Readout of the Secretary-General’s meeting with H.E. Ms. Julie Bishop, Foreign Minister of Australia

The Secretary-General met yesterday (25 January 2016) with H.E. Ms. Julie Bishop, the Foreign Minister of Australia.

The Secretary-General and the Foreign Minister discussed developments in Syria, including the peace talks and the ongoing humanitarian crisis.  They stressed the importance of unfettered humanitarian access. The Secretary-General said he greatly valued Australia's efforts to alleviate the crisis and hoped for continued support during the upcoming donor conference in London.

The Secretary-General and the Foreign Minister exchanged views on his recently launched Plan of Action on Preventing Violent Extremism and discussed the next steps. The Secretary-General emphasized that he was counting on Australia's leadership to help galvanize the international community to embrace the Plan. The Secretary-General and the Foreign Minister also shared views on the status of preparations for the referendum in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea. He encouraged Australia to ratify the Paris climate agreement and accelerate its implementation.