International organisations

We take this opportunity to reaffirm our strong support for the resolution. This year, the penholders have tabled a resolution that sets the minimum standard that we as Member States should agree to in order to prevent and eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls.

Strengthening crime prevention and criminal justice responses requires strong cooperation between countries and has a long and proud history of consensus in the UN. We are pleased to see this tradition of consensus upheld in this resolution. In particular, we are pleased to see consensus on retaining the use of the term ‘cybercrime’ in this resolution.

This important resolution once again reaffirms that persons with disabilities are entitled to the same human rights as those without disabilities, without any discrimination, and we commend its consensual adoption.

Extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions are an appalling violation of the right to life. This resolution contains a list of persons vulnerable to this egregious act, including, inter alia, persons belonging to ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, internally displaced persons, persons living under foreign occupation, migrants, Indigenous Peoples, and those targeted because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Our countries share a strong commitment to advance the rights of Indigenous Peoples, at home and internationally. At the same time, we recognize that implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in our countries remains a work in progress with much work left to be done.

Australia reiterates its steadfast commitment to the global fight against racism, racial discrimination and xenophobia, in all its forms. Again, we reiterate that hateful and divisive rhetoric has no place in Australia or anywhere in the world, online or offline.

We recall that Article 18 of the ICCPR guarantees the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, including freedom to have, change, adopt, stop adhering to or not to have a religion or belief, as a fundamental human right of every human being, as well as to practise and manifest it freely either individually or in community with others, in public or private.

We take this opportunity to reaffirm our strong support for the Human Rights Council and to thank the President of the Council for his report to the plenary and his interactive engagement with the Third Committee.

Young people have acknowledged that, despite not a homogenous experience, health systems are providing further opportunities to access treatments and services promptly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a year that saw multiple, intersecting and complex crises stretch humanitarian organisations to their limits, Australia commends UNHCR’s tireless efforts to address the needs of millions of people in crisis. We also commend the dedication of UNHCR personnel to “stay and deliver” in a range of extraordinarily challenging circumstances.