs to combat violence against children and cyberbullying of children.
Two, strengthen specialized training for legal professionals on child friendly justice approaches, and thirdly, continue ensuring access to affordable and quality public housing.
Samo wishes Singapore a very successful review.
I thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Su Tom and Princip.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Sentiment Principle welcome to the delegation of Singapore and thanks for the presentation of its report.
Sentiment principle highlight the measures supporting vulnerable groups and the commitment to resilient and digitally inclusive society.
In the spirit of constructive dialogue, Stiman principle present the following recommendations.
One, to continue strengthening measures aimed at promoting social inclusion.
Two, to continue efforts to consolidate the protection of human rights in the digital space, promoting a safe, inclusive and accessible online environment for all.
Sentiment, prince, we wish Singapore every success in its review.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Saudi Arabia.
Saber.
President, we would like to welcome the delegation of Singapore and we would like to thank it for presenting the National Report, which reflects the country's commitment to human rights.
We hail the efforts undertaken by the country to protect the rights of the child, enhance the quality of education, and policies for the elderly.
We recommend that Singapore pursue its efforts to promote the rights of children, in particular, children with disabilities in the educational sector, and also to continue to protect children in the digital sphere.
And continue to promote and protect the rights of the elderly and we wish Singapore a successful UPR.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Senegal.
Thank you, sir.
We would like to be a warm welcome to the delegation of Singapore.
This is a country that my ambassador had the privilege to visit last month with colleagues to note the effectiveness of public policies, which have made it possible to build a stable, resilient, integrated society which is respectful of human dignity.
This progress can be demonstrated in the excellent results obtained by Singapore in 2025, including the fact that it was classed first in the Gallup report on public security.
Whilst noting this progress, we recommend the following to continue programs focused on meritocracy and multi racialism, to strengthen social cohesion and mutual understanding amongst communities, and to pursue efforts to protect the rights of migrants and victims of trafficking.
We wish Singapore every success.
I thank you.
Thank you.
I now give the floor to the delegation of Singapore to address observations and comments that have been raised so far.
Your Excellencies, you have the floor.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Singapore thanks the many member states for their statements, recommendations, and advanced questions.
We will do our best to address them throughout our session today.
At this juncture, my delegation would like to highlight in greater detail some of our recent policies to build a more resilient society amid an increasingly complex global environment.
Miss Ang Bilen from the Ministry of Social and Family Development will explain what Singapore has done to further empower vulnerable groups in our society, including but not limited to women, children, and persons with disabilities.
Miss Angela Tan from the Ministry of Digital Development and Information will then explain how Singapore strives to ensure inclusive access to digital opportunities for our people while preventing online harms.
Following that, Mr.
Ran it Singh from the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment will elaborate on our efforts to safeguard the human rights of our people even in the face of the challenges posed by climate change.
Billion peace, President, distinguished delegates, I'm Ang Beilan senior advisor at the Ministry of Social and Family Development in Singapore.
I'm pleased to share how Singapore promotes and protects the human rights of our vulnerable groups.
We have a vision of building an inclusive society where no one is left behind and where everyone, particularly the disadvantaged can live up to their potential.
First, I will speak about our recent efforts to support children.
Singapore has made significant strides since the last UPR, in line with our commitments under the UNCRC.
We thank member states for the suggestions on protecting the rights of children.
In 2025, we extended the care and legal protection given to young persons under the Children and Young Persons Act by increasing the age limit in our definition of young children young person from below 16 years to below 18 years.
In this digital age, protection for our young must also extend to the virtual world.
We studied the negative impact of excessive screen time on infants and young children, and our preschool regulation now doesn't allow screen time for infants.
For children under six years, screen time is limited to purely educational purpose.
My colleague from the Ministry of Digital Development and I will later elaborate on our recent efforts to protect our children from harmful online content.
Beyond protecting our young from harm, we also invest heavily in nurturing our young so that they can achieve their full potential.
Annual state spending in early education has doubled from Singapore $1 billion in 2018 to over $2 billion today.
This is about US $1.5 billion.
This is in line with our position that no child will be left behind, including those facing socioeconomic challenges or with developmental needs.
Second, I will speak now about our recent initiatives to support women.
While men and women now have comparable educational outcomes and more women have entered the workforce and taken on leadership positions, barriers remain.
Many women continue to shoulder more responsibility in the home, in the community, and in society.
In 2020, we embarked on an ambitious year long consultation exercise to advance women's development.
This culminated in a 2022 white paper on Singapore women's Development.
One key action plan is to address workplace discrimination.
Last year, Parliament passed the Landmark Workplace Fairness Act to strengthen protections against workplace discrimination related to characteristics such as sex, marital status, pregnancy, caregiving responsibilities, race, religion, and disability.
Employers are required to have a process to handle any allegations or complaints about discrimination or harassment faced at the workplace.
Employees who have raised such allegations are also protected from retaliation under the Act.
For instance, their employers must not dismiss them, deduct their salary, or harass them simply because they have come forward.
In this way, the Act provides legislative safeguards for employees, including for women, persons with disabilities, and persons of minority races.
We amended the women's charter in 2023 to better protect victim survivors of domestic violence and hold perpetrators accountable.
For instance, we expanded the definition of family violence to include emotional and psychological abuse.
We also appointed a 24 hour emergency response team with powers to issue emergency orders to stop perpetrators from committing further violence at the scene of high risk cases.
Third, I will speak about our recent efforts to support families.
We stand together with Singaporeans as they start and raise their families.
The support begins from birth, where the government provides a sizable cash gift when a child is born.
As the child grows, we provide government paid parental leave, primary health care, and priority housing schemes for families with children.
Recognizing that both men and women wish to pursue their careers while raising children, Singapore provides affordable, quality, and accessible childcare services.
To encourage men to take on greater caregiving roles, we doubled the government paid paternity leave to four weeks last year and introduced a shared parental leave scheme.
Further, to help parents juggle their work and caregiving responsibilities, we issued tripartit guidelines in 2024 to shape norms around flexible working arrangements.
Fourth, Singapore becomes a super agent society this year.
It is crucial, therefore, for us to promote and protect the rights of older persons.
We thank Slovenia for the advanced question.
In this regard, we have a law to protect vulnerable adults who cannot protect themselves from abuse, neglect, or self neglect.
This will include older persons.
The law empowers persons authorized by the state to remove vulnerable adults from the place they are residing and commit them to a place of care and protection or the care of a fit person if it is in their best interests.
Our efforts go beyond simply stopping abuse.
We actively promote the well being of older persons through their participation in society.
For instance, the government has set up over 200 active aging centers within easy access of older persons where they can participate in physical activities and maintain social networks.
Fifth, I will speak now about our efforts to protect LGBT persons.
We note the concerns raised by member states on this topic.
We firmly believe that LGBT persons are equal members of our society.
In 2022, our parliament voted to repeal a colonial era law which criminalized consensual sex between men.
While the law had not been enforced in practice for a long time, this repeal formalized the government's policy that such acts should not be criminalized.
At the same time, parliament recognized that the legal definition of marriage as between a man and a woman is a sociopolitical issue that is for parliament, not the courts to decide.
The Constitution was accordingly amended to ensure that the definition of marriage and laws and policies based on that definition can only be decided on by the Singapore Parliament.
Like every Singaporean, LGBT persons in Singapore have access to opportunities, education, employment, healthcare, social services, and importantly, protections from harassment and violence.
Last but certainly not least, we have made significant strides to build a caring and inclusive society where persons with disabilities can pursue their aspirations, achieve their potential, and participate as integral members of society.
We have successfully implemented our master plans on disability.
They were refreshed in 2022 together with persons with disabilities.
We achieved significant progress, such as increasing employment rate of persons with disabilities from 28% in 2018 to 34% in 2024.
We aim to increase this even further to 40% by 2030.
Mr.
President, Singapore remains committed to protecting vulnerable groups in our society.
We will continue to strengthen our social safety nets so that no one is left behind.
Thank you.
Distinguished delegates, I'm Angela Tan, Director at the Ministry of Digital Development and Information.
Singapore believes that every person is entitled to live with dignity, safety, and a fair chance to thrive in the digital future.
This includes those whose voices are often marginalized women, children, older persons, and persons with disabilities.
Singapore affirms our commitment to uphold and protect the rights of these groups, both offline and online.
We ensure that no one gets left behind.
In our increasingly digital world, this commitment extends to ensuring that vulnerable groups are equally included.
We provide all our people with access to digital opportunities while protecting them from online harms.
Since our third UPR, Singapore has made progress by updating our laws and policies to keep pace with rapid technological change.
Today, I will speak about how we are working to ensure that all our citizens can continue to live, work, and play in the digital age while remaining safe from online harms.
Let me begin with our efforts at advancing digital literacy and inclusion.
Singapore is a highly connected digital society.
99% of our households have Internet access, and 96% of Singaporeans own smartphones.
Digital payments are now the default in Singapore.
Most government transactions are completed online.
Against these developments, certain groups such as older persons and persons with disabilities may face greater challenges navigating digital spaces.
That is why we work hard to ensure that our digital transformation is inclusive, safe, and equitable.
We do this in two ways.
First, we believe all citizens should have opportunities to acquire digital skills.
We launched the digital skills for Life framework in 2024 to equip our people with the skills to carry out daily tasks from booking medical appointments to using mobile banking while staying safe online.
Singaporeans can also learn digital skills in person with our digital ambassadors at communal spaces like our public libraries.
These ambassadors provide tailored and multilingual support to better connect with older persons.
Under this effort, we've supported over 400,000 people since 2020.
Second, access to government services must remain universal, regardless of the digital skill or circumstances of its users.
Even as we digitalize government services, we have designed them to be accessible and inclusive.
For instance, we retain physical touchpoints, like service counters to support citizens who may be less confident navigating online services.
Digital innovation presents tremendous opportunities to uplift societies.
In Singapore, telehealth apps are expanding access to health care by bringing it into patients' homes and workplaces.
Assistive technologies are enabling persons with disabilities to independently access essential services like banking and transport.
We will continue to work closely with our partners to reach out to citizens of all ages and backgrounds so that digital opportunities remain open to all.
Next, let me highlight our efforts to enhance online safety, which several member states had raised.
While online spaces create new opportunities for connection and expression, they have also facilitated the rapid spread of harmful content.
This happens often with anonymity and at a scale we've not seen before.
A recent government survey found that in the past year alone, more than four in five Singapore residents encountered harmful online content.
Some of the most common types of content include sexual or violent content, cyberbullying, or content causing racial or religious tension.
This underscores the importance of appropriate safeguards against online harms.
Since our last UPR, we've strengthened our laws to better protect our people, especially our children from harmful online content.
Let me highlight two key developments.
First, in 2022, we amended the Broadcasting Act to foster a safer online environment.
The government can now act swiftly against egregious content, such as social media pages used to solicit and distribute child sexual exploitation material.
We've also introduced guidelines for designated social media services and app stores.
These guidelines require them to implement measures to minimize users exposures to harmful content, especially children.
These safeguards include content moderation processes as well as measures to ensure that young users do not access age inappropriate content.
Second, our parliament passed a new Online Safety Relief and Accountability Act last year.
This was in response to feedback from victims of online harms who suffered from online harassment or intimate image abuse.
Survivors of online harms have also reported feeling helpless and the loss of agency.
A new online Safety Commission can issue directions and orders to stop or remedy the harm in response to victims reports.
The law also introduces additional avenues of recourse, so victims can hold their perpetrators accountable.
For example, victims can commence legal proceedings against those who caused or failed to act against online harms.
Together, these measures help to ensure a safer digital environment for our people, particularly vulnerable groups like our women and children.
