Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan stresses need to support global governance structures at G-20 meeting

SINGAPORE - Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan attended the Group of 20 (G-20) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Nagoya, Japan, where he stressed the need to support global governance structures, particularly the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

He also highlighted efforts by countries including Singapore to establish rules in new areas like e-commerce, which is a key growth pillar for world trade.

A statement from Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) on Saturday (Nov 23) said Dr Balakrishnan highlighted Singapore's strong support for the United Nations' 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development, which comprises 17 Sustainable Developments Goals (SDGs).

"He also shared Singapore's capacity building efforts under the Singapore Cooperation Programme (SCP) to help other developing countries achieve the SDGs," said the MFA.

At the G-20 meeting, the foreign ministers discussed the importance of upholding an open and rules-based multilateral trading system as embodied by the WTO.

The foreign ministers also supported continued efforts towards the realisation of the UN 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development and emphasised efforts to assist Africa in its development.

MFA said Dr Balakrishnan met with several of his counterparts on the sidelines of the G-20 meeting.

They include Argentina Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship Jorge Faurie, Germany's Federal Minister of Foreign AffairsHeiko Maas, New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters and Saudi Arabia Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal Bin Farhan Al Saud.

According to the MFA, Dr Balakrishnan and his counterparts reaffirmed the good ties between the respective bilateral relationships.

They had fruitful discussions on regional and international developments.