Singapore backs 243 UN human-rights recommendations, emphasizing migrant worker reforms

During the recent Universal Periodic Review, Singapore agreed to 243 of the 342 recommendations submitted by other UN member states, raising its acceptance rate to roughly 71%. The endorsed measures include tighter safeguards for migrant workers, enhanced mental-health support for youths, and steps to ensure emerging technologies respect human-rights norms. Singapore also welcomed suggestions to consider ratifying international conventions covering migrant and domestic workers and to integrate vulnerable populations into climate-action plans.

The nation rejected several proposals, such as extending the Employment Act to domestic workers, establishing a government-run recruitment system, and abolishing the death penalty. It also declined to adopt specific reforms to the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act and the Public Order Act, citing existing constitutional guarantees and social context. The permanent representative to the UN in Geneva, Jaya Ratnam, framed the process as a platform for candid dialogue grounded in pragmatism and the rule of law.