Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade launched the First Nations International Engagement Strategy on Wednesday evening, a plan to build on the history of solidarity between Indigenous peoples in the region to strengthen Australia's relationships with its neighbours.
In his speech at the launch, Ambassador for First Nations People, Justin Mohamed, said: "I can think of no more fitting time than NAIDOC Week to release the First Nations International Engagement Strategy."
"This is a strategy built on experience," he said.
"It charts a clear course for how we can continue to deploy First Nations diplomacy with real impact, and in ways that continue to deliver outcomes. Deepening our partnerships with Pacific nations. Expanding First Nations trade and investment. And elevating our diplomacy and influence."
'First Nations cultures, knowledge and connections deepen Australia's international ties'
Mr Mohamed noted in his foreword to the Strategy that First Nations international engagement is built on deep history and grounded in mutual respect.
"First Nations cultures, knowledges and connections deepen Australia's international ties, especially in the Pacific region," he said.
"As Australia's inaugural Ambassador for First Nations People, I have seen first-hand the international interest and appetite to understand, learn from and appreciate Australia's First Nations peoples, cultures and knowledges.
"Many of our international partners tell me they consider Australia's First Nations people, the oldest continuing living culture in the world, as the knowledge holders, caretakers and grandparents of culture."
Australia and international law with regards to First Peoples' rights
Mr Mohamed said the Strategy focuses on what he described as DFAT's "ongoing and greater efforts to listen to and work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities".
"The Strategy has self-determination and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples at its heart," he said.
The Australian Government has long been criticised by Indigenous organisations and advocates, the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services (NATSILS), Human Rights Watch Australia, Change the Record, Human Rights Law Centre, Indigenous Peoples Organisation Australia (IPOA), politicians including Lidia Thorpe, and others for failing to implement the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
Earlier this month, the Albanese government rejected key United Nations recommendations aimed at improving outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, including calls to raise the age of criminal responsibility, implement the UNDRIP and introduce a national human rights act, a rejection which sparked widespread concern.
Reforming Australia's foreign policy needs 'commitment, trust and partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, organisations and communities'
In his foreword, Mr Mohamed wrote that through the Strategy, "we are shaping Australia's foreign policy journey".
"It is a journey that requires commitment, trust and partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, organisations and communities," he said.
"We bring a focus on respect and reciprocity; our approach to international engagement is grounded in relationships. DFAT is committed to listening deeply, to working collaboratively and to sharing power... Through this Strategy, First Nations communities will continue to guide, strengthen and lead our international engagement."
Aim of the Strategy - four key pillars
DFAT says the First Nations International Engagement Strategy provides a framework through which the Department "will further advance First Nations' perspectives within Australia's foreign policy to support Australia's national interests, working with Australia's First Nations people and collaboratively across government".
The Strategy claims that it is "grounded in the principles of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples", and outlines key focus areas, "identified through discussions with First Nations people", to guide DFAT's international engagement: deepening Australia's partnerships in the Pacific; elevating First Nations rights, diplomacy and interests globally; expanding First Nations trade and investment; and strengthening DFAT's capability to promote First Nations perspectives internationally.
"Implementation of the Strategy will prioritise trusted and meaningful relationships with First Nations people, organisations and communities," it states.
"It will also focus on promoting cultural safety and eliminating racism; sharing power and accountability; and supporting healing and the conservation and promotion of First Nations cultures.
"Implementation will be guided by ongoing collaboration with First Nations organisations.
"This Strategy aligns with the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, embedding First Nations perspectives in DFAT's work through genuine partnership and structural reform."
Minister acknowledges millennia of links between First Nations in the region
Federal minister for foreign affairs Penny Wong notes in her foreword to the Strategy that "for thousands of years, Australia's First Nations peoples have maintained connections across our region including in Indonesia, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu".
"This Strategy draws on those connections to advance Australia's interests, recognising that First Nations Australians can make a practical contribution to building relationships, opening doors and supporting Australia's engagement across the Indo-Pacific that has been historically underutilised," Senator Wong said.
"This is a strategic national advantage that other countries do not possess and are unable to emulate."
Senator Wong strong relationships create opportunities and support more trade, investment and economic growth; helping Australian businesses access new markets, strengthen regional cooperation, and "contribute to a more secure and prosperous neighbourhood".
"This Strategy supports practical engagement and complements our broader efforts to strengthen Australia's partnerships, expand economic opportunities and enhance our ability to work with countries across the region on the shared challenges we face," she said.
Mr Mohamed also acknowledged "the generous contributions of a broad range of First Nations people in the development of this Strategy".
"To the Elders and leaders, experts in their fields, businesses and organisations, and community representatives - your knowledge and wisdom, grounded in First Nations ways of knowing, being and doing, enriches Australia's foreign policy," he said.
