YouSaid · the spoken record

Julie Bishop

lines on the record: 47
first: 2013-09-24
most recent: 2017-09-24
sittings or episodes: 3
sources: un-general-debate

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“For its part, Australia will work with others to protect an international order that ensures that all States can pursue their interests securely and supports cooperative responses to global challenges. The United Nations can become an even more powerful force for stability in an uncertain world. It can live up to the ideals and universal principles on which it was founded. The people of our world expect the Organization to inspire the best in human nature, and that is our duty.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“Australia is proud to be the home of the world’s oldest continuous culture, and we will strive to advance the human rights of indigenous peoples around the globe. Australia reaffirms its commitment to the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. We will also work with other members to enhance the effectiveness of the Human Rights Council, so that its work can make a meaningful difference to the lives of individuals around the world. The Council must remain relevant to the broader international agenda, while making a contribution to building stable, prosperous and compassionate societies. We all strive for an environment in which countries can grow and prosper and in which individuals can aspire to a life unburdened by the threat of violence, an environment driven by a shared vision of peace, compassion and community.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“Australia would be the first nation from the South-West Pacific on the Council. We will promote an agenda relevant both to our region and to the planet. Empowering women and girls so that they can reach their full potential lifts a country’s productivity and underpins stability. We will support the freedom of expression. The number of journalists and human rights defenders detained, abused or killed each year should be of grave concern to us all. We will support good governance and strong democratic institutions. Similarly, we will promote strong, independent national human rights institutions in order to raise awareness of human rights, address violations and hold to account those responsible for abuses.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“Australia has worked with other countries on each of those issues during the past week. We are mindful that no matter how much we work on building strong, resilient societies, crises will still occur. Australia has been a strong contributor to relief efforts in Iraq and Syria, as well as in South Sudan, Somalia and Yemen, where there are significant numbers of displaced people at increasing risk of famine. Australia is also supporting those displaced by conflict in Rakhine state, Myanmar. We are contributing to funding life-saving food for up to 300,000 people. Australia also seeks to serve, for the first time, on the Human Rights Council, starting in 2018. I am grateful for the strong support from so many countries for our candidacy. If elected, we will be a principled and pragmatic member of the Council.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“Australia is a strong supporter of the Paris Agreement, and here at the United Nations we have voiced our support, specifically on risk mitigation for coral reefs, which are among the most valuable environments on our planet. They support more biodiversity than almost any other ecosystem, are vital to the world’s fisheries, protect our coastlines and generate significant tourist revenue. Coral reefs sequester four times more carbon than forests and are a vital element in our global efforts to reduce emissions. Worldwide, more than 30 coral reefs are listed as World Heritage Sites, and 29 are under stress. As the custodians of the Great Barrier Reef and with our extensive experience in reef management, we seek to bring our expertise to other locations. We hope to serve on the World Heritage Committee next year.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“That includes climate change, diseases, including malaria, the management of our precious water resources, and modern slavery. It is an unpalatable truth that forced labour, child labour, human trafficking and modern slavery are rampant in the world. Australia has strongly committed to working with the international community to urgently address those egregious crimes. Last month, Australia and Indonesia jointly launched the world’s first regional business-Government partnership aimed at addressing modern slavery, and we have continued our advocacy on that issue with other nations this week. We will end such abhorrent practices. I want to pay tribute to Andrew, Nicola and Grace Forest for starting the Walk Free Foundation and inspiring our work.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“One cannot be achieved without the other. Each country has to find its own model for prosperity and stability. However, there are many lessons to be learned from other nations, and much support is available for nations that are seeking to establish regulatory frameworks, particularly with respect to supporting private investment that helps economies to grow and generates employment. Economic resilience can also be undermined by natural and man-made disasters. With the 2030 Agenda, the Paris Agreement, the Sendai Declaration and the World Humanitarian Summit’s grand bargain, there is a blueprint for global action that addresses the problems that can be addressed only by working together on the challenges we face, which do not respect national borders.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“In order to achieve reform, Secretary-General Guterres needs the full support of Member States. The standing of the United Nations is maximized when we work together for the common good. Recent successes prove that to be true, such as the global Arms Trade Treaty, the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the Sustainable Development Goals. If we are to meet the challenges of our age, we must be guided by a spirit of cooperation and compromise. Central to our task is achieving sustainable and inclusive development. The United Nations must play a more effective and agile role. The development system of the United Nations should be more focused on sustainable economic development aimed at providing employment opportunities and facilitating partnerships with the private sector. Economic development and security are interlinked.