Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will be attending the Group of 20 (G-20) Riyadh Summit being held today and tomorrow.
The summit, held virtually this year under the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's G-20 presidency, will be chaired by Saudi Arabia's King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
Discussions are expected to focus on collective efforts to overcome the Covid-19 pandemic, restore growth and jobs, and build an inclusive, sustainable and resilient future.
The G-20 comprises 19 large advanced and emerging economies and the European Union.
Singapore has been invited to this year's G-20 meetings as the convener of the Global Governance Group (3G) - an informal coalition of 30 countries that seeks to influence the G-20 to take into account the interests of smaller countries affected by its decisions.
In a press statement yesterday, the 3G called on the G-20 to sustain its momentum in tackling the pandemic and its health, economic and social impact.
It also expressed concern over continued protectionism and trade conflict, which will hinder efforts towards a strong, inclusive and sustainable economic recovery.
"The 3G encourages all World Trade Organisation (WTO) members to work together to expeditiously complete the selection and appointment of a new WTO director-general," it said.
"In addition, the 3G commends efforts undertaken by the Saudi G-20 presidency to promote the maintenance of cross-border flow of vital medical supplies, agricultural and food products and the strengthening of global supply chain resilience, in particular reiterating the importance that any emergency trade measures should be targeted, proportionate, transparent, temporary and consistent with WTO rules."
It also welcomed the six-month extension of the G-20 Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) until June next year, which allows the poorest countries to suspend payments on official bilateral debt so they can concentrate their resources on fighting the pandemic.
In addition to Singapore, the six other invited guests are Jordan, Rwanda, Spain, Switzerland, Vietnam and the United Arab Emirates.
Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat also attended the virtual G-20 Finance Ministers' Meeting yesterday, where he noted that the G-20 had helped rally a global response to the pandemic, but there is more to be done to emerge stronger, including strengthening countries' collective resilience to cope with future shocks.
In a Facebook post yesterday, Mr Heng said that the path to full recovery remains long and uncertain. "We must also commit ourselves to harnessing technology and green finance to build back better," he added.
