TOWARDS Singapore’s Voluntary National Review Report A SUSTAINABLE AND to the 2018 UN High- Level Political Forum on RESILIENT SINGAPORE Sustainable Development Published by: Ministry of Foreign Affairs www.mfa.gov.sg In collaboration with: Agency for Science, Technology and Research Agri-Veterinary and Food Authority of Singapore Centre for Liveable Cities Department of Statistics Economic Development Board Energy Market Authority Housing Development Board Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore Ministry of Communications and Information Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth Ministry of Education Ministry of Finance Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ministry of Health Ministry of Home Affairs Ministry of Law Ministry of Manpower Ministry of National Development Ministry of Social and Family Development Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources Ministry of Trade and Industry Ministry of Transport National Climate Change Secretariat National Population and Talent Division National Environment Agency National Parks Board National Research Foundation Prime Minister’s Office PUB: Singapore’s National Water Agency Singapore Tourism Board Workforce Singapore © COPYRIGHT RESERVED 2018 All rights reserved. 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CONTENTS FOREWORD BY PRIME MINISTER LEE HSIEN LOONG 2 SINGAPORE’S APPROACH TO THE 2030 AGENDA 3 SDG 1 NO POVERTY 4 SDG 2 ZERO HUNGER 7 SDG 3 GOOD HEALTH AND WELL-BEING 10 SDG 4 QUALITY EDUCATION 12 SDG 5 GENDER EQUALITY 15 SDG 6 CLEAN WATER AND SANITATION 19 SDG 7 AFFORDABLE AND CLEAN ENERGY 24 SDG 8 DECENT WORK AND ECONOMIC GROWTH 28 SDG 9 INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE 31 SDG 10 REDUCED INEQUALITIES 34 SDG 11 SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND COMMUNITIES 37 SDG 12 RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION 43 SDG 13 CLIMATE ACTION 48 SDG 14 LIFE BELOW WATER 53 SDG 15 LIFE ON LAND 57 SDG 16 PEACE, JUSTICE, AND STRONG INSTITUTIONS 61 SDG 17 PARTNERSHIPS FOR THE GOALS 66 LOOKING AHEAD 70 METHODOLOGY 71 ANNEX: PROGRESS TRACKER 72 1 FOREWORD ustainable development has been integral to the Internationally, we are partnering UN agencies such as Singapore Story. We are still a young nation, but we UNICEF and UN-Habitat to run capacity building courses have made much progress on the 17 Sustainable in water-related issues and sustainable urbanisation. We SDevelopment Goals (SDGs) under the 2030 Agenda for host many international forums including the World Cities Sustainable Development, including the six SDGs which Summit, the Singapore International Water Week and the the 2018 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable CleanEnviro Summit Singapore. These promote dialogue Development (HLPF) will review in-depth. and collaboration on sustainability issues among policy- makers and experts from governments, businesses and Since our founding, we have designed policies with long- international organisations. term sustainability in mind. We integrated nature into our Garden City and prudently managed scarce resources Singapore is committed to the 2030 Agenda for such as water and energy. We made education, including Sustainable Development. The Voluntary National Review preschool education, accessible and affordable to give is a chance for us to take stock and share our progress every child a strong start in life. We constantly review on sustainable development with our partners. The review healthcare policies and subsidies to support our ageing also lets us reflect on our future challenges, as sustainable population. Today, all Singaporeans, rich or poor, young development is a continuing journey. As we implement the or old, enjoy clean air, water and sanitation, quality 2030 Agenda, Singapore looks forward to working with healthcare and education, as well as lush greenery and like-minded partners to build a sustainable and resilient safe common spaces because of these policies. future for ourselves and generations to come. We also pay close attention to climate change. As a tropical small island developing state, we are vulnerable to extreme weather patterns and rising sea levels. We have designated 2018 as the Year of Climate Action and taken concrete steps to tackle climate change. We will implement an economy-wide carbon tax from 2019, one of the first Asian countries to do so. No single model of sustainable development works for all countries. Each country must adopt solutions to fit their specific circumstances and priorities. But sustainable development is not a solo mission. It is a collective goal and we have much to learn from each other’s experiences. The Singapore Cooperation Programme has trained almost 120,000 officials from