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“We support the work that is under way to ensure that United Nations peacekeepers are better trained, better equipped, more effective and act with greater integrity. Peacekeepers operate in dangerous and unpredictable environments and represent one of the most important global investments in peace and security. Australia welcomes the new Secretary-General, who has committed to reforming the United Nations in order to make it more effective as the defender and upholder of the rules-based order. Australia fully supports Secretary-General Guterres in that endeavour. The United Nations must focus on conflict prevention, as that is more effective than dealing with the tragic consequences of conflict. United Nations management systems must be made more efficient and accountable. There must be more women in senior positions.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“Our rules-based order has been supported by institutions and, over the decades, United Nations peacekeepers have become the defining image of the United Nations response to conflict and security threats. Fifteen peacekeeping missions are currently deployed across four continents. Often, they are the only authority preventing civil breakdown and lawlessness in countries that are already suffering from conflict, poverty and despair. Australia has been a long-term supporter of United Nations peacekeeping. Last week in Canberra, we commemorated the seventieth anniversary of the first such mission, noting that, in 1947, Australia was the first nation to deploy into the field military observers to monitor the ceasefire in the then Dutch East Indies. We have contributed to 20 more United Nations peacekeeping missions.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“Many nations, including Australia, have suffered terrorist attacks. We can most effectively combat and defeat terrorism if we work together, sharing our knowledge and resources. Our work has continued this week at meetings of the Global Counterterrorism Forum and the United States-led coalition against Da’esh. The use of chemical weapons presents another serious threat to the rules-based order. We know that they were used in Syria. Australia supports the work of the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in identifying those who deployed such appalling illegal weapons. That work must continue. Australia chairs the 42-member Australia Group, which works to prevent the spread of chemical and biological weapons.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“It is crucial that all Member States, especially the five permanent members, which have a particular responsibility, strictly implement those sanctions so as to compel North Korea to abandon its illegal programmes. The authority of the Council must be defended and upheld. Australia will play its part in helping to resolve that crisis. We have already put in place a range of autonomous sanctions beyond those mandated by the Security Council. We will explore further options should North Korea continue its flagrant disregard of the views of the international community, as upheld by the Security Council. The rules-based order is also being challenged by non-State actors, terrorists and violent extremists. Global terrorism and the extreme Islamist ideologies driving it must be confronted and defeated.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“Yet the authority of the Council is being challenged, undermined and even ignored. The most egregious example of that is North Korea. The regime of Kim Jong Un is openly defying the Security Council. Its illegal nuclear and missile programmes violate multiple Security Council resolutions. The security of millions of people is at risk as a result of North Korea’s refusal to abide by international laws and norms. The International Monitoring System of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty confirms that North Korea is the only State that is currently testing nuclear weapons, and the only State to do so this century. The Security Council has responded with tough new economic sanctions.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“The United Nations was founded in response to the horrors of the Second World War. Nations resolved to prevent a repeat of that catastrophic global conflict. Over the decades since, we have worked together to build an international rules- based order that ensures that disputes can be resolved peacefully and the interests of less powerful nations can be protected from the overt or coercive pressure of more powerful States. That order dictates how nations should behave towards each other. It has supported and enabled the greatest economic expansion in human history. There have been times over the past seven decades when the rules-based order has been under pressure. We are now in a time when the challenges to that order are increasing. The Security Council is the custodian of international peace and security.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“We remain confident that working together we can realize the enduring promise of the Charter — for Australians, for our region, and for the international community. And now 70 years on, the General Assembly is indeed the place where the conscience of the peoples of the world has its most potent expression.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“All States must uphold their responsibility to protect civilians from the most serious international crimes. Security Council members have a particular responsibility to do so. In that context, we welcome 18/23 15-29595 29/09/2015 A/70/PV.18 proposals to restrain use of the veto where mass atrocity crimes are being committed. Australia’s term on the Security Council in 2013-2014 demonstrated that elected members can play an active and constructive role. I am therefore pleased to announce that Australia is nominating itself to serve again on the Council for the 2029-2030 term. We do not underestimate the challenges facing all of us. Equally we should not downplay the opportunities.