46 countries were the first to sign the international treaty, with Singapore Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam the first to ink it on behalf of the city-state.

Dignitaries followed, from Afghanistan, Belarus, Belize, Brunei, Chile, China, Colombia, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kingdom of Eswatini, Fiji, Georgia, Grenada, Haiti, Honduras, India, Iran, Israel, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Montenegro, Nigeria Republic of North Macedonia, Palau, Paraguay, the Philippines, Qatar, South Korea, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Timor Leste, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, the United States of America, Uruguay and Venezuela.

70 countries turned up in a show of support for the new Convention. More than 1,500 delegates from around the world are expected to participate in Convention-related events this week.