We are also aware of how polarization and misinformation can fracture societies and erode public trust.
Around the world, we've seen how falsehoods and divisive narratives, when amplified online, can sow distrust and sometimes lead to violence.
As a small, digitally connected, multiracial, and multi religious society, Singapore is particularly vulnerable to such forces.
Given Singapore's unique context, it is crucial that we protect the delicate trust that binds our communities and sustain confidence in our public institutions.
In Singapore, the protection from online falsehoods and the Manipulation Act or POFMA is our targeted tool to fight online misinformation.
Let me make some clarifications on POFMA.
A POFMA correction direction does not require the false content to be removed.
It only requires the government's clarification to be carried alongside it.
This allows readers to compare both accounts and make up their own minds.
The recipient of a correction direction is also free to continue expressing his or her opinions and to challenge the direction in the courts if they wish to do so.
POFMA only applies to false statements of fact that affect public interest.
It does not apply to opinions.
It cannot be used just because the government disagrees with a statement.
Alongside POFMA, we also conduct public education and media literacy programs to ensure that our people can confidently discern fact from falsehoods.
Despite the steps we've taken, we know that online safety will always be a work in progress.
Technology continues to evolve, and so must our responses.
We'll keep engaging our people, learning from the experiences of others, and updating our laws and policies to tackle emerging challenges.
Singapore remains strongly committed to harnessing technology for good, while ensuring that fundamental liberties are upheld.
We will continue to build a safer and more inclusive digital future for all.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Good afternoon, Mr.
President and distinguished delegates.
I'm Ranjitsen Divisional Director at the Ministry of Sustainability and Environment of Singapore.
Mr.
President, climate change is the existential challenge of our time.
It impacts nearly all human rights, including the right to life and the enjoyment of the highest attainable standards for physical and mental health.
It has and will continue to cause serious harm to lives, livelihoods, and the environment, and no nation is spared.
As a small, dense and low lying island city, Singapore is especially vulnerable.
By the end of this century, the sea level around Singapore could rise by 5 meters during high tides and storm surges, and this could potentially inundate up to 30% of our land if we do nothing.
And Singapore's mean temperature, which is currently at 30 degrees Celsius, could rise by another five degrees.
So tackling climate change is a national priority.
While Singapore has no natural resources and limited opportunities for renewable energy, we are fully committed to addressing climate change.
We are actively protecting the human rights of our people and shielding them from the effects of climate change, and I will highlight three ways that we are doing so.
First, we are promoting environmentally responsible practices across all segments of society.
Despite accounting for just 0.1% of global emissions, Singapore was the first in Southeast Asia to implement an economy wide carbon price.
We offer grants and subsidies to help businesses decarbonize.
Companies can access co funding of up to 70% of energy efficiency project costs, and there is enhanced support for manufacturing facilities and data centers to reduce their emissions.
These are just some measures to accelerate Singapore's transition to a low carbon economy.
To cushion the impact of the carbon price, lower and middle income households get rebates to offset the increases of the utilities bills.
Most households also receive vouchers that make it cheaper to switch to more energy and water efficient appliances, and to seize green economy opportunities, we are actively helping workers to upgrade their skills and supporting employers in job redesign.
Second, Singapore seeks to ensure everyone is safe from the impacts of climate change regardless of their circumstances.
We've developed strategies to ensure vulnerable groups have access to relief from extreme heat, and we have implemented measures including mandatory regulations and the deployment of AI and digital technologies to ensure our outdoor workers remain safe.
And as climate change threatens food security, we are strengthening food resilience through local production, import diversification, stockpiling, and global partnerships.
This is to ensure a reliable access to food and that no one goes hungry.
Singapore is also investing in research and development.
We have set aside $31 million for research in heat impact and community heat resilience.
And we are managing flood risk by investing in long term planning, research, and innovation, including by financing the construction of drainage networks and coastal protection infrastructure.
These will be some of the elements in our first national adaptation plan, which will be released next year.
Finally, Sare's efforts extend beyond our shores because climate change knows no boundaries.
International cooperation is key to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius and everyone must do their part.
Singapore is faithfully implementing our obligations under the UNF AAC and the Paris Agreement.
We were among the few countries to have submitted our 2035 nationally determined contributions on time.
We are supporting global climate action, including the development of carbon markets and green transport corridors, as well as strengthening regional green power grids.
We contribute to international research by co chairing the IPCC working group on impacts, adaptation and vulnerabilities, and we have hosted the Technical Support Unit since February 2024 to support this work.
Mr.
President, through these efforts, Singapore is working to protect the human rights of our people for today and for generations to come.
Let me conclude, Mr.
President, by thanking fellow six member states for their strong participation and contributions to our UPR.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Thank you, Ranjit.
Mr.
President, I now hand the floor to you.
Thank you.
We will now continue with our interactive dialogue and I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Serbia.
Thank you, Mr.
Chairman.
Serbia commends simple dedication to the UPR process engagement with the human rights mechanism between two cycles.
We welcome the measures taken in the areas of education, housing, and healthcare.
Furthermore, we know the efforts made to ensure the quality and learning opportunities in education.
And Serbia would like to provide the following recommendations.
First, continue to review the ratification of the Human Rights conventions in which Singapore is not yet a party.
Second, strengthen support for older women health, economic, and psychological well being to ensure affordable care service, especially for those without family support.
We will wish the Singapore Val very successful review and thank you, Mr.
President.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Seychels.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Schars welcomes the distinguished delegation of Singapore and thanks it for its comprehensive presentation.
Sechars commends Singapore's efforts to advance the status of women, including through the 2022 white paper, which outlines 25 collective action plans aimed at further empowerment and upliftment.
In the spirit of constructive dialogue, Seychels offers the following recommendations to Singapore.
One, strengthen efforts to ensure the full inclusion and meaningful participation of persons with disabilities.
Two, continue to enhance measures to prevent and respond effectively to gender based violence.
Three, further promote and protect the rights of persons with disabilities and Swish Singapore a successful review.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Sierra Leone.
Mr.
President, we extend a warm welcome to the D Suuees delegation of Singapore.
We commend Singapore for its substantial progress in advancing gender equality.
We acknowledge Singapore's strong commitment to the UPR process and its financial support to the livestreaming of this 52nd UPR session.
We acknowledge Singapore's significant efforts to maintain near universal enrollment at the primary and secondary levels.
In the spirit of constructive dialogue, we offer the following recommendations.
One, continue to promote inclusive education and two, strengthen support to children from low income families.
We extend a successful review to a friendly Republic of Singapore.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the Distinguished representative of Slovenia.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Slovenia thanks the delegation of Singapore for the national report.
We commend Singapore for its effort to advance human rights, particularly through updating laws to better protect against violence and exploitation and to build institutional mechanisms for gender equality.
We would like to repeat respectfully our recommendations to Singapore to ratify the core International Human Rights treaties, namely the two major covenants and the Convention Against Torture, and to establish a moratorium on the use of the death penalty.
Remain concerned about the limitations of the rights of freedom of expression and opinion, peaceful assembly and association.
We wish Singapore a successful review.
I thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Somalia.
Thank you Thank you, Mr.
President.
The Federal Republic of Somalia warmly welcomes the distinguished integration of the Republic of Ceron, Singapore.
Somalia commends Singapore for its commitment to human rights, social development, inclusive and inclusive economic growth.
We welcome the implementation of programs aimed at building a future proof workforce successful skills future Singapore, as well as strengthening early childhood education.
Somalia I recommend is first continue strengthening inclusive social protection systems, particularly for the vulnerable families and older persons.
Second, further enhancing digital literacy and access programs to ensure equal opportunities for all in the digital economy.
Somalia wishes Singapore success in its UBR review.
I thank you, Mr.
President.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of South Africa.
Mr.
President, South African delegation thanks the Delegation of Singapore for the presentation of its report.
We commend Singapore's continued efforts to build an inclusive and resilient society, including the adoption of the 2025 Workplace Fairness Act and strengthen protections against harassment and online harms.
We also note measures to support women, persons with disabilities, and older persons.
South Africa encourages Singapore to continue advancing human rights for all and makes the following recommendations.
One, continue efforts to strengthen anti discrimination protections, including for vulnerable and marginalized groups.
Two, amend the 2009 Public Order Act in order to guarantee fully the right to freedom of peaceful assembly in line with international human rights law.
Three, consider broadening the definition of trafficking to align with the ILO indicators of forced labor and provide stronger victim centered protection for cases of forced labor.
I thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of South Sudan.
Mr.
President, South Sudan welcome the distinguished delegation of Singapore to the fourth UPR cycle.
We commend Singapore for its full commitment to promote and protect the human rights of its people and for being ranked first in the world for public safety.
In the spirit of constructive dialog, Sou Sudan, One, consider ratifying the International Covenant on economic, social and cultural rights.
Two, continue effort to empower women to increase their representation in public and political life.
Three, continue effort to promote children's rights, including through the promotion of inclusive education for children with disabilities.
We wish the friendly Republic of Singapore a successful UPR review.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Spain.
President.
Thank you, President.
Thank you, Your Excellency.
We welcome the delegation of Singapore and thank them for their participation in this exercise.
We much welcome the repeal of Article 377A of the Criminal Code, which previously criminalized same sex consensual relationships between adult men.
This is a major step forward in the protection of the rights of LGTBIQ plus persons.
We recommend one that Singapore adopt a legal moratorium on executions as a precursor towards the complete abolition of the death penalty, and in the interim ensure that this punishment does not apply to any drug related crimes, thus complying with the international standard of the most serious crimes.
Two, guarantee genuine equality and non discrimination for the LGTBIQ plus collective, revising recent constitutional reforms that limit the definition of marriage and ensuring that public policies do not exclude diverse forms of family.
Three, strengthen the protection of the rights of migrant workers, improving their living conditions and housing standards, and guaranteeing that labor law provides them the right to switch and effective protection from wage abuse as well as improving their effective access to justice.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Sri Lanka.
Mr.
President, Sri Lanka extends a warm welcome to the delegation of Singapore and appreciates the comprehensive presentation made to this council.
We appreciate the action taken by Singapore to sign the optional protocol to the CRC on the sale of children, child prostitution, and child pornography in the last year.
We further welcome the progress achieved by Singapore in the spheres of workplace equality and women's safety through the enactment of prospective legislation and efficient law enforcement.
In a constructive spirit, Sri Lanka recommends that Singapore enhance measures to advance the right to education with the emphasis on children from low income families and children with disabilities, continue developing policies to advance the rights of elderly persons.
Take further measures to protect and promote the rights and well being and safety of migrants, strengthen inclusive urban planning, including public spaces, housing, and transport systems to support older persons and persons with disabilities.
We wish Singapore success in Esria engagement.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Sudan.
Thank you, President.
We extend a very warm welcome to the Singaporean delegation.
We congratulate them upon the progress that has been made in legal and institutional reforms, particularly the steps they have taken to uphold the rights of persons with disabilities, the elderly, migrant workers, and to ensure the participation of women in political life and ensure women's access to key and decision making posts.
I would also add to all of that, Singapore's response to climate change and the adoption of a program to improve healthcare.
And headway that has been achieved vis-à-vis the development index and to ensure that they properly uphold and foster diversity.
Our first recommendation that they continue to implement policies and programs to protect the elderly, particularly in the field of healthcare as well as in work and decent housing.
Our second recommendation that they continue to implement policies for the protection of the environment in order to ensure that they can withstand the impact of climate change.
Thank you for your attention.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Sweden.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Sweden acknowledges Singapore's continued efforts to end all forms of discrimination based on gender, sexual orientation and gender identity, including through the repeal of Section 377 A.
