The effectiveness of the UN's peace and security agenda in an increasingly insecure world

In an increasingly insecure world, made more uncertain by COVID-19 and the pressures on multilateral institutions and mechanisms, how important and relevant is the UN's peace and security agenda?  What are the challenges and opportunities, and where does Australia stand?

Speaker:

Major General Michael G Smith AO (Ret'd) is the immediate past National President of the UNAA. He is currently the Chair of the Gallipoli Scholarship Fund and a Non-Executive Director of the Institute for Economics and Peace. 

He has served in the United Nations as a military officer in Kashmir and as the Deputy Force Commander in Timor-Leste. In a civilian capacity he has undertaken assignments for the United Nations in Nepal, Libya and Yemen. As the founding Executive Director of the Australian Civil-Military Centre, he worked closely with the UN Secretariat and the African Union on advancing the Protection of Civilians in conflict-affected countries. As the CEO of Austcare (now ActionAid Australia) he worked closely with UNHCR and other UN agencies on refugee matters, and also served on the Executive Committee of the Australian Council for International Development. He is a former Visiting Fellow at the Asia-Pacific College of Diplomacy at the ANU, and at the Institute for Ethics, Governance and Law at Griffith University.