This report reflects on Australia’s achievements on the UN Security Council to date and the areas on which Australia should focus over the next 8 months in order to leave a positive and lasting impact. It focuses particularly on Australia’s efforts in advancing the protection of civilians and promoting the control of small arms and light weapons. It considers Australia’s role in helping to broker a diplomatic breakthrough on humanitarian access in Syria, and acknowledges its efforts to promote women’s rights in the most recent resolution on the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan. 

In spite of these achievements, ‘On the Home Stretch’ highlights the rapid deterioration of security in a number of countries over the past year and a continuing gap between the Security Council’s stated commitments to the protection of civilians and the appalling reality on the ground. The report recommends how Australia can use its final months on the Council to address this implementation gap and make a real difference for people caught up in conflict.

‘On the Home Stretch’ follows on from the 2012 Oxfam Australia report ‘Off the Bench’, launched just after Australia won its Security Council seat.