International relations

The 33rd ASEAN-Australia Forum was held via videoconference on 17 March 2021 to discuss ASEAN and Australia's shared commitment to progressing the ASEAN-Australia Strategic Partnership, advancing our region's comprehensive recovery from COVID-19, and addressing other shared regional and international challenges.

The text of the following statement was released by the Governments of the United States of America, Australia, Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Israel, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, the Republic of Korea, Slovenia, and the United Kingdom.

Australia will make the most of the transformative potential of the Women, Peace and Security agenda, by placing women’s meaningful participation at the centre of all our efforts to protect and promote women’s and girls’ human rights, prevent and resolve conflict and establish enduring peace.

Australia remains a strong supporter of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. We encourage all parties to the conflict in eastern Ukraine to resolve issues in good faith and look to the Normandy Format as the vehicle for the peace process. We call on all parties to reaffirm commitment to last July’s ceasefire and implement all corresponding measures.

Australia strongly supports the Council’s mandate for technical assistance and capacity building as a critical means of promoting and protecting human rights. This is an important tool aiming at strengthening the capacity of States to prevent human rights violations and comply with their obligations.