Summary: Australia has long been a proponent of international efforts to advance the cause of human rights. This is all the more important at a time when democracy and human rights have suffered serious setbacks in many parts of the world. On 12 December Australia's Foreign Minister the Hon. Julie Bishop MP visited the Lowy Institute for World Human Rights Day, which commemorates the date that the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. The Minister discussed Australia’s candidacy for the UN Human Rights Council in 2018-2020.
