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NEW YORK: Singapore's Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo said the United Nations and other international institutions could improve their effectiveness by partnering with regional institutions.
In a wide-ranging speech at the 63rd Session of the UN General Assembly emphasising the multipolar reality of the 21st century, Mr Yeo cited the example of how ASEAN, on its own, would not have been able to help Myanmar significantly in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis.
But by working together with the UN and other international agencies, ASEAN was able to build a bridge of trust between the Myanmar government and the international community.
This has enabled aid to reach many affected areas and prevented a second wave of deaths from hunger and disease.
In the process, Mr Yeo said ASEAN had also learnt a great deal about disaster management from agencies like the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the World Food Programme.
He also stressed the importance of effective government as an indispensable condition for development. There was no universal model of development applicable to all countries, he said, adding that every country must find its own road to the future.
Drawing from the recent report by the Commission of Growth and Development chaired by Nobel laureate Michael Spence, Mr Yeo noted that it did not see democracy as a necessary or a sufficient condition, at least not in a country's initial phase of economic take-off.
Rather, he suggested international and regional institutions could promote national development and effective government. After having achieved a certain level of development, each country could then evolve the form of democracy best suited to its culture and history. - CNA/de
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