British and Australian leaders will no doubt be seeing each other around New York this week, amidst the frenzied activity which comprises the annual UN General Assembly (UNGA) Ministerial Week. Tony Abbott, David Cameron, Julie Bishop and Philip Hammond will be there, together with ministerial colleagues and around 130 Heads of State or Government.
Inevitably countering extremism and the threat of ISIL will be a big priority for all of us, with President Obama hosting an important UN Security Council meeting on Foreign Fighters. Britain will be hosting events on Iraq and Syria, where the focus will include the political and humanitarian aspects of the situation.
Today the UN Secretary General holds a key Summit on Climate Change, with very high level attendance including PM Cameron, to help build momentum for a successful global climate deal in Paris next year.
The UK will also be co-hosting a high level event in support of the Post 2015 Development Agenda, with a particular focus on issues like transparency and accountability. Development issues will also be discussed at the usual Commonwealth Foreign Ministers Meeting which always takes place at this time.
The UN Secretary General has called a meeting to launch a global coalition to tackle the dreadful Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Both Britain and Australia have recently announced new funds for combating Ebola.
This is just a snapshot of some of the many meetings and events which will be taking place around this very important annual gathering of world leaders. This video clip sets out the UK’s priorities for UNGA. As a current member of the UN Security Council, Australian representatives will have a particularly busy time there. Australia’s time on the Council is drawing to a close at the end of this year. As a permanent UNSC member and close ally, we have been working very closely together. Australian ministers and officials can feel proud of the contribution they have made.