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“Australia is looking forward to co-chairing with Angola the consultations on the peacebuilding architecture review later this year. We need to strengthen this crucial element of conflict prevention. Another central lesson from Australia’s term on the Council was that accountability is crucial in preventing cycles of violence. The International Criminal Court has a critical role to play and requires our support. Australia remains determined to hold to account those responsible for the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH-17 in July 2014. We owe nothing less to the families of those aboard that fateful flight. We will not let a Russian veto impede the efforts of countries grieving the loss of their citizens and demanding justice for the perpetrators of this atrocity.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“Australia’s recent experience as a Security Council member confirmed that the Council’s role is more essential than ever. The Security Council can perform its role only if it has the tools it needs. The role of peacekeeping is fundamental. Yesterday, I joined others in pledging renewed operational support for the United Nations peacekeeping system. Australian airlift was vital to the United Nations early response to the South Sudan crisis. We have now pledged to provide our C-17 Globemasters and C-130 Hercules aircraft to help United Nations peacekeepers respond to crises where and whenever we can in the future. We recognize that the United Nations needs more tools for peacebuilding to help vulnerable States emerge from crises and prevent them from falling back into violence and disorder.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“Consistent with our record over decades of resettling permanently thousands of refugees, Australia was pleased to announce recently that we would resettle permanently an additional 12,000 refugees from Syria and Iraq — registered by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees — particularly those who are unlikely to have a home to which they might return. We also announced $44 million in funding to support 240,000 displaced persons on the borders. The global humanitarian system is struggling to cope with the escalating demands. The World Humanitarian Summit in May next year must deliver a nimble humanitarian system which responds to different types of humanitarian crises in the most effective fashion. The only long-term solution to these man-made crises is a political one — to bring these conflicts to an end.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“The humanitarian consequences of the conflicts in Syria and Iraq are devastating. I commend neighbouring countries Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, which continue to bear the brunt of the population of displaced persons. Australia has provided $230 million in humanitarian assistance since the start of the conflict. The massive flows of displaced people across the Middle East and into Europe have stretched response capacities to a breaking point. In this environment, people smugglers will strive to prosper from their dangerous and criminal trade. Australia’s firm response to people smuggling, and continued cooperation with its regional partners, have saved the lives of thousands who would otherwise have succumbed to the false promises of people smugglers. It has also enabled us to give refuge to those most in need.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“We are doing so within the framework of the Charter and in a manner consistent with international law. Defeating Daesh requires both military and political action. Reconciliation and inclusive governance in Iraq are the key to reducing Daesh’s appeal and support. We continue to advocate a political solution that can bring an end to the conflict in Syria and we support United Nations Envoy Staffan de Mistura’s efforts towards that end. We do not believe any transition option should be rejected. All permutations of a political solution should be assessed with clear-eyed realism. Australia is committed to defeating terrorism in all its forms. We are responding to the challenges of violent extremism and foreign terrorist fighters, taking on those who would exploit our openness and modern communications to commit violence and promote terror.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“The scourge of war continues to tear apart families, communities, countries and entire regions. As a non-permanent 15-29595 17/23 A/70/PV.18 29/09/2015 member of the Security Council, we experienced first- hand the difficulties the Council faces in responding to the crises and conflicts in Syria, Iraq, Libya, Yemen, South Sudan, the Central African Republic and Mali. Nowhere is the devastation greater than in Iraq and Syria. Daesh is wreaking unspeakable havoc and harm on individuals, families and communities and destroying the world’s cultural heritage in gross violation of international law and against the fundamental concepts of morality. It cannot be allowed to prevail. Australia is participating in coalition military action to combat Daesh in Iraq and Syria.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“Should we be elected, our focus would be on empowering women and girls, strengthening governance and democratic institutions, promoting freedom of expression and advancing human rights for all. Australia would be at the forefront of efforts to hold to account those responsible for human rights abuses and to build more effective preventative and accountability measures. We would be unrelenting in our efforts to secure abolition of the death penalty. Our term on the Human Rights Council would reflect Australia’s inclusive, diverse society and build on the Australian Government’s strong domestic human rights agenda. There are nations for which the aspirations of the 2030 Agenda, indeed the promises of the United Nations Charter, appear remote or unachievable.