With more than 34 million people worldwide infected with HIV, 95 per cent of whom live in developing countries, Australia certainly agrees that the pandemic is a development crisis with devastating consequences for human, social and economic progress. In many areas, the United Nations has been focus…
Thank you, Mr. President, for arranging this open meeting of the Council. Non-members of the Council are always appreciative of such opportunities, but particularly when they enable countries with direct interests in and close knowledge of a particular issue or situation to participate in a purposef…
I commend your decision to open this meeting to participation by non-members of the Council at short notice. Developments in recent days have again highlighted the continuing challenges faced by the people of East Timor and by the international community in the transition process. These challenges d…
Mr. President, I applaud your decision to conduct this open meeting of the Council, which provides non-members with an opportunity to participate in the discussion on an issue which for my Government remains of particular importance.
Through you, Sir, I wish to thank the Special Representative of t…
This debate on the question of sanctions is very timely, coming during a period of renewed attention both to the humanitarian impact of sanctions and their effectiveness as an instrument for dealing with threats to international peace and security. I would emphasize that these are matters of immedia…
The report of the Open-ended Working Group on Security Council reform, which we have before us in document A/53/47, contains both good news and bad news. The good news is that the report shows once again the high level of interest in and
Credit is due to Mr. Gurirab’s predecessor, Foreign Minister …
My delegation is pleased to have the opportunity to speak on the item concerning global implications of the year 2000 date conversion problem of computers, and we welcome the report of the Secretary- General. We wish to thank Ambassador Mangoaela and Ambassador Kamal for their efforts in focusing at…
The year 1999 did not start off as a particularly auspicious one for the Middle East peace process. It seemed that both sides in the peace negotiations were experiencing difficulty in rebuilding much of that sense of common purpose which had developed over the preceding five years since the original…
A political cartoon in a major United States daily newspaper some months ago depicted the Security Council deep in debate over its response to a dispute that had already broken into violent conflict. One delegate is pictured saying to his anguished Council colleagues, “No, no, no. First comes earnes…
As an Australian citizen and an Olympian, I am greatly honoured to introduce this draft resolution, entitled “Building a peaceful and better world through sport and the Olympic ideal” to the General Assembly at its fifty-fourth session.
We are particularly honoured by the presence of His Highness P…
Australia looks back with satisfaction on another year of solid incremental progress in the life of the institutions established by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The health and vigour of these young institutions is an essential underpinning of an effective international law of…
Australia voted in favour of resolution 54/21. While Australia shares concerns about the state of human rights and political freedoms in Cuba, we do not consider that isolating Cuba through economic sanctions is an effective means of achieving human rights and political reform. Australia has consist…
The Australian delegation is pleased to commend the Director General, Mr. Mohamed ElBaradei, for his report on the work of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Australia's commitment to the IAEA is strong. The Agency plays a central role in the contributions of nuclear technology to peace…
Australia is pleased to give its support to agenda item 27. Both the United Nations and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) have clearly demarcated responsibilities, yet many of the issues they deal with are the same. International problems know no boundaries.
Essentially, the United Nations is a c…
It is with considerable pleasure that I address the Security Council on the occasion of the adoption of the draft resolution authorizing the establishment of the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET). This draft resolution is a crucial and historic step towards realizing …
As all members know, Australia has a long-standing interest in this important agenda item. We believe that the Security Council, as the organ of the United Nations which has primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, is in many ways the key to ensuring that the U…
Australia has been a strong supporter of the International Year of Older Persons. We have warmly embraced the concept within Australia, and in
Australia believes that older persons have a critical role to play in the development of society. They should be viewed as active participants in the global…
May I begin by adding my congratulations to those of my colleagues on your election,
Before I move to the main substance of my remarks today, I want to take this opportunity to mention two matters.
First, I welcome the three new members of the United Nations: Kiribati, Nauru and Tonga. Having work…
It is with great pleasure that I address the Security Council following the adoption
The ballot organized by the United Nations, which took place on 30 August, saw 98.6 per cent of the registered Timorese voters cast their ballot. We were all moved by the enthusiasm with which the people of East Ti…
I welcome the opportunity to address the Security Council.
The adoption by the Council today, in a few moments, of this draft resolution on East Timor represents a further important step in putting into effect the historic 5 May 1999 New York Agreements between the Governments of Indonesia and Port…