However, the continued and increased use of death penalty remains deeply concerning.
Sweden therefore wishes to make the following recommendations.
One, establish an immediate moratorium on executions with a view to the full abolition of the death penalty.
Two, amend or repeal overly restrictive legislation, including the protection from online falsehoods and Manipulation Act to ensure the full enjoyment of the rights to freedom of expression, access to information, and media freedom.
Three, strengthen equal rights for same sex partnerships, including by reviewing constitutional amendments that prevent legal challenges to the definition of marriage.
I thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Switzerland.
President President, Switzerland welcomes the delegation of Singapore and we make the following recommendations to the delegation.
One, that Singapore review its legislation on the death penalty by deleting from the law any obligatory imposition of the death penalty in order to guarantee the respect for the unarguable right to life, as well as the guarantees of the right to due process, this is in line with international human rights standards and in line with UN safeguards on the death penalty.
Two, ensure that legislation on racial harmony is in line with international human rights standards by guaranteeing that any restriction on the right to freedom of expression as protected by Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights be provided for strictly in law and be strictly necessary and proportionate without unduly restricting lawful freedom of expression.
Three, study the potential of acceding to the International Covenant on Civil and Political rights and the optional protocols to said covenant.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of the Syria and Arab Republic.
Thank you, President.
We welcome the delegation of Singapore and express our appreciation for the presentation of the National Report, which highlights the importance attached by Singapore to living up to its commitment in the field of human rights, as well as its constructive engagement with the human rights instruments.
We applaud the efforts to implement accepted recommendations in various fields, together with the passing laws reinforcing these rights.
In a spirit of constructive dialogue, we offer the following recommendations.
First, continue reinforcing the rights of migrant workers and improving their living conditions.
Secondly, continue building on gains achieved in the field of healthcare and reinforcing its affordability to all, particularly to low income segments of society.
We wish the delegation a successful UPR.
Thank you, President.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Tajikistan.
Thank you.
Tajikistan, thanks the distinguished delegation of Singapore for delivering its comprehensive national report.
We commend Singapore's achievements in building an inclusive, cohesive, and resilient society, especially in terms of public safety, law and order, ensuring gender equality and racial harmony, decent conditions for migrant workers.
We in a constructive spirit recommend to Singapore to, one, continue its regular engagement with international human rights mechanisms.
Two, further intensify activities aimed at the support and empowerment of vulnerable groups, children, women, youth, migrants, and others.
Three, expand opportunities and resources for lifelong learning and skill mastery to enhance workforce resilience.
We wish the delegation of Singapore an impactful review.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor now to the distinguished representative of Thailand.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Thailand commends Singapore efforts in strengthening social protection and inclusivity to support low income households, persons with disabilities, and the elderly.
We welcome amendment to the Penal Code decriminalizing same sex relations and efforts to address online harms while preserving social harmony.
Thailand recommends that Singpore one, promote and protect human rights of older persons, support healthy and active aging.
Two, enhanced protection of migrant workers, improve living conditions, access to services, and effective grievance mechanisms.
Three, advanced gender equality, women empowerment, legal protection, and support system to address all forms of discrimination and violence against women.
We wish Singapore a successful review and thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative Abs.
Mr.
President, Tim likes to warmly welcome the delegation of Singapore and congratulate it on the presentation of its national report under the fourth cycle of the Universal Periodic Review.
We know with appreciation Singapore continue as a force to promote and protect human rights at the national level.
In the spirit of a constructive dialogue, Timor-Leste recommends to Singapore to one, continue strengthening a force to prevent and respond to gender based violence.
Two, continue cooperation with regional and international human rights mechanism.
We thank you Singapore for its engagement and wish the delegations every success.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Togo.
Thank you, President.
My delegation also thanks the distinguished representatives of the Republic of Singapore for their report on the human rights situation in the country.
We welcome Singapore's unwavering commitment to the protection and promotion of human rights and congratulate Singapore on efforts undertaken along these lines, particularly in the fields of education, healthcare, social welfare, and the fight against discrimination.
All that said, in a constructive spirit, Togo recommends the following to Singapore, Enact all necessary provisions in order to pave the way for the ratification of landmark human rights instruments that the country has not yet ratified, such as covering civil and political rights, the protection of the rights of all migrant workers and the members of their families, the protection of all persons from enforced disappearance, the fight against torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Finally, the Togolese delegation wishes Singapore every success in the implementations of the recommendations arising from this current review cycle.
Thank you very much, President.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Tunisia.
Thank you, President.
We welcome the delegation of Singapore and thank it for the report.
We applaud the ongoing effort by Singapore to reinforce its human rights institutional and legal frameworks, particularly the Fairness Act at the workplace of 2025, as well as its White Paper on Women Empowerment in in 2022.
We wish to offer the following recommendations.
Firstly, continue efforts to reinforce the right to education, particularly for children from low income families and improving their living conditions.
Secondly, protect children online.
Third, continue efforts to improve care services provided to older persons.
In closing, we wish the delegation a successful UPR.
Thank you, President.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Turkey.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
We warmly welcome the distinguished delegation of Singapore.
Singapore's globally known strive for racial and religious harmony within its borders and for social equality that benefits all citizens is commendable.
Singapore has demonstrably taken many steps over the past years and especially since its third UPR in 2021 to enhance its standings in human rights.
We would like to recognize those steps taken by Singapore, especially in the fields of women's and children's rights, the freedom of belief, integration of persons with disabilities and equality before judicial institutions.
In a constructive spirit, we recommend Singapore to continue to enhance protection of children from harmful online content and to strengthen support to children from low income families.
We wish Singapore all success during its fourth cycle.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Turkmenistan.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Turkmenistan welcomes the distinguished delegation of Singapore and express its gratitude for the comprehensive presentation of its national report.
While positively noting the progress achieved in the judicial system and the protection of human rights, Turkmenistan would like to submit the following recommendations.
Pursue efforts to strengthen the legal framework and promote the rights of women and girls, children, persons with disabilities, and older persons.
Continue to enhance social policies as a basis for the realization of human rights, in particular in the areas of education, health, housing, and social protection.
In conclusion, Turkmenistan wish the government of Singapore a successful UPR review.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Uganda.
Mr.
President, we congratulate the delegation of Singapore for the presentation of their report, and in the spirit of constructive dialogue, would like to make two recommendations.
One, continue to support international cooperation to inform global climate adaptation, including development support to developing states, especially those from Africa.
Two, continue to put in place policies that prioritize the enjoyment and realization of their right to development for all.
We wish our brothers and sisters of Singapore a very successful review.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Ukraine.
Mr.
President, Ukraine welcomes the delegation of Singapore and thanks it for the presentation of its national report.
We highly commend the country's commitment to human rights and recent legislative developments, including the Workplace Fairness Act, as well as efforts to strengthen social protection and support vulnerable groups.
Spirit of constructive engagement, we would like to offer the following recommendations to adopt legislation to ensure that all forms of gender based violence against women, including domestic violence and online violence were specifically criminalized.
To establish an independent national human rights institution in full compliance with the Paris principles, to ensure that members of minority groups have adequate access to quality healthcare services.
We wish Singapore a successful review.
I thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of the United Arab Emirates.
Thank you, President.
We welcome the delegation of Singapore and thank it for its comprehensive report.
We applaud the progress achieved in various fields, particularly in the field of education and health care.
We recognize efforts aiming to empowerment together with policies to counter challenges relating to climate change.
We recommend the following.
Firstly, continue ensuring access to high quality education that is inclusive for all.
Secondly, empower women in economy and in leadership positions while developing policies and legislations to protect women against all kinds of violence.
In closing, we support Singapore's efforts and wishing it further prosperity and success.
Thank you, President.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Austria.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Austria welcomes the delegation of Singapore and thanks them for their report.
We welcome the government's policies in the fields of economic development, healthcare, education, Social Security, and steps towards improving working conditions of migrant workers.
However, we are concerned about the use of the death penalty and corporal punishment and restrictions on freedom of opinion, expression, and assembly.
Austria therefore offers the following recommendations.
One, establish a moratorium on the death penalty with a view to its abolition and as a first step, consider repealing the death penalty for drug offenses which do not meet the threshold of the most serious crimes.
Two, ratify the CAT and abolish the use of corporal punishment like caning.
Three, ratify the ICCPR ICEsR and accede to the Rome statute of the ICC.
Four, take further measures to improve the legal status and working conditions of migrant workers.
I thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of the United Republic of Tanzania.
I Thank you, Mr.
President.
The United Republic of Tanzania warmly welcome the Republic of Singapore to this 52nd review session.
We commend the Singapore pragmatic approach to the promotion and the protection of human rights while balancing individual rights with the interests of society.
We also applaud measures taken to strengthen personal data protection and encourage continued efforts to adaptive frameworks to emerging technologies and global development.
Tanzania further congratulates the Singapore for supporting children and families through strong educational and social support system.
Zandia wishes the Republic of Singapore successive review session.
I thank you, Mr.
President.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Uruguay.
Thank you, President.
Uruguay welcomes the delegation of Singapore and thanks them for the presentation of their report.
In a constructive spirit, we make the following recommendations one, spare no effort in the drive towards adopting legislation that would guarantee that all forms of gender based violence against women, including domestic violence and online violence are duly criminalized, taking into account the specific protection needs of groups of women in particularly vulnerable situations.
Two, ratify the CAT and abolish the use of corporal punishment, including by prohibiting by law corporal punishment in educational establishments.
Three, establish an official moratorium on executions as a step towards the outright abolition of the death penalty.
I wish Singapore every success in this fourth UPR cycle.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Uzbekistan.
Thank you, Chair.
Uzbekistan welcomes the delegation of Singapore and its national report.
We commend Singapore for its continued commitment in promoting inclusive development and improving the well being of its population.
Uuzekistan notes with appreciation the adoption of the Workplace Fairness Act 2025, as well as efforts to strengthen social protection and reduce inequality.
Uzbekistan makes the following recommendations.
First, to continue advancing inclusive, social policies aimed at supporting vulnerable groups and ensure equal opportunities for all.
Second, to further enhance protection of migrant workers and ensure their full access to the rights and services.
Uzbekistan wishes the delegation of Singapore every success in its review.
Thank you for your attention.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Panuatu.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
F to warmly welcomes the delegation of Singapore and comms its continued commitment to the universal periodic review process as a small island developing state on the front line of climate change, Fu recalls the adverse impact of climate change and Um the full employment of human rights in a spirit of constructive dialogue.
Fanata respectfully offers the following recommendations.
One, continue to enhance its policies that protects vulnerable groups against adverse impacts of climate change.
Two, commit to reaching net zero emissions as soon as possible and no later than 2050.
Three, enhance its policies on climate change adaptation, including by developing a national adaptation plan in consultation with relevant stakeholders.
FinTa stands ready to collaborate with Singapore in advancing ambitious, measurable and rights based climate action.
We wish the delegation every success in this review, I thank you.
Okay.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Venezuela.
As.
Thank you, President.
We extend a very warm welcome to the delegation of Singapore.
We duly commend them for the progress that's been made in the country in the field of human rights, reflected, for example, via the repeal of Article 377 of the Criminal Code, the equity law in the workplace and steps have been taken to improve protections for migrant workers.
Then a constructive spirit, we make the following recommendations.
One, adopt a comprehensive law that would prohibit all forms of discrimination on the grounds of race, religion, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity.
Two, abolish the death penalty and corporal punishment and guarantee the protection of persons with disabilities prohibiting any forced treatment of them and any arbitrary institutionalization of them also.
We wish Singapore every successful in the CPR cycle.
Thank you very much, President.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Vietnam.
Thank you, President.