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“Human rights have been at the very centre of the United Nations over the past 70 years, from the United Nations Charter in 1945 to the Sustainable Development Goals in 2015. With the rise of terrorist groups like Daesh, the continuing depredations of the North Korean regime, and the persistence of forced labour and other contemporary forms of slavery, the need for the United Nations to prosecute a strong human rights agenda has never been more pressing or urgent. Australia is standing for a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council for the 2018-2020 term. This is the first time that my country has sought election to that body. I believe that Australia would bring to the Human Rights Council the same principled and practical approach that distinguished our 2013-2014 Security Council term.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“Similarly, our overseas aid programme helps countries in our region in efforts to eliminate violence against women and girls. The United Nations women, peace and security agenda has changed our collective thinking on the role of women in conflict. We now need to put it into practice. That is why Australia has worked with the United States to produce the first military commanders’ guide for implementing women, peace and security in the field. A key element of the 2030 Agenda is that peaceful and inclusive societies are essential to achieving sustainable development. Human rights, good governance and open and inclusive institutions are crucial foundations for development.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“We cannot transform our world unless the place of women within it is transformed. The 2030 Agenda requires us to achieve nothing less than full gender equality. This is not just the right thing to do; it is the smart thing to do. It is essential to achieve sustainable, inclusive and equitable economic growth. Australia has established a $50 million gender equality fund to accelerate support for gender equality in our development programme delivered in our region, the Indian Ocean/Asia-Pacific. We must step up the fight against the global scourge of violence against women and girls. Last week the Australian Government announced a new domestic policy, a $100 million women’s safety package, improving front-line support services and providing educational resources to help change community attitudes to violence and abuse.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“The 2030 Agenda affirms that it is the quality of assistance that matters, and that true partnerships for development are essential, based on respect and cooperation. That is what Australia seeks to achieve with our friends and neighbours in the Pacific. Climate change is a challenge for all nations and decisive action is required. We will succeed in reducing global emissions only if there is engagement by the entire United Nations membership. Australia has announced a strong, responsible and achievable post- 2020 contribution to international climate action. We are committed to ensuring the United Nations Climate Conference in Paris at the end of the year is the platform needed to secure a collective approach to the below 2° goal. There is an inescapable truth.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“Only the United Nations could have produced this remarkable result. The Sustainable Development Goals are necessarily ambitious. Let us consider just the first five: to end extreme poverty everywhere; to end hunger; to ensure quality education; to ensure healthy lives; and to achieve gender equality. Should we realize all 17 Goals, we will transform our world for the betterment of humankind. We must ensure that the remarkable spirit of cooperation displayed during the negotiation process is maintained as we work to turn these ambitious goals into reality. The 2030 Agenda recognizes that economic growth, including through private-sector investment and trade, is central to sustainable development. The 2030 Agenda also recognizes that while official development assistance remains important, it is only one source of financing for development.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“Australia is proud that, as an active participant at the San Francisco Conference, we crafted a central element of the Charter, Article 56, known as the Australia Pledge. Under that Article, United Nations Members pledge to take action individually and jointly to promote higher standards of living; solutions to international economic, social, health and related problems; and universal respect for, and observance of, human rights and fundamental freedoms. Australia took that pledge on signing the Charter in 1945. Today I reiterate that pledge. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (resolution 70/1), adopted unanimously last Friday by the General Assembly, is a manifestation of the 16/23 15-29595 29/09/2015 A/70/PV.18 Australia Pledge and a testament to the fundamental role of the Organization.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“Australia recognizes the dedicated, often courageous work of the thousands of United Nations personnel in the field who protect vulnerable citizens, deliver vital humanitarian assistance, rebuild damaged societies and support development. The United Nations carries out its work in an increasingly hostile environment. Today the world faces an unprecedented number of long-running and seemingly intractable conflicts, generating displacement on a massive scale and making humanitarian need more dire than at any time since the Second World War. Terrorism today is a global threat. The magnitude of the development challenge is immense. However, we must acknowledge the remarkable achievement that is the United Nations Charter. The values and aspirations articulated seven decades ago still guide us today.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“We meet this day at an important time for the United Nations, 70 years after its foundation. Australia’s representative to the San Francisco Conference in 1945 described the General Assembly as the place where the conscience of the peoples of the world should have its most potent expression. It is appropriate then, here in the General Assembly Hall, to reflect on what the United Nations has achieved and what it needs to achieve for the future. The United Nations provides critical services each and every day in many parts of the world. Often this important work goes unnoticed or unappreciated by those not in direct receipt of that support.