Australia: The Honourable Julie Bishop, Chancellor of the Australian National University (ANU), has been appointed as United Nations Special Envoy to Myanmar by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
The United Nations said in a statement that, “Throughout her career, Bishop has strengthened engagement with regional partners and led international negotiation efforts, including the first-ever United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea conciliation.”
Julie Bishop became the first woman to hold the position of ANU Chancellor in 2020. Before that, she served as the first female foreign minister in Australia from 2013 to 2018. Bishop also held several other high-level positions in the Australian Government, including Cabinet Minister for Education, Science and Training, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Women’s Issues, and Minister for Ageing.
The ANU Chancellor maintained a long career in law before entering politics and served as a member of Parliament from 1998 to 2019. In recognition of her efforts towards maintaining peace and stability in the Asia Pacific, she was awarded the Weary Dunlop medal. Additionally, she was named a Kissinger Fellow for her work on global policy issues of significance.
On her UN appointment, Julie Bishop said that, “I am deeply honoured to be appointed Special Envoy of the Secretary General of the United Nations on Myanmar to help deliver on the mandate of the General Assembly and the Security Council Resolution of December 2022.”
Since the military ousted the democratically-elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021, Myanmar has been facing nationwide conflict. Bishop is designated as the Special Envoy to Myanmar, succeeding UN undersecretary-general Noeleen Heyzer.
Heyzer defined the military takeover’s effect as ‘devastating’ and cited that brutality in the Southeast Asian nation is continuing on an ‘alarming scale.’ Julie Bishop will continue in her role as Chancellor of ANU while pursuing her UN work at the same time. Professor Genevieve Bell, Australian National University Vice-Chancellor, hailed the Chancellor for her UN appointment.
“As Australia’s first female foreign minister, Julie made an incredible contribution to global politics. Now, she’s adding Special Envoy to her illustrious career in global diplomacy. This is a well-deserved recognition of her significant impact on contemporary international relations. The entire ANU community congratulates Julie on this important appointment and wishes her the very best in this vital role,” Professor Bell stated.
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