COP28 Singapore Pavilion Closing Ceremony - Ms Grace Fu

Speech by Ms Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment, at the Closing Ceremony of the COP28 Singapore Pavilion on 12 December 2023

Ladies and Gentlemen,

1 I am sure we are here with a bit of sadness, but mainly with many happy memories. Welcome to the finale of the Singapore Pavilion.

What the Pavilion signifies

2 Each year, the climate negotiations that take place at COP are vital in ensuring that the world continues to advance on climate action. The activities that take place outside of the negotiation halls, however, are also of significant and growing importance. Spaces like these are where the public, private and people sectors come together: to share our climate actions with one another, and strengthen our collective resolve to implement the plans behind our pledges.

3 That is why we launched our inaugural Singapore Pavilion at COP27 last year, and returned this year at COP28. The Singapore Pavilion is not just a physical space, or a series of events. It shines a spotlight on what we can all can bring to the table, and connects us so that we form something much larger than the sum of our parts. Businesses and financial institutions; research and academia; government and non-profits; civil society, and youth voices. We are all in this together.

What the Pavilion has achieved

4 In my opening message at the launch of the COP28 Singapore Pavilion, I said that this year’s Pavilion would be “bigger and bolder”. And this has been the case.

5 We have seen stronger and higher-level representation among our participating Partners and speakers, including at the C-suite level. We have also seen strong visitorship from all over the world. Over the past 12 days, the Pavilion recorded a visitorship of over 6,000 for its various programmes. In fact, on a number of days, the interest to attend our programmes was so strong that we reached capacity limits, and had to suspend entry for new visitors!

6 I am also heartened by the “bias to action” that we have witnessed here at the Pavilion. Many new climate initiatives and partnerships have been unveiled on this stage, by the Singapore government as well as our Partners. Allow me to go through some of them with you.
a. We announced the FAST-P (Financing Asia’s Transition Partnership) blended finance initiative, which aims to catalyse up to US$5bn from concessional and commercial capital providers globally. It will help finance and de-risk activities that are green or transitioning towards green, and help scale up blended finance capabilities and other similar financing schemes in Asia.
b. The Singapore-Asia Taxonomy will define transition activities across various focus sectors and help to minimise greenwashing, while allowing financing to flow to climate-friendly transition activities.
c. I was also glad to sign our first Implementation Agreement on carbon credits collaboration with Papua New Guinea at the Singapore Pavilion. Our collaboration will spur the financing of additional mitigation projects, while also bringing about sustainable development and adaptation benefits. We have also signed a MOU to collaborate on carbon credits with Costa Rica at the Pavilion.

7 I am also encouraged by the initiatives that our non-government Partners have shared at the Singapore Pavilion. To name just a few:
a. The National University of Singapore (NUS) launched their Climate Environment and Health programme, and has been appointed the Southeast Asia node of the Global Heat Health Information Network.
b. PIL and DP World signed a MOU to jointly develop green solutions for the decarbonisation of global supply chains.
c. Surbana Jurong signed a MOU with InvestSarawak, which will cover opportunities for collaboration in industry transformation, energy transition and industrial decarbonisation.

8 Indeed like Singapore itself, our Pavilion has been “small, but mighty”. It is not about size, but impact. It is not about quantity, but quality. And it is not about making a once-off splash, but a sustained commitment with follow-through actions. This is what Singapore is known for - we do what we say, and we only say what we are prepared to do. Tackling climate change will take decades to achieve. It is therefore critical that once we leave COP28, we continue the hard work of implementation with determination and resolve.

Conclusion

9 In conclusion, I would like to thank our visitors for coming by our Singapore Pavilion – for investing your time to learn more about our strategies and plans to achieve our climate ambition of net zero emissions by 2050, as laid out in the Singapore Green Plan 2030. Thank you for sharing with us your perspectives, and for engaging in conversations on building a low-carbon, climate-resilient future.

10 Just before I came here, I had a session with our team as well as the youth delegates. And I told them, that when we come here, we should bring along with us the attitude of curiosity and humility. I think these two values will continue to serve us well. Over the last few weeks, curiosity will have brought many insights and knowledge to all of us. Just here this morning, when we were listening to what Japan and ourselves are doing for PaSTI (Partnership to Strengthen Transparency for Co-Innovation) in ASEAN. There is so much that we can learn. I think having curiosity and humility will be really helpful for us as we look for solutions across the world to find the best way for climate action.

11 I warmly thank our Partners for being part of this Team Singapore effort. Thank you for answering the rallying call to share your new initiatives, plans, and perspectives on accelerating collective climate action. You have helped to represent Singapore on the world stage. On that note, I would like to give a special shoutout to our youth delegation, for being excellent ambassadors for our Pavilion and for greeting every guest with a warm smile.

12 I think that, if you have been with us at the Pavilion for some time, you will have noticed that there are actually many people helping us to be ambassadors. Every single one of you, from the moment that you enter, to the time you get coffee, to the time that you take to read the screens. Each one of you has done a wonderful job. So a big shout out to the people who have been helping us brew countless cups of coffee and tea, to all our staff and all our friends.

13 And really the backbone for this Pavilion is the team that has been organising this since COP27. My heartfelt thanks to the organising team comprising NCCS (PMO Strategy Group), MTI, MOT, MAS, CLC and MSE as well as numerous supporting agencies, like NYC, MFA, MOF, MPA and others. Thank you for working hard on the Pavilion, to create a warm and meaningful experience for Team Singapore. The agencies have also had strong support from our events and publicity partners, Pico and Redhill, who have worked tirelessly to organise and create buzz for the events.

14 As we close the Pavilion, we know that this is not the end but the beginning. The existential challenge of climate change still looms before us, and we must continue to press on in the serious and difficult work that is left to do. But I think I am not alone in leaving refreshed and inspired to take on this work, by the ideas we have shared, the action I am confident we will take; and most of all, by the people we have met at the Singapore Pavilion.

15 With that, I close the COP28 Singapore Pavilion. Thank you.