UNSC OPEN DEBATE PROMOTING INTERNATIONAL PEACE AND SECURITY THROUGH MULTILATERALISM AND THE PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT OF DISPUTES
Statement delivered by H.E. Mr James Larsen, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations
22 July 2025
Thank you, President for convening this debate.
80 years ago, we created this institution with a commitment to choose dialogue and diplomacy over conflict and destruction.
Because, after the horrors of the last World War, we were determined to never repeat it.
Yet these ideals endure more in promise than in practice.
As we know, the world is experiencing more conflict than any time since World War II.
Our shared challenges are only getting bigger, but trust that this UN system can save us from the scourge of war is in decline.
We must work to rebuild that trust.
We must redouble our efforts to support international peace and security, multilateralism and the peaceful settlement of disputes.
And we must exercise our collective agency to uphold the UN Charter, and hold those who violate it to account.
Today, Australia puts forward four key points:
First, the UN must evolve to meet today’s challenges with clarity, purpose and ambition. This is as true of conflict prevention and peacebuilding as it is any other issue.
We must preserve core UN functions—peace and security, human rights, and sustainable development—while enhancing delivery where it matters most.
The UN80 initiative should consider how reforms can enhance the agility and responsiveness of the UN’s peacebuilding and peacekeeping operations.
Second, international courts and tribunals are a critical mechanism for the peaceful settlement of disputes, and we urge Members to support these institutions to carry out their important work.
For example, Australia, along with 73 other UN Member States, accepts the compulsory jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice.
And we encourage all member states to do the same.
Australia also respects the independence of the International Criminal Court and supports its goal of ending impunity for the perpetrators of the most serious crimes of international concern.
These crimes contribute to cycles of violence and human suffering, undermining our efforts toward peace and security.
Third, we must redouble our efforts to drive effective conflict prevention.
We know that peace is more durable when it is nationally owned, and built by, and for, all of society.
That’s why Australia is driving action under the Women, Peace and Security agenda to support the participation and leadership of women in peace, security and stability decision making.
And it’s why Australia is using our term on the Peacebuilding Commission to support the creation of evidence-based policy guidance for National Prevention Strategies.
Finally, our peacebuilding and humanitarian efforts must be centred on the protection of civilians. This includes protecting the aid workers who deliver the essential support civilians need to survive in conflict and fragile settings.
That's why Australia has convened the Ministerial Group working towards a Declaration for the Protection of Humanitarian Personnel – channelling commitment into action to ensure those preventing conflict can operate safely.
President,
We created the UN recognising that while our interests as countries may differ, we are all better off in a world guided by internationally-agreed rules.
A world where no country dominates and no country is dominated.
But if we are to achieve that world we must continue to work together to overcome our biggest challenges.
We must continue to choose dialogue and diplomacy.
Australia stands ready to support the UN for today, and for tomorrow to these ends.
Thank you.