more than 170 countries in areas such as disaster management, education, health, water, and human resource management. Regionally, Singapore is working with our colleagues from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and external partners on multiple initiatives. Our 2018 ASEAN Chairmanship themes of “Resilience” and “Innovation” echo this year’s HLPF theme. We aim to strengthen ASEAN’s collective resilience against common threats such as terrorism, cybercrime, and climate change. We are helping ASEAN economies innovate and use technology Lee Hsien Loong to make ASEAN a vibrant and sustainable place to live Prime Minister of the and work. Republic of Singapore 2 SINGAPORE’S APPROACH TO THE 2030 AGENDA ustainable development has underpinned Singapore’s agencies, which widens agencies’ worldviews and policymaking since our independence. As a small uncovers emergent challenges and opportunities early. island city-state, Singapore had relied on our Agencies assess problems from multiple perspectives, Smaritime trade as an entrepôt port. When independence and better consider the spill-over effects of policy actions was thrust upon us on 9 August 1965, Singapore lost its and implications on each other’s plans. As challenges hinterland. We were almost entirely dependent on external become increasingly complex and cross-cutting, the sources for basic needs like food, energy, and water. The WOG approach has grown in importance and serves future was uncertain. Many were sceptical that Singapore as our national planning framework. To ensure greater could survive on its own, let alone prosper. congruence with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we established the Inter-Ministry Committee on Under these grim circumstances, Singapore’s pioneer team SDGs (IMC-SDG) for our Voluntary National Review (VNR) of leaders set out to transform Singapore into a viable and thereafter, to take stock of our SDG implementation nation-state. Faced with limited land and resources, our over the longer term. pioneer leaders had to quickly address pressing concerns while adopting a long-term perspective in policymaking. We have adopted a Whole-of-Nation, bottom-up approach They concentrated efforts in developing education, to develop creative, sustainable solutions. We support security, infrastructure, healthcare, and housing, while and collaborate with multiple stakeholders, to realise bearing in mind the need to be prudent and strategic so desired and holistic outcomes. For example, as Singapore as to maximise resources. To sustain our growth and keep works towards building a smart city, we have adopted a up with the times, successive generations of leaders made people-centric approach and consult extensively with a conscious effort to continually re-invest the resources the private sector and civil society, who supply the know- our economy generated into the development of human how, and citizens, who provide feedback for continuous capital, R&D, and the identification of new areas of growth. improvement. This approach also secures greater buy-in They searched for ways to create and add value, and and commitment to action by all segments of society. focused on ensuring that our people were well-equipped with the knowledge and skills to take on the jobs of the day. This year, Singapore is honoured to hold the Chairmanship of ASEAN. Our Chairmanship theme “Resilient and In pursuing economic development, we have been careful Innovative” encapsulates our vision for ASEAN to not to disrupt our natural environment. We have created remain resilient in the face of growing uncertainties and a Garden City abundant with lush greenery and clean complexities. To do so, our focus is on innovation to keep surroundings to make life more pleasant for people to ASEAN forward-looking and adaptable. These themes live, work, and play in. We chose clean energy solutions. resonate with the objectives of the 2018 HLPF. This is a Today, Singapore is widely-recognised as a City in a prime opportunity for ASEAN to align ourselves to the Garden, with nearly 50% green cover and 72 hectares 2030 Agenda. of rooftop gardens and green walls. Singapore is among the 20 most carbon efficient countries and natural gas Sustainable development is a journey. Maintaining the generates 95% of our electricity. For our leaders, it was momentum on this journey requires constant commitment no mean feat to maintain this delicate balance between and attention to the landscape of opportunities and economic, social, and environmental priorities to achieve challenges ahead, even as we celebrate our progress. The long-term, sustainable development. next section of this report will feature the areas in which we have made progress in the implementation of the To effectively