SINGAPORE - Singapore has played a key role in international efforts to combat Covid-19 by ensuring that there is an equitable distribution of Covid-19 vaccines to countries big and small, said Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan in Parliament on Monday (March 1).

This was accomplished through its role in helping to establish the Covid-19 Vaccine Global Access (Covax) collective vaccine purchase mechanism.

Under the Covax mechanism, said Dr Balakrishnan, self-funded members like Singapore will be allocated a certain small amount of vaccines. Meanwhile, subsidised vaccines will be allocated to 92 low- and lower-middle-income countries. "So on this count, Singapore is a net donor. Make no doubts, have no doubts about that."

The Covax facility seeks to procure, equitably allocate and deliver two billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines by the end of this year.

"We must start with the principle that fair and equitable access to vaccines across the globe is essential. This is not an ideological position. This is a practical proposition, because no one is safe until everyone is safe. And this is especially so for a small, open country like Singapore," he said.

He was responding to questions from Workers' Party chairman Sylvia Lim (Aljunied GRC) and Mr Chong Kee Hiong (Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC), who had asked about Singapore's role in promoting vaccine access to the wider international community.

Speaking during the debate on the Foreign Ministry's budget, Dr Balakrishnan highlighted how the pandemic has demonstrated that new levels of partnership between Government, civil society, and industry can be forged across borders when countries are united around a common purpose.

On top of its role in establishing the collective vaccine purchase mechanism, Singapore has supported the work of the Covax facility by co-chairing the Friends of the Covax Facility group with Switzerland, and committed to contributing US$5 million (S$6.7 million) to Covax to ensure sufficient production of Covid-19 vaccines and access for poorer nations, he added.

"Our quantum took into account the needs of the larger international community and also our status as a tiny city state, but a responsible and contributing member of the international community," said Dr Balakrishnan in response to Ms Lim, who had also queried how the US$5 million sum was determined.

He said it is quite natural for each country to look to secure supplies for themselves first amid a crisis.

"But we know that the virus knows no borders. Covax's primary value is in supporting wider access to vaccines. Without it, we would all be collectively worse off," said Dr Balakrishnan, noting that it was in fact Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong who had introduced the term "vaccine multilateralism" in June last year.

This term has since been acknowledged by the World Health Organisation director-general, and also entered the international anti-Covid lexicon, the minister added.

"The need for a multilateral approach to fight Covid-19 is self-evident. This virus does not discriminate... and therefore it is in our collective interests to help each other," he said.

Leaving no Singaporean behind

Last year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) undertook the largest consular operation in its history as borders closed and public health situations deteriorated during the pandemic, with officers working around the clock to bring more than 4,500 Singaporeans and their families home, Dr Balakrishnan said, in response to Mr Alex Yam (Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC).

"There were many challenges, but we were determined to ensure that we would leave no Singaporean behind."

The MFA was able to mount repatriation flights to bring large groups back from some countries, and officers also reached out to partners to help Singaporeans stuck in countries where Singapore had no embassy. They also worked closely with Singapore's economic and health agencies to sustain flows of food, medical supplies and vaccines.

"I am glad that members of this House have conveyed their appreciation to the men and women of MFA, all of whom... have remained unflinchingly at posts overseas throughout this crisis, even as it worsened," said Dr Balakrishnan, noting that many officers are still separated from their families a year since the onset of the crisis.

Some MFA officers were infected with Covid-19 while they were at their posts overseas, said Dr Balakrishnan, who did not reveal numbers for privacy and operational reasons.

"Fortunately, all of them have recovered and are well. But again, this reflects our debt to them, their grit and resilience, and their commitment to duty in the face of a crisis."

Dr Balakrishnan noted that amid the shifting and volatile global environment, the work of strengthening Singapore's resilience is inextricably intertwined with the country increasing its relevance to the world.

He outlined several areas in which this could be done in light of Covid-19, including in the areas of supply chain connectivity, travel arrangements, digital cooperation and fighting climate change.

In the early days of the Covid-19 crisis, when borders were closing, Singapore worked with partners like Australia, Canada, Chile, New Zealand, and its fellow Asean countries to keep supplies and essential goods moving, said Dr Balakrishnan, responding to Mr Yam.

The crisis has now amplified a push for shorter supply chains for greater efficiency and security, he noted.

