World where 'might is right' will be hostile to small & less developed countries: Vivian Balakrishnan at G20

The world is currently standing at an inflection point where there could be another world war, or develop a reformed system of multilateralism defined by respect for international law, Minister of Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan said.

Speaking at the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa, Vivian stressed the importance of engagement and cooperation in the face of ongoing international tensions.

Recipe for many decades of unusual peace and prosperity

Vivian spoke at two sessions during the meeting, which took place between Feb. 20 to Feb. 21.

In the first session, "Plenary Session II", Vivian stressed that the "recipe for many decades of unusual peace and prosperity" was a liberal world order which was conceived by the end of World War II.

He noted that the victors of World War II took an unusual step of creating a liberal world order characterised internationally by the United Nations, the Bretton Woods institutions, and economic integration.

And within that liberal world order, trade barriers were lowered, a variety of democracies were promoted, as well as liberal values and human rights, leading to an unprecedented era of global peace and prosperity.

Reaffirmation of the need and the role of G20

Later, the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997 spurred on the initial meeting of the G20 Finance Ministers, to deal with financial crisis, and the Global Financial Crisis in 2008 led to the elevation of meetings of the G20 at the leader's level.

Today, the situation is "more dire", with hot wars in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

"More importantly, we are seeing an erosion of the collective commitment to multilateralism, to the international rule of law, and the peaceful resolution of disputes," said Vivian.

He said this called for a reaffirmation of the need and role of the G20, and bodies like the World Health Organization, the World Trade Organization and the United Nations.

"All these international institutions are characterised by a multilateral approach to solving and protecting the problem of the global commons," he said.

"Absolute essential for peace"

The view was emphasised again in the second session, "Plenary Session III", when Vivian stressed the importance of Singapore's need, a small city-state, to uphold multilateralism, international law, and the United Nations (UN) Charter.

"Principles of sovereign equality and territorial integrity are non-negotiable for us. They are absolutely essential for peace," the Minister of Foreign Affairs said.

"International law and the rules-based multilateral system are essential to ensure fair play, because the alternative is ‘might is right’, and a world that will be hostile for small and less developed countries."

Finding right solutions to international cooperation

In the session, Vivian also expressed Singapore's support for the priorities that South Africa outlined to find the right solutions to international cooperation.

First, Vivian highlighted the need to spur sustainable and inclusive economic growth.

It is also within developed countries' long-term national interest to uplift the prospects of the less developed countries.

Focusing on enablers such as high-quality education for all, reskilling and upskilling the workforce, investing in healthcare, food, and nutrition, and providing equitable access to housing, and essentials.

"The G20 can facilitate these enables all across the world, so we must continue to prioritise investments for these enablers."

Second, Vivian expressed complete support for South Africa's focus on food security, which is increasingly crucial in light of climate change.

Third, the Minister for Foreign Affairs stressed the need to balance both investments to facilitate progress in AI and appropriate regulations.

"We should bear in mind that there is a whole wealth of multicultural, multilingual data, which the world can offer. So, the more we share, the faster we can progress and the safer we can be."

G20

G20 is an international forum of both developing and developed countries which seeks to find solutions to global economic and financial issues.

Singapore is not a member of the G20, but has been invited to participate in G20 events in 12 of the past 13 years.

Vivian made the point that while Singapore's size means it may never become one of the top 20 economies in the world, it still is a major trading hub with a trade volume three times its GDP.

South Africa, which held the recent G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting, is currently holding the G20 Presidency from Dec. 1 2024 to Nov. 30, 2025.

Top image via Ministry of Foreign Affairs.