MEDIA RELEASE
Released By:
Smith
This week at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, I met with Kemal Dervis, the Administrator of the United Nations Development Program, Ms Ann Veneman, Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and Sir John Holmes of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Australia recognises the critical role that UN agencies play in leading global efforts to progress towards the Millennium Development Goals.
Each of these agencies will benefit from an increase in Australian support for United Nations agencies as part of a funding increase announced in this year's Federal Budget.
A concrete demonstration of this commitment was the 2008-09 Budget measure to invest an additional $200 million over four years in dedicated funding to key UN agencies.
This commitment enables Australia to contribute directly to work on issues as diverse as increasing child literacy, improving maternal and child health and the empowerment of women in countries beyond our own region.
Australia will collaborate with effective UN agencies and like-minded donors to ensure the UN system and agencies work more effectively to reduce poverty.
Other United Nations agencies that will benefit from Australia's increased assistance include the:
- World Health Organisation (WHO);
- United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA);
- United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and;
- Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).