Media Release
20 September 2009
Visit to the United Nations General Assembly and Washington
I will visit New York from 19 to 26 September to attend the 64th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
The Prime Minister will lead Australia’s delegation to the opening of the General Assembly.
Australia’s attendance at the so called ‘Leader’s Week’ at the General Assembly is an important opportunity to advance Australia’s greater engagement with the United Nations.
Engagement with the United Nations is vital because of its role in setting global standards on a wide range of issues, from climate change to nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament.
The 64th session of the United Nations General Assembly will focus on the important challenges facing the community: climate change, the global economic crisis, nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, and the Millennium Development Goals.
This year’s General Assembly presents the prospect of making better progress on these challenging issues.
Climate change will figure prominently when UN Secretary-General Ban convenes a High Level Event on Climate Change on 22 September.
Australia will take this opportunity to help build international momentum towards a strong and fair global agreement at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December which includes effective measures to reduce emissions and provides support for the most vulnerable countries.
Nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament will also be a key theme. We welcome the United States’ initiative to convene a summit-level meeting of the UN Security Council on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament. Australia looks forward to working with the international community to strengthen global non-proliferation and make progress on disarmament.
I will participate in this year’s Article XIV Ministerial Conference of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) as a further expression of Australia’s commitment to bring the CTBT into force.
I will also highlight Australia’s support for the responsibility to protect (R2P) principle. I will co-chair a Ministerial Roundtable, with the foreign ministers of Rwanda, Timor-Leste and the Netherlands, advancing the Responsibility to Protect principle.
The United Nations General Assembly also offers an opportunity to meet with a broad range of foreign ministers to discuss matters of mutual concern.
In addition to numerous bilateral meetings, I will also hold Trilateral Strategic Dialogue talks with United States Secretary of State Clinton and new Foreign Minister Okada of Japan. This reflects on our shared security interests with the United States and Japan.
I will also hold a Trilateral Meeting with Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Wirajuda and East Timor’s Foreign Minister da Costa to discuss regional issues of common interest between Australia, East Timor and Indonesia.
Following my visit to the United Nations General Assembly, I will travel to Washington DC on Monday 28 September to hold discussions with members of the United States Administration.
The Australia-United States Alliance, which now spans some 60 years, is indispensable to Australia’s strategic, defence and security arrangements. Australia and the United States are key security and economic partners both in the Asia Pacific region and globally.
Media inquiries: Mr Smith's office 02 6277 7500 - Departmental Media Liaison 02 6261 1555