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“Together, we will strive to build the prosperity that underpins and supports international peace and security.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“That is what Harry Truman, President of the United States at the time the United Nations was founded, imagined when he spoke of a “world fabric of international security and growing prosperity”. No community can build lives, families and nations in the absence of stability, predictability and security. No country can ensure the security of its people without an economy that offers them the dignity to pursue lives they value. As you have made clear, Mr. President, the task the United Nations takes on this year and next, setting the stage for the post-2015 development agenda, is one that could set the course of humankind for decades to come. On behalf of the people of Australia, I wish all nations well in taking on that task, and commit Australia to play its part.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“And we continue to build on our record on security, disarmament and peacekeeping. As co-author of the draft resolution, we worked to secure the adoption of the world’s first Arms Trade Treaty (resolution 67/234 B), which has now been signed by the majority of the United Nations membership, with a further 18 signatories being obtained during the course of this week. Outside of the Council, we work directly with countries in our region to build their security. Australia commends the efforts of Timor-Leste and the Group of Seven Plus countries emerging from conflict, including Solomon Islands and Afghanistan, in their efforts to promote the rule of law, civil and political institutions and a strong private sector. The United Nations is a vital forum for the security and prosperity of our world.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“When Australia led the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) 13 years ago with our friends from New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and other countries of the Pacific, one of the first tasks the Mission faced was to restore peace and security. RAMSI moved quickly to secure the surrender of firearms — an early and decisive action that underpinned the peace that was built and maintained over the next 10 years. And women played a crucial part. That is why, throughout the Pacific, we are supporting efforts to strengthen women’s participation in policing, through recruitment, retention, training and mentoring support. In the Philippines, Australia is funding women’s participation in peace processes that bring together Muslim, Christian and indigenous women.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“But we cannot just focus on a single instance of global security, for we are engaged on security challenges around the world, including in the Indo-Pacific region. Through our Security Council membership, we draw on lessons learned from our experience in peacekeeping and peacebuilding and take forward initiatives that are meaningful to our region. We welcome the strong support which the Security Council gave yesterday to Australia’s resolution 2117 (2013) on small arms and light weapons. These weapons are a major driver of many conflicts that are brought to the attention of the Council.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“We welcome the fact that draft resolution sets out in no uncertain terms that the Al-Assad regime must comply fully with the requirement to destroy its chemical weapons. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons now needs strong international support for its role in the destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons. Australia will also continue to press for the Council to take action to assist the humanitarian effort in Syria and, of course, provide our full backing to efforts to find a political solution in accordance with the Geneva communiqué (S/2012/523, annex) that leads to a cessation of violence and a political transition which meets the aspirations of all Syrians.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“The first obligation of any Government is to protect its own citizens. In 2005, leaders of all States Members of the United Nations signed on to this principle in the World Summit Outcome on the responsibility to protect (resolution 60/1). Australia, as current President of the Security Council, will therefore co-sponsor a draft resolution before the Council that condemns in the strongest terms any use of chemical weapons. The draft resolution will make clear, for the first time, that the use of chemical weapons is a threat to international peace and security, and in doing so set a new international norm that will help to deter future use. It will say that those responsible for using such weapons must be brought to justice — a call we strongly endorse.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“Importantly, these freedoms must extend to all women and girls, including through equal access to employment, resources, education and health services, and they must be underpinned by robust and independent legal systems to enforce economic, social and political rights. Australia will continue to promote and protect human rights standards around the world. That is why we are seeking membership of the Human Rights Council for the 2018-2020 term. The situation in Syria is an urgent security and humanitarian crisis we must address. Left unchecked, it will continue to cause great human suffering and further destabilize the region. Along with the rest of the world, Australia has condemned the horrific chemical weapons attack on 21 August, as we have condemned the Al-Assad regime’s use of conventional weapons against its own people.