Vietnam warmly welcomes the delegation of Singapore and appreciate the presentation of its national report.
Vietnam commands Singapore's continued effort to build an inclusive, cohesive, and resilient society, as well as its practical hope society approach to human rights guided by shared responsibility and leaving no one behind.
In a constructive spirit, Vietnam offers the following recommendations.
One, continue to promote inclusive digital transformation to enhance the digital literacy, online safety measures for children and lower income households.
To further effort to strengthen community based support from families and older person through accessible care services and measures that promote inter generational solidarity.
Vietnam wish Singapore a successful review.
I thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Yemen.
President, we welcome the delegation of Singapore in this UPR cycle.
And we commend its commitment to cooperation with the human rights instruments and the progress achieved in the field of human development, education, health, and gender security.
In this slide, we recommend continued efforts to promote the human rights of older persons in order to sustain its progress and gains and reinforce the human rights.
We wish to continue this constructive dialogue with Singapore, wishing the country a successful UPR.
Thank you.
To the distinguished representative of Zambia.
President Zambia cordially welcomes the distinguished delegation of Singapore and acknowledges Singapore's strong governance framework and commendable socioeconomic achievements in 60 years.
In the spirit of constructive engagement, Zambia recommends that Singapore, one, continue to enhance workplace protections relating to maternity, caregiving responsibilities, and flexible work arrangements, and two, continue efforts to promote and protect the rights of persons with disabilities.
Zambia encourages Singapore to continue its efforts to promote and protect human rights for all.
We wish Singapore a successful review.
I thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Zimbabwe.
Mr.
President, Zimbabwe welcomes the delegation of Singapore to the review.
We commend Singapore for enacting legislation and initiatives that protect the rights and improve the well being of its people since the last review.
In a spirit of dialog, Zimbabwe recommends the following.
One, to continue strengthening its climate change resilience and adaptation policies, ensuring the protection of the right to health and safe living environment of its citizens, and two, to consider adopting legislation that criminalizes gender based violence, including domestic violence and online violence, especially on women and girls.
Wish Singapore a successful review.
I thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Albania.
President, Albania would like to thank Singapore for its national report.
We commend the progress achieved, especially regarding stronger social policies, enhanced access to education, health care, and housing.
We acknowledge efforts made to address emerging challenges, including the impact of digital technologies and climate change on human rights.
Albania would like to make the following recommendations.
First of all, to strengthen the protection for freedoms and fundamental rights, to fully guarantee freedom of religion and belief to introduce a moratorium on the death penalty with a view to its abolition and to ensure that the use of new technologies is compliant with human rights standards.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Algeria.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
My delegation warmly welcomes the delegation of Singapore and thanks them for the presentation of their national report.
Algeria commends the significant progress made by Singapore since its last review.
We particularly welcome the adoption of the white paper on Singapore women's Development in 2022 and the enactment of the Workplace Fairness Act 2025, which strengthen protection against discrimination in the professional sphere.
In a constructive spirit, Algeria would like to recommend the following.
One, continue to strengthen the inclusion of persons with disabilities.
Two, continue to implement the action plan outlined in the 2022 white paper to further enhance the status of empowerment of women in all spheres of society.
Finally, Algeria wish the delegation of Singapore a successful review.
I thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Angola.
Thank you very much, Mr.
President.
Angola warmly welcomes the delegation of Singapore and thanks it for the presentation of its national report.
In a construcive spirit, Angola recommends that Singapore, one, continue strengthening the protection of migrant workers, particularly domestic workers in order to further safeguard their labor rights and well being.
Two, continue enhancing measures aimed at protection children from abuse, exploitation and online risks in line with Singapore's international commitments.
Three, further strengthen support measures for children and lower income families in order to promote equal access to education and opportunities.
We wish Singapore a suceful UPR.
I thank you, Mr.
President.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Armenia.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Armenia warmly welcomes the delegation of Singapore and thanks for the constructive engagement demonstrated throughout the UPR process.
We commend Singapore for its continued progress in the promotion and protection of human rights.
Notable efforts include sustained measures to address gender based violence, expanded access to early childhood education and childcare.
A constructive spirit Armenia recommends, one, continue to strengthen comprehensive measures to prevent and respond to gender based violence, to further advance initiatives to safeguard the rights of children, including by enhancing protective frameworks across both digital and physical environment.
We wish Singapore every success in the implementation of its human rights commitment.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Lebanon.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Lebanon welcomes the distinguished delegation of Singapore and would like to make the following recommendations.
One, to continue efforts to empower women and enhance their representation in public and political life.
To, to further develop comprehensive policies to support active and healthy aging while expanding home based and community care services.
Three, to enhance climate preparedness and resilience.
Lebanon commends Singapore's remarkable achievements in improving the well being of its people through social cohesion and advancing economic development and quality healthcare and education.
In conclusion, Lebanon wishes Singapore every success in the outcome of its universal periodic review.
I thank you, Mr.
President.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of the United Kingdom.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
The United Kingdom welcomes the introduction of the Workplace Fairness Act and its decriminalization of same sex acts.
We urge Singapore to become party to the ICCPR, legislate against FGM, replace detention without trial with court trials, and consider mental capacity in sentencing.
In the spirit of ongoing dialogue, we recommend, one, introduce a moratorium on executions and move towards abolition and removal of judicial corporal punishment.
Two, mandate rest periods and create digital recruitment and wage payment processes for foreign domestic workers.
Three, include protection against discrimination on the grounds of sexuality and gender identity in the Workplace Fairness Act and ensure equal treatment in government policies for LGBT plus persons.
We thank the distinguished delegation for their constructive engagement today and wish them the best for the rest of their review.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Azerbijan.
Mr.
President, Azerbaijan welcomes the delegation of Singapore and thanks it for the presentation of its national report.
We commend Singapore's continued efforts to promote social cohesion, strengthen protection against workplace discrimination and enhance support for vulnerable groups, including persons with disabilities, migrant workers, children, and older persons.
We also note positively the adoption of the Workplace Fairness Act and measures aimed at strengthening inclusive social policies.
In a constructive spirit, we recommend Singapore, one, to continue strengthening inclusive policies and illegal legal safeguards aimed at ensuring equal opportunities and protection from discrimination for all members of society, including persons with disabilities.
Two, to further enhance access to affordable and inclusive education, health care, and social support services, particularly for vulnerable groups.
We wish Singapore success in its review.
I thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of the Bahamas.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
We thank the delegation of Singapore for its presentation and commend Singapore's continued efforts to promote a harmonious and inclusive society.
We highlight Singapore's significant achievements in protecting the rights of older persons through its action plan for successful aging and commend Singapore for its leadership as chair for the Forum of Small states.
Promoting multilateral engagement among small states.
To encourage further progress, the Bs respectfully recommends that Singapore, one, continue to strengthen climate and sustainability policies while ensuring that vulnerable groups are not disproportionately affected by the impacts of low carbon transition and two, continue efforts to strengthen access to mental health support services, particularly for children and youth.
We wish Singapore every success in this review process.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Bahrain.
President, we would like to wish a warm welcome to the friendly state of Singapore.
We have looked at the report under the fourth UPR cycle and we commend the participatory approach and the inclusion of all stakeholders in the process as well as the remarkable progress achieved in the field of human rights.
We have taken note of efforts made to consolidate progress further.
In the context of this constructive dialogue, we would like to recommend the following to continue to allocate sufficient funds to public health in order to improve access to quality health care.
Secondly, to continue cooperation with regional and international human rights mechanisms in accordance with national priorities.
We wish them every success.
The floor to the distinguished representative of Bangladesh.
Thank you, Mr.
President, Bangladesh El Gems Distinguished delegation of Singapore.
We commend the government for its continued commitment to the promotion and production of human rights.
We appreciate the initiative undertaken to advance women empowerment, enhance care for older person, and improve the well being of migrant workers.
In a spirit of constructive cooperation, Bangladesh recommends, one, continue strengthening measures to protect their rights and ensure the safety and well being of migrant workers, including by reinforcing social protection measures and legal safeguards.
Two, intensify efforts to combat trafficking in person and ensure protection and support for victims and survivors.
We wish the delegation a very successful review.
I thank you, Mr.
Presiden.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Belarus.
Thank you, Chair President.
We would like to greet the distinguished delegation of Singapore led by Madam Mam, the State Minister for Health and the Digital Development and Information.
We welcome the report and note the effective measures taken to ensure racial and religious harmony within the population.
We note as best practice the work of the active aging centers which create conditions under which older persons can remain socially active.
Would like to recommend firstly to continue encouraging mutual understanding and harmony between all ethnic and religious communities in the country.
Secondly, to continue to develop inclusive education in order to strengthen the rights of the child, including for children with disabilities.
We wish Singapore every cycle in this UPR cycle.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Belgium.
Mr.
President, Belgium welcomes the delegation of Singapore and recommends Singapore to ratify the International Covenant on civil and political rights and ensure its legislation, including the protection from online falsehoods and Manipulation Act is fully compatible with international human rights law, especially the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and association.
Pending abolition, introduce a de moratorium on the death penalty, including for drug related offenses, abolish mandatory death penalty, and ensure any death sentence meets the most serious crimes thresholds.
Ratify ILO Convention 190 and align work and condition for migrant domestic workers with those of other work permit holders.
I thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Bhutan.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Bhutan warmly welcomes the Singapore delegation.
We commend Singapore for his positive initiatives and significant achievements since the last review, including enactment of key legislations as well as targeted initiatives that have contributed to advance the status of women, address needs of a rapidly aging population, and reduce income inequality.
We recognize Singapore's new universal school enrollment and the Singapore Met for Families 2025 National Plan, which strengthens protections for children and supports family life.
We recommend Singapore, one, to continue to continue its mid career reskilling programs and related initiatives to provide older workers with greater employment security.
Two, continue targeted interventions to strengthen the ecosystem of support for low income families.
Bhutan wishes Singapore a successful UPR.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Botswana.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Botswana warmly welcomes the delegation of Singapore to the fourth cycle of the EPA process, and we thank them for a very comprehensive report.
We commend Singapore for its continued commitment to advancing human rights.
We particularly note the strengthened legislative and regulatory measures to protect women from violence and harassment.
We further note the Workplace Fairness Act, which aims to enhance protections against discrimination faced by women in the workplace and to improve access to justice.
Bowana wishes to make the following two recommendations to the delegation of Singapore.
One, to further strengthen prevention and response mechanisms against gender based violence.
To, to enhance efforts to empower and support women to increase their representation in public and political life.
We wish Singapore a successful review outcome.
I thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Brazil.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Brazil welcomes the delegation of Singapore and commends its efforts in digital child safety and lifelong learning.
We welcome the repeal of the law criminalizing consensual same sex relations and encourage the formal recognition of same sex marriages.
Brazil constructively recommends that Singapore One, strengthen labor protections for foreign domestic workers by ensuring entitlements to public holidays, regulated working hours, and paid leave while abolishing mandatory pregnancy and HIV testing.
Two, abolish mandatory corporal punishment to uphold the right to be free from cruel or degrading treatment, particularly for nonviolent offenses such as immigration and labor violations.
We wish Singapore a successful review.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Brune Jerusalem.
Thank you.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Bram warmly welcome the delegation of Singapore to Geneva and thank them for the presentation of the national report.
We commend Singapore for its implementation of recommendations from the previous universal P review cycle and acknowledge ongoing efforts to promote and protect human rights through the development of an inclusive, cohesive and resilient society.
In the spirit of constructive engagement, we propose two recommendations.
One, continue developing and promoting active and healthy aging initiatives for older persons and two, further enhance policies and measures to support women's participation in the workforce.
Brim wishes Singapore successful Review.
I thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Bulgaria.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Bulgaria welcomes the distinguished delegation of Singapore and thanks for the comprehensive presentation of the national report and the commitment to the UPR process.
We would like to commend the efforts made by Singapore in implementing the recommendations that were accepted during the third cycle, as well as the achievements in key dimensions such as education, family care, social services, and healthcare for all.
Bulgaria appreciates the measures taken by the government and the financial support to improve access to early childhood care and education to guarantee equal and strong start for every child.
With view to constructively contribute, Bulgaria wishes to offer the following recommendations.
First, consider taking legislative measures for a compulsory pre primary education and second, take steps to introduce free primary and secondary education for all children.
We wish the delegation of Singapore a successful outcome of the review.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to distinguished representative of Burkina Faso.
We have seen.
Thank you, President.
Bikina Faso would like to welcome the Delegation of Singapore.
We thank them for the presentation of the report.
My delegation would like to congratulate Singapore on the progress made in the field of education, housing, and healthcare.
On the fight against human trafficking.
In a constructive spirit and so as to further build on this progress, we would like to recommend the following.
Firstly, to ensure that all children enjoy the same right to citizenship regardless of their family situation, and secondly, to ratify the International Covenant on economic, social and cultural rights.
We would like to wish Singapore a very successful review.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Burundi.
Thank you, Vice President.
My delegation extends a cordial welcome to the distinguished delegation of Singapore.
We wish them a very successful review.
We can safely say that your country's social policy is an inspiring model of cohesion.
The government's commitment to building an inclusive and united country is clear as people are encouraged to look after each other and the state guarantees equal opportunities for all while at the same time, protecting vulnerable groups who benefit from targeted assistance in the fields of employment, housing, education, and healthcare.
In this respect and in a constructive spirit, Burundi would like to offer one recommendation to consider criminalizing all forms of female genital mutilation and to continue efforts to prevent child marriage and child sexual exploitation.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Cabo Vverte.
Thank you, President.
Cab would like to congratulate the delegation of Singapore on the presentation of its report, and we commend the efforts made in terms of consolidating the rule of law.
We would, in particular, like to highlight the progress achieved to strengthen the protection of children, women, and persons with disabilities.
In a constructive spirit, we would like to recommend firstly to ratify the International Covenant on civil and political rights and to fully abolish the death penalty.
Secondly, to establish a national independent human rights institution in keeping with international standards.
Thirdly, to guarantee in the Constitution and relevant legislation the right to education for all and to prohibit corporal punishment at school.
We would like to wish Singapore a very successful UPR.
I thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished Representative for Cambodia.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
I extend a warm welcome to the delegation of Singapore to the review and thank them for the presentation of their national report.
Cambodia Singapore continued effort to promote and protect human rights and the remarkable progress achieved in many areas as highlighted in the UPR report.
In the spirit of the constructive dialogue, Cambodia would like to make the following recommendation for consideration.
First, continue to improve the living condition of migrant workers including health care service and support for their mental health.
Second, continue strengthening inclusive urban planning to further support elder person and persons with disability and improving access to affordable and quality public housing.
Finally, Combo wish to Singapore fruitful review.
I thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Cairon.
Merc.
Thank you, President.
Cameroon would like to congratulate the delegation of Singapore on the presentation of its national report.
We commend the country's ongoing efforts to promote an inclusive, harmonious and resilient society.
Cameroon has three recommendations to make as follows.
First of all, to continue efforts aimed at bolstering the protection for the rights of migrant workers, in particular as regards conditions of labor, access to healthcare, and social protection.
Secondly, to further strengthen measures to combat all forms of racial discrimination and hate speech.
Thirdly, to pursue efforts aimed at reducing gender inequality on the labor market, in particular, as regards access to positions of responsibility and to reducing the wage gap.
We would like to wish Singapore successful review.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Canada.
Thank you, President.
Canada would like to thank Singapore for its participation in this cycle of the Universal Periodic Review.
We would like to recommend to Singapore, firstly, to immediately establish a moratorium on executions as a provisional measure before abolishing the death penalty.
Secondly, to extend the protections foreseen by the Employment Act and the Act on compensation for occupational accidents to domestic workers, male and female.
Thirdly, to include sexual orientation and gender identity among the grounds for protection in employment legislation.
I thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of the Central African Republic.
Monsieur President.
President, my country commends the progress achieved by Singapore in the field of the protection and promotion of human rights.
In a constructive spirit, we have three recommendations to offer.
Firstly, to strengthen measures to combat gender based violence and discrimination at the workplace.
Secondly, to step up protection for children, especially against harmful online content and cyberbullying, and thirdly, to continue efforts aimed at including persons with disabilities in the fields of education, employment, and general accessibility.
The Central African Republic would like to conclude by wishing Singapore a very successful UPR review.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to distinguished representative of Chad.
I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Chile.
Thank you, President.
Chile would like to welcome the delegation of Singapore and we welcome the lifting of Section 377 A of the Criminal Code, which criminalized male homosexual relationships.
In a constructive spirit, Chile would like to make the following recommendations.
First, to ratify the Convention Against Torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.
Secondly, to establish an official moratorium on executions and to implement as an initial step the elimination of the mandatory imposition of the death penalty.
Thirdly, to review the Act on the Protection against fraud and online manipulation and the Public Order Act so as to ensure that the struggle against disinformation does not unduly restrict the right to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and the work of human rights defenders.
We wish Singapore successful review.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of China.
Tu ing in ia.
President, China welcomes the efforts made by Singapore to protect and promote human rights and we commend the legislative measures taken by the government to strengthen infrastructure and protect the rights of vulnerable groups such as women, children, older persons, and persons with disabilities.
We have two recommendations to make.
Firstly, to continue promoting social equality, to build a more inclusive society.
Secondly, to develop social resilience and strengthen citizens' capacity to withstand challenges.
We wish Singapore successful UPR.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Colombia.
President.
Thank you, Chair.
We would like to congratulate the distinguished delegation of Singapore on its progress on human rights, and we constructively recommend firstly to abolish the death penalty and in the meantime to impose a moratorium and to suspend the execution of any convicted person, including those who have been convicted and sentenced for drug related offenses.
Secondly, to set the minimum legal age of marriage at 18 without any exceptions.
Thirdly, to take measures to ensure that the victims of human trafficking are not punished or prosecuted for As carried out while they were victims of human trafficking.
Fourthly, to recognize and implement the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment in the National Legal framework.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Costa Rica.
President.
Thank you, President.
Costa Rica thanks the delegation of Singapore for the presentation of its national report.
We acknowledge the legislative improvements that have been made to combat discrimination against women, and we recommend firstly to ratify the International Covenant on economic, social, and cultural rights.
Secondly, to ratify the International Covenant on civil and political rights.
Thirdly, to introduce and establish an independent human rights institution in accordance with the Paris principles with a broad mandate for protection and promotion of rights.
Fourthly, to adopt legislative measures and public policy measures to prevent and combat all forms of female gender mutilation.
F, to impose a moratorium on the death penalty with a view to its abolition.
We wish them a very successful implementation of the recommendations.
I thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Côte D'ivoire.
President Thank you.
Côte D'ivoire would like to commend the government of Singapore on measures taken to promote equality at work and women's empowerment, in particular, the adoption of the 2025 Act on equality at work, as well as the white paper of 2022 for women's empowerment.
In a constructive spirit, Côte D'ivoire recommends to strengthen protection for fundamental freedoms, especially for religious minorities.
Secondly, to consider ratifying the 2011 Convention on domestic workers, and thirdly, to abolish the death penalty for persons with an intellectual disability or psychosocial disability, including persons with autism.
We wish Singapore every success.
I thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Croatia.
Mr.
President, we welcome the delegation of Singapore and thank them for the presentation of their national report.
Croatia commends the passage of the Work Plan Fairness Act as an important step towards protecting workers' rights in Singapore.
Croatia recommends the following.
One, recognize the right to conscientious objection to military service and provide the possibility of civilian non punitive alternative service for conscientious objectors.
Two, abolish the death penalty and all forms of corporal punishment as legal penalties.
Three, sign and ratify International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Convention Against Torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
We wish Singapore a successful review session.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Cuba.
Senor President.
Thank you, President.
A cordial greeting to the delegation of Singapore.
We recognize the country's commitment to the UPR and the headway made on the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights.
We congratulate Singapore on the approval in 2025 of the Equality At Work Act.
In a constructive spirit, we recommend to continue fostering the active aging centers which enable active participation by older persons in learning and physical activities.
Secondly, to keep up the robust results on early education and health care as key pillars for the enjoyment of human rights.
Thirdly, to continue national efforts to ensure equal access to digital technologies.
We wish Singapore every success in this review and in the implementation of the recommendations it will accept.
I thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Cyprus.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Cyprus welcomes the delegation of Singapore and thanks them for the presentation of the report.
We commend Singapore for the progress made since the last review, including on measures to improve gender equality and equal opportunities in the workplace and to criminalize racist hate speech and hate crimes.
Cyprus recommends that Singapore one ratify the ICSCR Convention Against Torture, the ICCPR, including its second optional protocol aiming at the abolition of the death penalty.
Two, adopt legislation to end all forms of gender based violence.
Three, address the feminization of poverty, including by mainstreaming gender into the National Strategy for Social Protection and four, adopt a comprehensive strategy to ensure that children with disabilities are adequately protected from violence, exploitation and abuse.
I thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Cechia.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
The Czech Republic welcomes the delegation of Singapore.
We commend the progress, including the signature of the optional protocol to the CRC on the sale of children, child prostitution, and child pornography and encourage its ratification.
To further advance human rights, we recommend that Singapore, one, establish a moratorium on executions as a step towards the abolition of the death penalty.
Two, ratify core international human rights treaties, in particular the ICCPR, ICESCR, CAT, and CED.
And three, strengthen the protection of the freedoms of expression, assembly, and association, including by ensuring an enabling environment for civil society and human rights defenders.
We wish Singapore a constructive UPR.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
The Delegation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea warmly welcomes the delegation of the Republic of Singapore to this EPL cycle.
My delegation wishes Singapore greater success in its future endeavor for the promotion and protection of human rights of its people and recommends the following one, continue to ensure adequate public health expenditure to further improve access and quality of healthcare.
Two, continue efforts to promote and protect the rights of children, older persons, and persons with disabilities at all levels.
We wish Singapore every success in this review.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Dibou.
Thank you, President.
Dibbouti would like to welcome the high level delegation of Singapore and thanks it for the various institutional and legal reforms made.
This has enabled it to also take targeted policies and community measures.
We would like to make the following recommendations.
One, establish a national Human Rights institution which is independent in line with the Paris principles.
Two, continue to protect the rights of persons with disabilities by strengthening protective policies and legislation.
Meeting their needs when it comes to education and by punishing domestic violence against them in step with the framework plan for the empowerment of persons with disabilities and three, strengthen the protection from online violence to effectively combat violence against women and girls.
By particularly focusing on the punishment of perpetrators, we wish full success to Singapore in its review.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I now give the floor to the delegation to address observations and comments that have been raised so far.
Your Excellencies, you have the floor.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
We welcome the many constructive comments made thus far.
Many delegations have spoken of the need to provide more labor protections for migrant workers.
A number of delegations have also raised criminal justice issues, including capital and corporal punishment.
We will seek to address these.
My colleague, miss Ko Xiao Ying from the Ministry of Manpower, will highlight some of the more recent initiatives introduced to improve protections for migrant labor force.
My colleague from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Mr.
Gregory Fu, will then share about how Singapore's approach to law and order has enabled us to be one of the safest and most livable societies in the world.
