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| Dr Mike Kelly |
Today 10 visiting Permanent Representatives and Ambassadors to the United Nations (UN) attended a one-day seminar in Canberra entitled ‘Security and Development: Peace and Stabilisation Operations – Challenges and Lessons Learned.’
Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Dr Mike Kelly who opened the Australian Civil-Military Centre-delivered seminar said it allowed participants to explore key issues and challenges faced by the UN, member states and host nations in strengthening peace and stabilisation operations.
“The UN is constantly confronted by the challenges of security and development around the world,” Dr Kelly said.
“This was an opportunity to share Australia’s experiences, particularly in East Timor, Bougainville and the Solomon Islands, with Permanent Representatives to the UN who brought their own rich expertise and experiences to the table.
“This is a discussion that has practical value to future UN peacekeeping and peacebuilding missions, and further proof that Australia is pulling its weight on the international stage.
“Australia has a proud tradition of involvement in peace missions regionally and globally, and has been a long-standing and active contributor to UN peace and security operations since 1947.
“The Australian Civil-Military Centre supports the Government’s aim of embedding lessons learned from our international operations into policies and processes across government agencies, and to apply those lessons so that Australia can assist other countries in times of need,” Dr Kelly added.
The Permanent Representatives come from Africa, Central America, the Caribbean, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region. The seminar – the fifth in a series – enabled an exchange of views on UN peacekeeping and peace building challenges.
The Ambassadors were joined by a group of Australian experts assembled from across government and academia, including senior officials from Defence, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Australian Agency for International Development and the Australian Federal Police.