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“We need to ensure that all people around the world are free to fully exercise their economic, civil and political rights. Australia was one of eight nations involved in drafting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and in 1948 the Australian President of the General Assembly, our Foreign Minister Mr. H. V. Evatt, oversaw the adoption of the Declaration (see A/PV.183). Since then, Australia has been at the forefront of defending human rights globally and regionally in support of equality and fundamental freedoms — freedom from discrimination; freedom from slavery, torture, arbitrary arrest, detention or exile; freedom of speech, conscience and religion; freedom to work, to enjoy health and education and to participate in the life of the community.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“Australia will continue to promote trade liberalization through the World Trade Organization, through regional and sector-specific deals, and through bilateral free trade negotiations. The Australian Government aims to build a network of bilateral and regional free-trade agreements. We will work in the World Trade Organization to rebuild the multilateral trading agenda. Australia puts the highest priority on global economic reform and trade liberalization as the best way to secure jobs and economic growth. These will be key themes for us as we chair the Group of 20 in 2014. No one should pretend that the economic sphere exists in isolation from other parts of our human experience. Economic progress alone is not sufficient.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“According to the Asian Development Bank, Asia alone will require $750 billion annually over the next decade to meet its infrastructure needs. This compares to annual global aid flows of $130 billion. Only the private sector has the capacity to mobilize the financing necessary for such massive infrastructure investments. There is a role for aid in helping to overcome the obstacles to investment. It must attract, but should never replace, private-sector capital. The returns are high. A joint report of the World Trade Organization and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development estimates that every dollar invested in aid-for-trade can lift exports from developing countries by $8. We firmly believe that the economic growth of developing countries can be unlocked through trade.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“We must provide the opportunity for all people, including people with a disability, to lead healthy and productive lives, leaving no one behind. We must support women’s economic participation and empowerment. The future of peace will be built on economic prosperity. Aid is an important part of delivering sustainable economic growth around the world. It plays a significant role in supporting economic reforms and good governance, promoting the rule of law and building the productive capacity of trade-related sectors. But it is the effectiveness of aid delivery that matters. For example, infrastructure deficiencies that prevent developing economies from fully engaging in the global markets need to be overcome. Estimates of infrastructure financing needs, including for the roads and ports required to facilitate trade, dwarf global aid.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“Estimates suggest that approximately 145 million people will be considered middle-class in 2015, up from 95 million in 2010. In Asia more broadly, we expect a middle class of over 3 billion people by 2030. Indonesia, currently the world’s sixteenth-largest economy, is on track to be the world’s seventh-largest economy by 2030. China and India are projected to become the largest and third -largest economies by 2030. Over 290 million people in China were lifted out of poverty in the decade between 1999 and 2009. The Secretary-General has rightly focused our attention this week on the needs of the poor, the commitment we made to them over a decade ago, and our vision for the future. We need to finish the job on the Millennium Development Goals. Beyond 2015, we must prioritize sustainable economic growth in the global development framework.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“We recognize that a strong business sector, open trading rules and liberal foreign investment policies can foster economic growth and, with it, opportunities to achieve prosperity and security. Strong economies give nations and their people an environment in which to build their lives — to make choices for the lives they want to lead. Strong, open economies foster sustainable growth. We understand that from our experience in Australia and in our region. Australia’s economic success and high standards of living are anchored in reform efforts over many years. We liberalized our economy and unilaterally dismantled trade barriers and protectionist policies. In our own region, as economies have opened, standards of living have improved. We have witnessed the enormous growth of the middle class in South-East Asia.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“There is an intrinsic connection between the security and stability of Governments and economic development. Good Governments understand that providing a secure and stable environment for their citizens is their most fundamental task, but that task is tied inextricably to the strength of their economy. Economic growth, development and trade are the key drivers of national and international prosperity, and a vital support for global security. That is why the new Australian Government will put economic diplomacy at the centre of our foreign policy. We will promote responsible economic governance and open trading systems that support export-oriented economies.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“As a freshly minted Foreign Minister, I am delighted to take part in this general debate. Only a few weeks ago, Australia held national elections and chose a new Government. Only nine days ago, I was sworn in as Australia’s thirty-eighth Minister for Foreign Affairs. A change of Government is a significant national decision. It has happened only seven times in our country since the Second World War. Australia is an open, liberal democracy. We recognize our good fortune in having an unbroken record of peaceful democratic transition stretching back to 1901. The United Nations offers that same ideal of peace and order in relations among States. It gives us a place to resolve our differences and to be heard on the concerns that matter most.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)