Xiao Ying, please.
Mr.
President, distinguished delegates.
I am Co Sell ing, Director at the Ministry of Manpower in Singapore.
My colleague had earlier outlined Singapore's efforts to foster inclusive and fair workplaces for all workers.
Now, I will speak about how Singapore has continued to strengthen protections of our migrant workers.
In the Singapore context, the term migrant workers refer to people from abroad who come to Singapore to work in semi skilled roles in sectors such as construction, marine, shipyard, and manufacturing, or as domestic workers in households.
These migrant workers make up around one fifth of Singapore's population, and we deeply appreciate their invaluable contributions to Singapore's development.
They build our homes and critical infrastructure, provide various daily services, and help care for our loved ones.
They choose to work in Singapore, and it is our responsibility to safeguard their interests, support them, and provide for their well being.
According to two studies conducted by the ministry in 2024, over nine in ten are satisfied working and living in Singapore and will recommend Singapore as a place to work.
This reflects Singapore's continual commitment to do more for our migrant workers.
Since our last UPR in 2021, we have amended our laws and adopted practical measures and policies to further protect the rights and well being of our migrant workers.
Let me outline some of these recent efforts.
Singapore is committed to ensuring that all migrant workers have decent and dignified housing.
This is not an easy task in a small city state like Singapore, but we have taken concrete and continuing steps to do so.
Under our laws, employers must provide proper housing workers, many of whom live in dormitories.
Since 2023, we have extended our laws to cover all dormitories, even the small ones, and have raised dormitory standards across the board.
Since September 2021, all new dormitories must meet higher standards to better protect migrant workers health, privacy, and dignity.
This means more living space per resident, better ventilation, and en suite bathrooms.
Existing dormitories are also being upgraded with government support to meet these higher standards.
The government has also been designing dormitories with residents' needs in mind to improve their lived experience.
Through regular consultations with migrant workers, we understand that they would like quiet spaces within the dormitories to rest and communal areas to connect with one another.
We have taken their feedback on board in the design of our new purpose built dormitories.
The government's first such dormitory provides residents with dedicated spaces for sports and rest.
There are also plans from residents home countries to create a home like atmosphere, along with culturally familiar food and programs including mental wellness and festive activities.
The government's second purpose built dormory is now under construction.
Through these dormitories, the government seeks to show that quality housing is achievable at affordable cost and ultimately drive higher standards across all dormitories in Singapore.
We thank several member states for their recommendations to strengthen protections for migrant workers and migrant domestic workers.
Singapore is committed to ensuring that the rights of all migrant workers are protected in law and backed by rigorous enforcement, as well as practical avenues of support.
We implement this through our Employment of Foreign Manpower Act and its regulations, which provide dedicated protection to migrant workers and which complement key labor laws such as the Employment Act and Work Injury Compensation Act.
This ensures that migrant workers are fairly treated with proper working condition.
In addition, we have introduced legal safeguards tailored to the specific circumstances of migrant workers.
For instance, Singapore recognizes that domestic workers require additional protection, given that they live and work in their employers homes.
As such, employers of domestic workers are legally required to provide proper accommodation.
Food and rest, including weekly rest days, and purchase medical and personal accident insurance for their domestic workers.
We have strengthened these protections over time.
For example, following an expansion of mandatory insurance coverage in 2023, around 99% of all medical bills for domestic workers are estimated to now be covered by insurance.
Further, we take the physical and sexual abuse of migrant domestic workers very seriously and deal with offenders firmly under the law.
Our courts may impose enhanced penalties of up to twice the usual maximum punishment where the offender is the domestic worker's employer, a member of the employer's household, or the employment agent.
Mr.
President, beyond legislation, we have put in place a strong support ecosystem for migrant workers.
Every migrant worker who is new to Singapore attends a settling in program conducted in their native language, where they learn about their employment rights as well as avenues available to seek help.
We also have channels to identify migrant workers who need more support and offer them help.
For example, HealthSerf, an NGO in Singapore with government support, runs a 24 hour multilingual helpline offering counseling services for migrant workers.
In terms of health care access, we believe migrant workers should be able to seek medical care early, close to where they live and without undue financial hardship.
Hence, in 2022, we enhanced primary health care access for migrant workers covering their primary care bills.
For a nominal co payment capped at around $4 per visit, migrant workers can access unlimited consultations for common acute illnesses, care for chronic conditions, annual health screenings, and 24 hour telemedicine.
The clinics are located close to where they live, and we plan to increase the number of clinics so that care is made even more accessible.
Since these improvements, nine and ten migrant workers surveyed found consultations to be affordable and accessible.
In sum, Singapore's approach has been to bolster the protection of migrant workers rights and well being by complementing formal protections with the supporting infrastructure and broader underground support that responds to the diverse needs of our migrant worker community.
We remain committed to ensuring that they are treated with dignity and that Singapore remains a place they are happy to work and live in.
Migrant workers have made and will continue to make valuable contributions to the Singapore story.
I thank you.
Mr.
President, distinguished delegates, I'm Gregory Fu, Director at the Ministry of Home Affairs in Singapore.
I will be speaking about how Singapore has maintained a safe and secure environment for our people.
Singapore was ranked as the safest country in the world for the 12th time in the Gallup 2025 Global Safety Report.
This ranking reflects the everyday reality that in Singapore, every resident can walk home alone late at night without worry.
In the 2025 World Justice Project Rule of Law Index, Singapore's civil and criminal frameworks were ranked sixth and eighth respectively for effective enforcement.
These positive outcomes are the products of decades of intentional policy design, a criminal justice system that is both fair and impartial, effective law enforcement and an independent judiciary that applies the rule of law consistently and transparently.
We acknowledge the recommendations of Lithuania, New Zealand, and Portugal, among others, on capital punishment.
The positive outcomes, which I earlier highlighted are only possible by having strict laws in place, which deter serious crimes.
As a sovereign state, Singapore retains the right to determine the most appropriate penalties in accordance with our national circumstances and obligations under international law.
This includes the use of capital punishment for the most serious crimes.
There is no international law consensus against the use of capital punishment when it is imposed in accordance with due process of law and with judicial safeguards.
Singapore does not impose capital punishment lightly.
We do so with a profound sense of responsibility and only when it is imperative to protect our society at large.
Only crimes that inflict the most severe harm to the victims and to wider society in Singapore attract capital punishment.
These crimes take away and destroy the lives of innocents and their families.
These crimes include intentional murder and trafficking of significant quantities of drugs.
The human cost of these most serious crimes should not be forgotten.
In the course of our work, we have come across many heartbreaking instances of young lives destroyed by drug trafficking.
We once came across a 3-year-old child whose mother had run out of milk, milk, did not have enough money to buy milk powder for him because she had spent it all to feed her drug abuse addiction.
On another occasion, we found a 14-year-old boy lying in bed, drug paraphernalia on his chest and packets of methamphetamine strewn beside him.
His own father had given him the methamphetamine out of his own stash of drugs.
We should not forget about the human rights of these two young lives and that of the many thousands of other lives drug traffickers destroy.
This is why in Singapore, there is consistently strong domestic support for capital punishment.
A 2025 survey of Singapore residents showed that support for capital punishment had increased since 2023.
Almost eight in ten respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the mandatory death penalty is appropriate as punishment for trafficking a significant amount of drugs.
In addition, nearly 93% of youths and more than 96% of the adults surveyed said Singapore should continue to maintain its tough laws to keep drugs out.
Capital punishment is a proven and effective deterrent against drug trafficking in our context.
Let me explain.
In 2018, we conducted a study which found that drug traffickers who were aware of Singapore's capital punishment regime had intentionally reduced the quantity of drugs they trafficked into Singapore to below the threshold for capital punishment.
This is the reality that we face.
Drug traffickers who are making a cynical calculation to traffic drugs for personal gain without regard for the lives they would destroy.
A more recent 2024 survey conducted in cities around our region where many of Singapore's drug traffickers come from reinforced this finding.
84.2% of the respondents believed that capital punishment deterred people from trafficking substantial amount of drugs into Singapore.
82.5% believed that capital punishment is a more effective deterrent than life imprisonment.
Our stringent drug control approach has resulted in one of the lowest drug prevalence rates in the world at around 1%.
This is in spite of Singapore being in a region with one of the world's largest production and trafficking of synthetic drugs.
Singapore fully recognizes the irreversibility of capital punishment.
We take great effort to ensure that every case proceeds with due, fair and transparent process.
Our laws and procedures apply equally to all, regardless of background, nationality, education, or financial status.
And in capital cases, we have additional safeguards.
First, all capital offenses can be heard only in the high court.
Even if the offender wishes to plead guilty, the high court cannot record a guilty plea to a capital charge.
The prosecution is still required to prove the offense beyond a reasonable doubt.
Second, every capital conviction and sentence must be separately reviewed by the Court of Appeal, the highest court in Singapore, even where no appeal has been made.
And third, free legal counsel is offered for the entire duration of the trial and appeal, regardless of nationality.
No means test or other eligibility criteria is imposed.
Moving on to corporal punishment, certain member states spoke about our use of this punishment.
Judicially imposed corporal punishment is governed by strict legal, judicial, and medical safeguards.
It is imposed only for serious crimes such as rape.
It acts as a strong deterrent for such heinous crimes.
In terms of legal safeguards, we ensure that the offenses that will attract corporal punishment are tightly scoped and constantly reviewed.
Just last year, we conducted a review of all offenses that attract corporal punishment.
We removed the punishment or made it discretionary in 2022 offenses as a result.
As for medical safeguards, corporal punishment is only administered after the offender is certified by a medical officer to be in a fit state of health.
A medical officer must also be present during and after the administration of the punishment, and if necessary, medical care will be provided.
Our legislation also expressly excludes the application of corporal punishment to women, men over 50 years of age, and men who have not been certified as medically fit to undergo such punishment, among others.
Lastly, on freedom of expression, we thank the various member states for their recommendations.
Every Singaporean has a constitutionally protected right to freedom of speech, expression, and peaceful assembly.
But these rights are not absolute even under international human rights law.
These rights must be exercised responsibly in densely populated Singapore, with our multiracial, multi religious, and multicultural community, as mentioned earlier by my colleagues Cynthia and Angela.
A balance between the exercise of such rights and the maintenance of public order for the benefit of all must be struck.
Finally, on freedom of assembly, Malta, the Republic of Korea, and South Africa, among other states had raised concerns.
For small and densely populated Singapore, stability, public order, and the rule of law are existential needs.
We have observed how destructive and destabilizing protests elsewhere have been.
Initially, peaceful assemblies can easily turn violent through the actions of a small handful of malicious actors.
This is a lived experience for Singapore.
In the 1960s, race riots and communal tensions filled our streets, and this is why we have the Public Order Act to protect and preserve the public order and safety that Singapore has painstakingly built over the last 60 years.
Under the Public Order Act, a permit needs to be obtained for certain activities such as public assemblies, processions, or demonstrations.
Alternatively, Singaporeans who want to demonstrate can do so without the need for a permit at the Speaker's Corner, which is prominently located in our city center.
In conclusion, Singapore reaffirms its unwavering commitment to a safe, orderly society underpinned by a fair, transparent, and proportionate criminal justice system.
Mr.
President, Singapore will continue to uphold the highest standards of human rights protection, both for the individual and wider society.
I thank you.
Thank you, Gregory.
Mr.
President, I now give the floor back to you.
Thank you.
We shall now continue with our interactive dialogue, and I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Dominica.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Dominica warmly welcomes the distinguished delegation of Singapore.
We commend Singapore for efforts in strengthening its national human rights framework, including initiatives aimed at promoting inclusion, social cohesion, and resilience.
