Ursula Stephens (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to make some brief remarks supporting the previous description of the work of the IPU. As a member of the delegation I can say that it was indeed a privilege to be there in Geneva last week. It was in fact my seventh IPU Assembly. This was a huge opportunity to reflect on the way the Inter-Parliamentary Union Assemblies have developed over the last few years and how the agenda has started to be very focused.

This assembly was focused on the rights of unaccompanied minors. I was able to accompany Senator Thorp to visit the facility for children aged 12 to 18 in Lausanne and to learn about a very different approach that is underpinned by the EU directive on the care of unaccompanied minors. I think it is something we definitely have to start reflecting on more here in Australia when we think about the way we are looking after unaccompanied minors and refugees in our detention centres and in the community. I remind everyone here that there are almost 600 children still on Christmas Island, and we need to thinking about how those international obligations are being met or not being addressed.

The other really important standing committee in which I participated was formalising the standing committee on the United Nations; the purpose of which is to draw much stronger links between the Inter-Parliamentary Union Assemblies and the work of the United Nations and aligning some of the key policy agendas across the world.

We talked most significantly about two things in that standing committee. The first was food security—when you see what is happening in the African subcontinent—and the tragedy that is playing out there in terms of food security. The second issue was how countries are going to tackle the agenda of the post Millennium Development Goals, post 2015. It is important to look at how that whole agenda is going to be shaped, how parliaments across the world can connect with the United Nations agenda and ensure that we have strong benchmarks and strong targets. Most critically, it is important that governments around the world that make commitments to funding the post Millennium Development Goals—which will be called the Sustainable Development Goals—will honour those commitments.

We have discovered some firm promises from countries have not been met, and that in fact is the reason some Millennium Development Goals have not been achieved. Specifically some goals around infant mortality and maternal health in some countries are disappointingly below the achievements that we were seeking. So the critical issue now is that, if people do promise to make contributions to the post Millennium Development Goals program, they honour their promises regardless of financial situations in the world.

The Inter-Parliamentary Union Assemblies play a key role in soft diplomacy—parliamentarians to parliamentarians meeting to discuss these issues. Sometimes they create the opportunity for more formalised diplomatic relations in the future. It was definitely worthwhile and I appreciate the privilege.