The Secretary-General met today with H.E. Mr. Malcolm Turnbull, the Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia, on the margins of the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 

The Secretary-General and the Prime Minister exchanged views on the climate change agenda and negotiations, ahead of the climate change conference in Paris. The Secretary-General encouraged Australia to lead efforts to ensure a low-carbon, climate-resilient future.

The Secretary-General also raised the refugee and migrant issue in the Asia Pacific region. Noting Australia’s longstanding commitment to refugee resettlement, the Secretary-General appealed to the Prime Minister to share responsibilities.

The Secretary-General expressed concern over the detention conditions in Australia’s offshore processing centres and encouraged the Prime Minister to reconsider “Operation Sovereign Borders.”

They discussed the current situation in Syria and Iraq, and also exchanged views on the prevention of violent extremism. The Secretary-General indicated that he is preparing a comprehensive Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism for presentation to the General Assembly in the beginning of 2016, and looked forward to the support of Australia.