In a constructive spirit, Dominica recommends that Singapore, one, continue to advance measures to scale up climate action, including through investments in green energy.
Two, persevere in its efforts to implement policy in support of the realization of the fundamental right to adequate housing.
We wish the delegation of Singapore every success during the UPR process.
I thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of the Dominican Republic.
Hz Gs.
Thank you very much, Vice President.
The Dominican Republic would like to thank the Distinguished delegation of Singapore for presenting its national report and for the constructive dialogue held within this review.
As small island developing states, we share common challenges, and thus we appreciate its efforts to bolster climate resilience and promote inclusive society.
Within a spirit of cooperation, we recommend the following.
One, continue to strengthen climate change adaptation and mitigation policies to protect the most vulnerable communities.
Two, bolster actions to prevent and respond to human trafficking, ensuring the comprehensive protection of victims.
Three, deepen inclusion policies for persons with disabilities, particularly when it comes to employment and accessible education.
Four, continue to develop comprehensive strategies for active aging, ensuring appropriate health and social protection services.
We wish the country a success of this UPR.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Ecuador.
Senor.
Sir, Ecuador would like to be a warm welcome to the Singaporean delegation.
We thank it for the report presented, and we would like to highlight inter the efforts undertaken to foster women's empowerment and to improve the protection assistance to older persons.
In a constructive spirit, we recommend, one, continue to step up efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women.
Two, bolster mechanisms aimed at ensuring that women enjoy the same rights as women to enter into marriage without having to seek permission from a male guardian.
Three, encourage the reporting of child marriage and ensure the prosecution and punishment of all perpetrators and accomplices.
F, adopt a comprehensive strategy to prevent exploitation, violence and abuse for persons with disability.
Ecuador wishes Score success at this fourth review.
I thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Egypt.
Thank you, President.
We welcome Madame Rahia Main.
And her accompanying delegation participating in this meeting.
We applaud efforts by Singahora to ensure human rights enjoyment by people, including programs in favor of children, women, migrants and improving healthcare.
We welcome efforts to implement recommendations accepted during the last UPR cycle.
We offer the following two recommendations.
Firstly, continue efforts to empower women and increase her participation in public and political life.
Secondly, reinforce the rights of persons with disability by reinforcing comprehensive education, For this category of society on all levels, we wish the delegation successfully OPR.
Thank you, President.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of El Salvador.
Thank you very much, sir.
El Salvador would like to bid a warm welcome to Singapore, and we acknowledge the efforts undertaken in areas such as education, access to essential services, women's empowerment, and the inclusion of persons with disabilities.
In a constructive spirit, El Salvador recommends one.
Continue to implement program strategies and national plans for the progressive realization of education, consolidating support policies for the family and the comprehensive support for childhood.
Two, implement effective measures to afford protection to labor rights and the well being of workers, including domestic workers and migrants.
Three, guarantee the strengthening of digitalization policies, ensuring that their implementation is inclusive and accessible for all persons.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Eritrea.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
We warmly welcome the distinguished delegation of Singapore.
We acknowledge the notable steps taken to improve migrant workers well being, including enhanced health care access, housing standards, and support programs.
While further efforts may contribute to addressing remaining challenges, we humbly offer the following recommendations.
One, while acknowledging that migrant workers are generally accorded protections under employment laws, continue efforts to strengthen legal protections, including by ensuring clear, comprehensive coverage with a view to further promoting equality between migrants local workers, including migrant domestic workers.
Two, build on existing programs such as the settling in program and recreation centers by further expanding outreach and accessibility and promoting inclusive participation.
We wish Singapore every success in the implementation of the recommendations it will accept.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Estonia.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Estonia welcomes the delegation of Singapore and commends the progress made by Singapore in promoting gender equality and welcome steps to advance the rights of LGBTIQ plus persons, as well as achievements in developing a high quality and inclusive education system.
Estonia has two recommendations to Singapore.
One, implement measures increasing the protection in law and in practice for accessing freedom of expression and freedom of assembly and association.
Two, adopt a moratorium on the death penalty as first step towards its abolition.
Lastly, we thank Singapore for supporting the webcasting of the session which contributes to transparency, inclusivity, and accessibility of the UPR progress.
We wish Singapore a very successful review.
I thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Eswatini.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Eswatini welcomes the delegation of Singapore and thanks it for the comprehensive presentation of its national report.
Eswatini commends Singapore for the notable progress achieved since the previous review, particularly the enactment of the Workplace Fairness Act to strengthen protection against workplace discrimination, as well as efforts aimed at promoting social inclusion and equal opportunities for vulnerable groups.
In the spirit of constructive dialogue, we recommend that Singapore, one, continue strengthening efforts to prevent and response to gender based violence.
Two, Continue efforts to promote child's rights, including through the promotion of inclusive education for children with disabilities.
We wish Singapore a successful review and thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Ethiopia.
Thank you, Vice President, Ethiopia warmly welcomes the head level delegation of Singapore and thanks it for its comprehensive national report and constructive engagement in the UPR process.
We commend Singapore's continued progress in promoting inclusive development, social harmony, and advancing the well being of its people, particularly in areas such as public service, housing, healthcare, and social protection.
And as spirit of constructive dialogue, Ethiopia wishes to make the following recommendations.
One, continue improving the protection and welfare of migrant workers, including access to healthcare, two, continue ensuring access to affordable and quality public housing.
In closing, Ethiopia wishes Singapore a successful review.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of France.
Thank you, President.
France welcomes the delegation of Singapore and wishes them a very successful UPR process.
We make the following recommendations.
One, that Singapore ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural rights, and the International Convention for the Protection of all persons from enforced disappearance.
Two, that Singapore establish a moratorium on the death penalty and put an end to all forms of the automatic application of the death penalty for drugs related crimes.
Thirdly, better protect the rights of migrant workers by strengthening the legal framework by which their employers are bound.
Fourthly, strengthen the fight against discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation.
Fifth, and finally, we recommend that Singapore continue efforts to tackle and eradicate violence against women and take steps to criminalize female genital mutilation.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Gabon.
Mercy.
Thank you, President.
Gabon welcomes the delegation of Singapore and congratulates them upon the presentation of their national report.
My delegation congratulates Singapore for the progress that has been made since the last UPR and welcomes Singapore's full and wholehearted engagement in the UPR mechanisms.
We make the following recommendations in a constructive spirit.
One, continue efforts to tackle discrimination against women in the workplace.
Two, continue to combat human trafficking, including the trafficking of persons for the purposes of sexual exploitation.
We encourage Singapore in the path of the various positive measures that it is enacted to promote and protect human rights in Singapore and to ensure the well being of their population.
We wish Singapore every success in this fresh cycle of the UPR.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Gambia.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
The Gambia warmly welcomes the distinguished delegation of Singapore and commends it for its conservative engagement with the UPR process.
We commend Singapore's efforts to promote inclusive development, social cohesion, and the well being of its people.
Welcome the enactment of the Workplace Fairness Act 2025, as well as measures to advance women's empowerment and support migrant workers, persons with disabilities and older persons.
We also commend Singapore for progress in education, housing, and healthcare.
In the spirit of constructive engagement, the Gambia recommends that Singapore, one, continuous strengthening efforts to prevent and respond to gender based violence and two, continue to improve the protection and welfare of migrant workers, including access to health care and decent living conditions.
We wish Singapore every success in implementing the recommendations from this review.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Georgia.
Thank you, Mr.
President, Georgia, warmly welcome and thank the delegation of Singapore for the presentation of the national report.
My delegation appreciate Singapore's continued commitment to the EPR process through active engagement with treaty bodies and other international human rights mechanisms.
We welcome efforts of the government to build a more inclusive society, including through strengthening legislation against workplace discrimination.
And continuing supportive measures for vulnerable groups.
With this in mind, my delegation kindly recommends to the government of Singapore, one, to continue its efforts to promote the rights and inclusion of persons with disabilities and two, to continue efforts aimed at preventing violence against women.
We wish the delegation of Singapore a successful review.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished Representative of Germany.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Germany welcomes the delegation of Singapore.
We commend the repeal of the Singapore Sdition Act of 1948 as an important step for the freedom of expression.
Germany also commends the repeal of Section 377 A of the Penal Code.
However, Germany remains concerned about restrictions of freedoms and association and expression as well as the application of the death penalty.
Germany therefore recommends two.
One, eliminate the mandatory character of the death penalty, create an independent appeal body and establish an official moratorium.
Two, ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the ICESCR and the Convention Against Torture, and three, establish a national Human Rights institution in line with the Paris principles.
We wish Singapore a successful review and appreciate Singapore's funding of the webcast for the UPR session.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Ghana.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Ghana welcomes the delegation of Singapore to the UPR.
We acknowledge Singapore's commitment to addressing issues affecting racial and religious minorities.
Ghana commends the passage of the maintenance of racial harmony at 20:25 and the maintenance of religious harmony at 1990.
We also applaud Singapore for adopting the Workplace Fairness Act of 2025.
In the spirit of constructive dialogue, Ghana recommend to Singapore to one, ratify the Convention Against Torture, two, ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, social and cultural rights, and three, strengthen legal protections for migrant domestic workers.
Ghana wishes Singapore success in this UPR process.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Greece.
President, Greece welcomes the delegation of Singapore to the UPR.
We commend Singapore for its first workplace anti discrimination and gender equality law, the Workplace Fairness Act of 2025.
We also acknowledge Singapore's efforts to enhance community resilience to climate change and extreme weather events and reduce climate related health risks and environmental degradation.
Greece would like to recommend that Singapore, one, continue taking measures to ensure that all cases of human trafficking are effectively investigated and prosecuted.
Two, step up efforts towards inclusive quality education for all students, particularly those with special needs.
Three, continue efforts to strengthen legislation and policies to ensure the protection of all victims of gender based violence, including domestic and online violence.
We wish Singapore a successful review.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Guyana.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Guyana Warm welcomes the distinguished delegation of Singapore.
In the spirit of constructive engagement, Guyana recommends the following.
One, continue strengthening efforts to prevent and respond to gender based violence.
Two, continue women empowerment efforts to increase their representation in public and political life.
Three, continue efforts to keep public healthcare affordable and accessible for all, including minority groups and migrant domestic workers.
Four, effective inclusion of the perspectives of all vulnerable groups, including women and older persons into climate financing and climate change adaptation activities.
Ghana wishes the delegation of Singapore every success during this UPR process and we recommend the government on many important developments since the last review, including the 2025 Workplace Fairness Act.
I thank you, Mr.
President.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Haiti.
Is.
We warmly congratulate Singapore upon the presentation of its national report at the fourth cycle of the UPR.
Singapore, this year it marks 60 years of independence and the results in those 60 years are remarkable, firstly in terms of public security and safety, which they ranked first in the world.
They ranked eighth for gender equality and 13th in the Human Development Indext of the United Nations.
We also welcome the adoption of the law in equity in the workplace and sustained efforts to support migrant workers and persons with disabilities as categories of persons.
In a constructive spirit, we make the following recommendations.
One, ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, as well as the International Covenant on Economics, social and cultural rights two.
Adopt general and comprehensive legislation protecting the rights of persons with disabilities.
We wish Singapore every success in the framework of this review cycle.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Iceland.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Iceland welcomes the delegation of Singapore and its national report.
In the spirit of constructive engagement, Iceland recommends the following.
One, abolish the death penalty and ratify the second optional protocol to the ICCPR.
Two, criminalize all forms of gender based violence, including domestic violence.
Three, eradicate female genital mutilation.
Four, raise the minimum age of marriage to 18 years without exception.
Five, adopt comprehensive national anti discrimination legislation that explicitly prohibits discrimination against persons of diverse so.
