Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has wrapped up his first visit to the United Nations General Assembly, using the platform to reinforce Australia’s commitment to tackling global challenges while advancing national interests.
“Global challenges require global action, and it’s only together we can solve the problems we face as an international community.”
During the 80th session, Mr Albanese delivered Australia’s National Statement, emphasising strong support for the UN and the multilateral system.
At UN Headquarters, he hosted world leaders at a forum on protecting children in the digital age, highlighting Australia’s landmark social media minimum age laws. He also unveiled Australia’s 2035 emissions reduction target at the Secretary-General’s Special High-Level Event on Climate Action.
Showcasing Australia as a destination for investment, Albanese met with senior US business leaders to promote the Future Made in Australia agenda and the opportunities of the global net zero transformation.
In a significant diplomatic move, the Prime Minister joined international partners in announcing Australia’s recognition of the State of Palestine and addressed the Two-State Solution Conference hosted by France and Saudi Arabia.
Fresh from New York, Albanese travelled to the United Kingdom where he joined world leaders at the Global Progress Action summit, a gathering of progressive leaders and policy experts from more than 20 countries.
Albanese shared the stage with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Iceland’s Kristrun Frostadottir, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, whose political struggles stand in contrast to the ascendant Australian leader.
Albanese later held one-on-one talks with Starmer at Downing Street, praising the UK-Australia Free Trade Agreement that came into force in May 2023 and noting rising exports, particularly in food and agriculture. He said the two leaders also discussed the AUKUS agreement and new cooperation on critical minerals.
The Prime Minister also held what he called a “constructive” meeting with UK opposition leader Kemi Badenoch and senior Conservatives, highlighting the bipartisan strength of the Australia-UK relationship.
Albanese’s visit to Britain continues with an audience at Balmoral with King Charles III and a speech at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool, underscoring his alignment with the progressive movement.
Albanese’s final stop before returning to Australia will be in the United Arab Emirates, where he will meet President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to advance negotiations on the Australia-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership.
Reflecting on his international tour, Albanese said it was an opportunity to advocate for Australia’s economic and strategic interests while pushing forward on global issues such as climate change, online safety and peace in the Middle East.
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