OSCE Asian Partners for Co-operation Group Meeting - Ensuring Human Security through Promoting Humanitarian Responses in Cross-border Conflicts and Emergencies

OSCE Asian Partners for Co-operation Group Meeting

Ensuring Human Security through Promoting Humanitarian Responses in Cross-border Conflicts and Emergencies

14 July 2023

Statement by H.E Ambassador Ian Biggs, Australia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and International Organisations in Vienna

Excellencies, colleagues.

I’d like to thank Thailand for bringing this important topic to today’s meeting and the speakers for their valuable insights.

Our region – the Indo-Pacific – is the world’s most disaster-prone region, hosting 70 per cent of people affected by natural disasters, and exacerbated by an increasing number of complex and protracted conflicts, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Responding appropriately to these humanitarian crises is critical to ensuring peace, stability and prosperity in our region and beyond.

In our modern world, we have borne witness to how conflicts and crises reverberate globally. Russia’s illegal and immoral invasion of Ukraine has had a devastating impact on the people of Ukraine. And the humanitarian consequences of Russia’s aggression have been felt globally, including in the Indo-Pacific.

Australia is proud to support Ukraine, both to defend its territorial integrity and to meet the needs of people displaced and otherwise affected by Russia’s brutal war. We have provided 75 million Australian dollars in emergency humanitarian assistance to help meet the urgent needs of the people of Ukraine, and will continue to stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.

Closer to our home, the military coup in Myanmar has reversed years of democratic, economic and development gains and plunged the country into a deep political and humanitarian crisis.

Australia continues to provide support to respond to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Myanmar and its neighbour Bangladesh, the largest and most complex in our region.

There are other heightened risks to security and stability in our region. The impact of conflict, natural hazards and climate change are keenly felt. And these factors exacerbate existing risks to human health and security, for example communicable diseases.

To address this Australia has launched the ‘Partnerships for a Healthy Region’ initiative, which seeks to anticipate, prevent, detect and control communicable disease threats in the Indo-Pacific.

Under the ‘Partnerships for a Healthy Region’ initiative, we are working to improve regional information sharing and capacity building with partner governments to ensure health systems are resilient and accessible, including for women and girls and people with a disability.

The Indo-Pacific has significant experience in responding to crises, and exchanges like today’s discussion continue to be valuable opportunities to share lessons learned between our region and the OSCE area, particularly as we both grapple with the impacts of conflict and displacement. By sharing our perspectives, we can ensure security and dignity for all people, and a more secure and prosperous world.

Australia looks forward to continued collaboration with our Asian Partners for Cooperation, including at our Asian Partners conference next week, co-hosted with Poland.

Thank you.