Six, legalize same sex marriage.
We wish Singapore all success for its review.
I thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor now to India.
Mr.
President, India warmly welcome the delegation of Singapore and thanks them for the presentation of their national report.
We appreciate the measures taken by Singapore to promote and protect human rights of its citizens, such as the enactment of the Workplace Fairness Act 2025 and the Forward SG consultation exercise.
In the spirit of constructive engagement, India recommends the following to Singapore.
One, Continuing the effective implementation of the collective action plans outlined in the 2022 white paper on Singapore women's development to further advance gender equality.
Two, strengthen measures to protect children from harmful online content and cybercrimes through the continued enforcement of the Online Safety Act 2022, and three, read double efforts to support lower income groups and enhance their social mobility through continued investment in upscaleed initiatives.
We wish Singapore a successful UPR review.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Indonesia.
Mr.
President, Indonesia commends Singapore continued efforts to advance human rights, notably through workplace anti discrimination legislation and policies that foster tolerance among its society.
Indonesia is likewise encouraged by its progress in ensuring adequate housing, healthcare access, and education.
In this regard, we offer Singapore the following recommendation.
One, continue efforts in safeguarding the economic, social, and cultural rights for all.
Two, continue sanctioning protection for migrant workers, including migrant domestic workers through appropriate legislation, policies, or initiative.
Three, consider ratifying the CMWNCAT.
Finally, as its Troika Indonesia stands ready to support Singapore for a successful review.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
The Islamic Republic of Iran welcomes the high level delegation of Singapore and thanks for its comprehensive presentation.
The progress achieved by Singapore in the areas of public safety, gender equality, and human development as reflected in relevant indicators and statistics is commendable.
In a constructive spirit, Iran offers the following recommendation to Singapore.
One, continue its efforts toward the realization of the right to development at both national and international levels.
Two, give due consideration to cultural and social specificities in the implementation of universal human rights, particularly with regard to punitive measures.
Three, take appropriate measures to ensure that public protests are conducted in a peaceful manner while safeguarding social stability and public security.
Iran wishes Singapore's successful implementation of these recommendations.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Iraq.
Thank you, President.
The Iraqi delegation welcomes the high level delegation of Singapore.
We congratulate Singapore on the efforts that they have undertaken to put together their report.
We welcome the initiatives and measures enacted by Singapore since the last UPR cycle in order to meet the challenges of climate change, as well as steps taken to protect users from online crime.
In a constructive spirit, We make the following recommendations.
One, continue steps to strengthen the protection of children, particularly in the fields of technology and online.
We'll also call Singapore's second recommendation to continue to pursue cooperation with the OHHR and other human rights mechanisms.
We wish Singapore every success.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Ireland.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Ireland welcomes the delegation of Singapore and thanks them for the presentation.
Ireland acknowledges progress made since the last UPR cycle, including the repeal of Penal Code Section 3778 and the implementation of the 2023 amendments to the women's Charter to strengthen protections for victims of domestic violence.
Ireland is deeply concerned about the increased number of executions in Singapore and the limited access to legal counsel for those facing the death penalty.
Ireland recommends that Singapore, one, adopt a moratorium on the death penalty as a first step towards abolition.
Two, include sexual orientation and gender identity as protected characteristics in existing anti discrimination legislation.
We wish Singapore every success in the CPR cycle.
I thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Italy.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Italy thanks the distinguished delegation of Singapore for its presentation and welcomes the efforts to improve its institutional policy framework aimed at strengthening women's rights and promoting gender equality, including through the launch of the white paper on Singapore's women's development.
Italy offers Singapore the following two recommendations.
One, establish an immediate moratorium on executions with a few to a full abolition and consider commuting all death sentences into prison sentences, especially for crimes not qualifying as the most serious.
To take effective measures in law and practice to ensure that journalists, human rights defenders, and civil society organization can fully exercise their freedom of opinion and expression, as well as their right to peaceful assembly.
Italy wishes Singapore a successful review.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Japan.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Japan warmly welcomes the delegation of Singapore to this session.
We commend the positive steps taken by Singapore to protect and promote the lives of women, particularly in the areas of employment, health, and protection from violence.
Japan recognizes Singapore's commitment to building a more inclusive, cohesive, and resilient society.
That end, we recommend that Singapore, one, take further steps to ensure the rights of freedom of expression and opinion and to peaceful assembly and association.
Two, likewise the core human rights treaties, including the ICCPR and the ICESCR.
We wish the delegation of Singapore every success in the debut.
I thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Jordan.
Thank you, President.
The Jordanian delegation extends a warm welcome to the Singaporean delegation.
We thank Singapore for their national report.
We have taken careful note of the efforts pursued by Singapore to bolster social reintegration for persons with disabilities and to support persons with disabilities, as well as all the steps they have taken to ensure more inclusive workplaces.
We make the following recommendations.
One, continue steps to strengthen the educational system, particularly its suitability for persons with disability, thus ensuring equal opportunities as well as in the workplace.
Two, continue to pursue efforts to ensure that women can enter the workforce, including flexible working arrangements.
As well as taking steps to ensure full digital inclusion.
We also make a similar recommendation as our third recommendation to the state party to ensure that they take steps to ensure access to the digital sphere for elderly persons.
Thank you very much.
We wish S every success in the GPR review.
Thank you.
I now the floor to distinguished representative of Kazakhstan.
Thank you, Chair.
Kazakhstan warmly welcomes the delegation of Singapore.
We note Singapore's efforts to strengthen the well being of its population.
We welcome recent legislative developments, including Singapore's first comprehensive anti discrimination law.
We would like to make the following recommendations.
One, continue strengthening measures aimed at preventing domestic violence and protecting women and children, including through awareness raising, early prevention, and accessible support services for victims.
Two, further promote the social inclusion and protection of vulnerable groups and consider ratifying the International Covenant on economic, social and cultural rights.
We wish the delegation of Singapore a successful review.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of the Netherlands.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
The Kingdom of the Netherlands thanks the delegation of Singapore for the presentation of its national report.
The Netherlands commends Singapore for improving the position of LGBTIQ plus persons through repealing Section 377 A of the Penal Code.
Building on the government of Singapore's successful efforts to promote a harmonious society, further steps would be welcome to promote and protect all human rights of all citizens.
In the spirit of constructive cooperation, the Netherlands recommends Singapore to one, re establish a moratorium on executions with a view to the complete abolition of the death penalty.
Two, repeal domestic laws restricting freedom of expression and assembly that contradict international standards such as the protection from online falsehoods and Manipulation Act.
The Netherlands wishes Singapore successful follow up of the recommendations received during the TPR cycle.
Thank you.
Thank you.
That was the last speaker on my list for this review.
I now give the floor to Her Excellency, Minister Rahayu and her delegation to address observations and comments that have been raised so far and to make final remarks.
Excellency, you have the floor.
Mr.
President, I thank all delegations that have participated actively in Singapore's UPR today.
We are deeply grateful for the recognition of Singapore's efforts to build a more inclusive, cohesive, and resilient society.
We also appreciate the constructive suggestions made.
While most issues have already been covered by my delegation, I would like to address a few issues before closing.
Several delegations have raised concerns on our use of capital punishment.
Without a doubt, this is a very difficult issue.
The use of capital punishment in our criminal justice system is not a decision we have taken lightly, and we do so with a heavy heart.
My colleague from the Ministry of Home Affairs has shared how we maintain a stable and safe environment for our people by having strict laws which deter serious crimes.
I would like to reiterate two points.
First, in determining the appropriate punishments to be imposed, the perspective of the victims of the crime and the wider societal consequences must also be taken into consideration.
Lives can be saved and futures preserved through effective deterrence.
Second, capital punishment is an issue which countries continue to differ on.
There is no international consensus for or against capital punishment.
International law does not prohibit the imposition of capital punishment when it is imposed with due process and judicial safeguards.
Notwithstanding our differences in opinion, capital punishment is fundamentally a criminal justice issue.
The decision on whether to retain capital punishment is therefore a sovereign one.
Given the prevailing view in Singapore, my government will continue to fulfill our responsibility to protect the fundamental right of our citizens to live in safety and security.
A number of states have also recommended that we ratify additional human rights treaties.
Singapore takes our treaty obligations very seriously.
We do not see treaties as aspirational documents or box ticking exercises.
Our approach is to ensure the necessary legal, policy, and institutional frameworks are in place to fully implement the treaty before we ratify it.
In this regard, Singapore's Inter ministry Committee on Human Rights periodically reviews Singapore's ability to ratify additional human rights treaties or to remove reservations to the treaties that we have signed up to.
Further, while Singapore may not be party to all human rights treaties, our outcomes already largely comply with the objective of these treaties.
A number of states have also recommended that we establish a national human rights institution.
We already have existing mechanisms that allow us to promote and protect human rights in Singapore through legislation, regulation, institutional oversight, as well as multiple feedback channels from the people.
Our Inter ministry Committee on Human Rights, which is our national mechanism for implementation, reporting, and follow up, looks into human rights related issues as well as our treaty obligations.
Singaporeans have many direct avenues to have their concerns addressed, including at the grassroots level, where they can approach their members of Parliament directly for assistance.
Further, we are strongly committed to public engagement and have been stepping up efforts to expand opportunities to do so.
We have found that this decentralized and mutually reinforcing system is effective in protecting and advancing human rights in Singapore.
Mr.
President, in conclusion, the world we live in today is less predictable and much less secure.
Many societies are experiencing increasing polarization.
Differences in identity and belief must be carefully managed so as not to incite violence.
Our people must learn to adapt in an increasingly digital context.
Despite these challenges, Singapore retains a positive outlook because of our progress over the past six decades.
Singapore now ranks 13th globally in the UN Human Development Index in 2025, eighth globally and first in Asia Pacific for gender equality, and first worldwide for public safety for the 12th time in Gallup's Global Safety Report in 2025.
Nevertheless, we are not at our end goal.
As Singapore looks towards the future, our focus remains firmly on improving lives at home, safeguarding dignity, and providing opportunities for our people.
My colleagues and I will thoroughly examine the recommendations received today and consider how they can be implemented in a manner that advances the promotion and protection of human rights in Singapore.
Today's dialogue has shown the UPR strength as a peer driven process that serves not only to keep us accountable, but also to inspire us.
We thank the members of the Troika, the Secretariat, and the interpreters for facilitating this process and all your efforts in supporting this session.
Singapore will continue to press on in the journey towards improving the human rights of our people, guided by our national contexts and steered by our commitment to find pragmatic solutions that effectively deliver real and lasting outcomes for our people.
I thank you.
Thank you.
I thank Her Excellency, Minister Rahayu and her delegation for the presentation and participation in this review.
The report of the review will be prepared by members of the troika, namely representatives of Albania, Benan, and Indonesia.
In accordance with the procedures implemented in 2015, the recommendation section of the report is scheduled for distribution on Friday, May 15th at 12:30 P.M.
In addition, let me recall that according to president's statement, DRSD slash OS slash 19 slash one adopted last December, December 8th, 2025.
The recommendation section of all reports of the working group will be considered for adoption on the same day.
That is Friday, 15, May in the last meeting of the session from 2:30 P.M.
The full report, including the summary sections will be distributed by email on Friday 22 May 2026.
Excellency' distinguished colleagues.
This brings us to the end of our meeting.
We will reconvene on Friday at 2:30 P.M.
To consider the adoption of the recommendation section of the draft reports on the 14 countries reviewed during the current session.
I congratulate Minister Hau and the Singapore delegation for concluding this segment of the UPR process.
I hereby close the 14th meeting of the 52nd session of the working group on the Universal periodic review.