EVENT TO COMMEMORATE THE 80TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE UN CHARTER
STATEMENT BY H.E. JAMES LARSEN, AMBASSADOR AND PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE, PERMANENT MISSION OF AUSTRALIA TO THE UNITED NATIONS
26 June 2025
Mr President,
The United Nations Charter represents our collective aspiration for a world where global challenges – no matter how daunting – are met with global action.
Where the rights and dignity of all the world’s peoples are protected.
And where agreed rules and respect for sovereignty create the conditions for peace and prosperity.
Mr President,
Australia is proud to have played a role in the development of the UN Charter.
From the beginning, Australia made the case for the interdependent relationship between development, human rights, and peace and security. An argument as relevant today as it was in 1945.
Australia led the drafting of Article 56 of the Charter – often termed the “Australian Pledge” – committing all member states to take individual and joint action to promote the core purposes of the UN. We remain committed to this effort.
Mr President,
The Charter’s 80th anniversary arrives at a challenging time for our world and this organisation.
A world confronted with the greatest number of conflicts since WWII.
And an organisation grappling with questions of financial stability, as well as eroding public confidence and trust.
We reiterate our call for bold, brave and decisive UN reform to ensure it can fulfill its mandate now and into the future.
Yet to focus exclusively on the challenges obscures a fundamental truth: if we did not have the UN Charter and the UN system – we would be forced to create them.
The UN has undeniably made the world safer and more prosperous.
It played a pivotal role on issues that defined the 20th century, including peacekeeping, decolonisation, economic development, public health, the rights of women and girls, and the environment.
Most recently the UN High Seas Biodiversity Treaty and the Global Digital Compact underscored the enduring capacity of the UN to address contemporary problems.
As we look to the future, guided by the Charter, we need to be bold in our ambition for a UN that is fit for contemporary needs, and which continues to make the world safer and more prosperous.
Australia stands ready to support efforts to strengthen and reform the organisation – ensuring it can endure and succeed for another 80 years and beyond.
Thank you.