One year ago, we came together because more and more humanitarian workers were being killed, were being injured or deliberately targeted.
Targeted whilst delivering life-saving assistance amid conflict and amid instability.
Dependent on rules of war to ensure their safety.
Rules that we built – that all our countries built – to protect our shared humanity.
Rules that apply to all.
But rules that continue to be broken.
Over 1,000 humanitarian workers have been killed in the last three years – 350 in 2025 alone.
And we know it is up to us all to act.
In the ruins of the last world war, nations who had every reason to distrust each other agreed that there are limits.
Even in war, there are things that should not be done, that should never be done.
And the Geneva Conventions are, I believe, among humanity's greatest achievements, built out of the ruins of one of humanity's darkest moments.
A recognition that innocent civilians do not choose to lose their homes, their safety, or the people that they love.
That civilians must be shielded from the worst consequences of conflict.
And that humanitarian workers – those who rush toward suffering – must be protected.
And remembering why the Geneva Conventions were established helps drive our collective action now.
A year ago, we came together to recommit ourselves to defending these rules and to protect those who risk their lives to help others.
And together, we launched the Declaration for the Protection of Humanitarian Personnel.
And can I thank, personally, my Ministerial Group colleagues from Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, Sierra Leone, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
And I also acknowledge today my Pacific colleagues who are here with us from Samoa, Fiji, Tuvalu, Marshall Islands and Solomon Islands.
At a time where it might be easy to believe that international humanitarian law is diminished, 130 of us – 130 nations – have said otherwise.
More than two-thirds of the United Nations have chosen to defend the rules that protect us all.
Now, we know the Declaration is not the endpoint.
The Declaration's objective is to preserve adherence to crucial aspects of international humanitarian law that protect humanitarian personnel.
Laying out concrete measures to keep aid workers safe.
And putting international pressure on countries that fail to meet their obligations.
In the year since it was launched, Australia has been working hard to translate commitment into action.
We are financing global incident tracking, verification, and evidence to ensure transparency when attacks occur.
We are supporting security training for aid workers so that they can protect themselves as best as possible in conflict zones – practical, lifesaving training.
We are expanding legal assistance for victims and their families, supporting the pursuit of justice.
And we will continue this work with you, building on the global momentum of the Declaration.
We will provide $10 million in additional funding to strengthen practical protection and accountability measures for frontline aid workers.
And we continue to increase our humanitarian assistance, with an annual commitment of over half a billion dollars.
We are developing operational standards on the protection of humanitarian personnel to support military and civilian actors.
And we are working with partners to address the risks posed by misinformation and disinformation to humanitarian operations.
On your desks you should have a publication with actions by signatories from all over the world to implement the Declaration over the past year. And ideas for what to do next.
But we know the work is far from done, and we know that threats remain.
In Myanmar, in Ukraine, emerging technologies like drones are being turned on civilians.
In Sudan, armed groups are besieging communities and are attacking the aid meant to reach them.
And in Gaza it remains the deadliest place in the world to be an aid worker, despite the ceasefire.
Australia remembers the death of Zomi Frankcom and her six World Central Kitchen colleagues, killed by an IDF strike in 2024.
And we will not stop – I will not stop – pressing for transparency, accountability, and justice for the Frankcom family.
Friends, no humanitarian worker should ever be a target.
So, I ask countries here today, let us all ask ourselves this question: What more can we do to help drive practical action and protect those who serve humanity?
I look forward to exchanging views and driving this forward.
So, thank you very much for your attendance.