A global problem with national consequences and national solutions.
We’re facing an increasingly unsafe and unstable world. Multiple and overlapping challenges – hunger, disease, violent conflict, and dangerously hot and unpredictable weather to name a few – are gathering pace, feeding into each other in ways which will have a significant, and most likely devastating, impact on global development and stability.
The effects of any crisis anywhere today ripple outwards. Because our world is so interconnected, particularly through multinational trade and the reliance on global resources, any country that is unsafe and unstable affects the security and stability of all. This is true for Australia, just as it is for any country: our security and prosperity are tied directly to global and regional events and issues.
Protecting our stability and security, therefore, should be tackled as part of an integrated approach – where we actively assist others to enhance and ensure their stability and security. Only by working in this comprehensive manner – collaboratively and cooperatively charting a course for mutual benefit – can Australia expect to be safe: because we’re not safe unless we are all safe.
Effectively responding to the global challenges of today requires implementing three related solutions, each with their own set of specific actions. Just as the challenges as interlinked, so are our solutions. It is only together that these solutions will ensure a safer world for all.
We are asking the Government to:
- Increase investment in Australian Aid;
- Support a fairer global economy; and
- Ensure a safer climate future.
Delivering this package of reform is how we will be able to meet both our immediate and future needs and prevent dangerous and irreversible changes to our environment.
Because they will deliver on prosperity and security across the regional and the world, it’s in our strategic interests to enact these reforms.
These pressures test our resilience, but not our resolve. Australians want to live in a world that is peaceful and predictable. Our partners tell us they share this vision and that they want to work together to achieve it. Australia’s security and influence relies on playing our part in these challenging times.
(DFAT Development Policy, P 17)
Taking these actions now is also preventative. Delaying, or, at worst, failing, to act, will result in costs continuing to mount with the very real chance that remediation becomes insurmountable. Already we are seeing that finance for climate mitigation and adaptation for developing countries is continuing to rise and, as disasters hit with increased frequency, the costs continue to grow. But, by changing course we can prevent further costs – human, environmental as well as financial. Action now provides us with an insurance against a future we do not want, cannot afford and is certainly not in Australia’s national interest.
By choosing to enact these solutions it also demonstrates Australia’s compassionate and generous nature and shows our understanding that equity and fairness lie at the heart of solving the world’s challenges. In short, these solutions deliver on Australia’s commitment to make every effort to leave no-one behind.
Working Together Delivers Results
Pre-pandemic, we had made great strides in tackling extreme poverty, gender equality and child mortality. This was achieved largely because the world worked together. Today, we have no choice but to cooperate and collaborate for the greater good. While it will require brave, bold and transformative action, now is the time to reignite a sense of global responsibility and put the world on a path to peace and prosperity. A world where everyone and everything is safe is a world worth working towards.
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