In view of how nationalism and protectionism has became politically attractive in some circles, the signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) by 15 countries including Singapore last year was an important boost for trade and economic integration, and an affirmation of the importance of maintaining multilateral trade relationships, said Dr Balakrishnan.

Singapore has also continued to be a transit hub for foreign nationals heading home throughout the crisis, as well as a hub for crew changes for the maritime industry so that essential supplies and food can continue to be shipped.

The country's economic recovery is being facilitated through the negotiation of reciprocal green lanes and other safe travel arrangements. "We have continued to be a paragon of reliability (and) trustworthiness. We have honoured at all times, the sanctity of contracts. We have never impounded supplies, even when the crisis was deep," he added.

Collaborating in research, climate change

Besides collaborating internationally on ensuring access to vaccines, the world has also seen unprecedented levels of international scientific and medical cooperation, said Dr Balakrishnan.

For instance, China's scientists published the genome of the Sars-CoV-2 virus early on in the pandemic, in January last year.

"Because they published it, and because Singapore also played a small but important role in curating and processing the genome... diagnostic tests were quickly developed all over the world, including in Singapore."

There has also been effective cooperation across borders to share research and to develop tests, vaccines, and treatments, added Dr Balakrishnan.

Many countries also remained committed to fighting climate change even in the midst of the pandemic, he added. Countries like China, South Korea and Japan pushed ahead with implementing their obligations under the Paris Agreement, a global treaty to tackle climate change, by announcing net-zero targets for carbon emissions by the middle of the century. Singapore also welcomes the United States' return to the Paris Agreement, said Dr Balakrishnan.

As a small island state, Singapore is disproportionately affected by climate change, added the minister. This is not a problem it can solve on its own, and it must continue to work together with the international community to operationalise the Paris Agreement, he said.

For Singapore, the MFA will seek new areas of cooperation with partners in innovating to build greener, more liveable cities, and help sustain global momentum towards a more sustainable future.

Responding to Mr Henry Kwek (Kebun Baru), who asked about Singapore's bilateral efforts to take digital cooperation forward and ensure that cyberspace remains safe and secure, Dr Balakrishnan said Singapore needs to develop common frameworks and standards to ensure that cross-border digital exchanges, including e-payments and data flows, are safe, secure, and efficient.

Singapore has concluded digital economy agreements with Australia, Chile, and New Zealand, and is exploring more with other partners, he added. It is also supporting efforts in Singapore to build up digital skills, and will continue to work with the United Nations, Asean and other platforms to develop and strengthen norms of responsible state behaviour in cyberspace.

Managing risks

Still, it will not be easy to make progress on these priorities, Dr Balakrishnan noted.

"The world will continue to feel the pandemic's after-effects for several years to come. There will still be great geopolitical and macroeconomic risk for Singapore," he said.

One factor is global debt, which is already rising at unprecedented levels in the after the 2007-2008 financial crisis. As governments rolled out fiscal measures and corporations borrowed to stay afloat during the pandemic, this has doubled or even probably quadrupled, and would be unsustainable in the long term, even as they helped to avert the worst economic consequences in the short term. "Managing that transition will be a perilous journey for all of us, and especially for Singapore," the minister cautioned.

The economic impact of Covid-19 has also deepened fault lines globally and led to divisions between and within countries societies. This has led to growing political friction and distrust rather than cooperation and confidence building.

"There has been increased pressure for governments to take a nationalistic, protectionist, isolationist approach. We have already seen this happen, whether it is the scramble for masks or personal protective equipment or the distribution of vaccines," he added.

The pandemic has also accelerated the downward spiral of US-China relations, he noted, though he still hopes that both powers can still find ways to manage relations through practical cooperation, especially within a rules-based multilateral system.

As Singapore looks ahead, much still remains uncertain, Dr Balakrishnan said.

"The waters around us remain turbulent, there will continue to be unexpected currents, gales, typhoons, maybe even tsunamis that could potentially throw us off course."

But Singapore has demonstrated its resilience as a people and as a country, making sacrifices for each other's well-being and safety. The country has also preserved its relevance and strengthened its reputation as a principled, reliable, and credible actor on the international stage, he added.

"This will put us in good stead going forward, as we continue to pursue Singapore's long-term interests, always preserving our independence and our unique identity as a multiracial, multicultural city-state in the heart of South-east Asia," he said.

"We will emerge stronger in an uncertain world."