Ex-foreign minister Julie Bishop takes up major new role on the international political stage

Former Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has been appointed United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ special envoy to Myanmar.

Ms Bishop, who is now chancellor of the Australian National University, will take up the post, which has been vacant since the departure of Singaporean diplomat Noeleen Heyzer last June.

The UN said in a statement that Ms Bishop had “extensive policy, legal and senior management experience”.

“Throughout her career, Ms. Bishop has strengthened engagement with regional partners and led international negotiating efforts, including the first-ever mediation of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea,” it added.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong welcomed the news on Saturday morning.

“Ms. Bishop brings a wealth of experience and her appointment comes at a critical time as the political, humanitarian and security situation in Myanmar continues to deteriorate,” she said.

“The people of Myanmar continue to show great resolve in the face of unspeakable violence and human rights abuses, and Australia remains steadfast in our support for them.”

Senator Wong said the Special Envoy played a crucial role in sustaining international attention and supporting coordinated efforts for a peaceful resolution in the troubled Southeast Asian country.

Australia would work closely with Ms Bishop, ASEAN and the international community to create the conditions for lasting peace, she said.

Senator Wong also reiterated the government’s call for the Myanmar regime to “cease violence against civilians, release those unjustly imprisoned, allow safe and unhindered access for humanitarian assistance, and return Myanmar to the path of inclusive democracy’.

Myanmar has been in crisis since the military took power from Aung Suu Kyi’s elected government on February 1, 2021.

The country is embroiled in a civil war between the army on one side and a loose alliance of ethnic minority rebels on the other and an armed resistance sparked by the junta’s crackdown on anti-coup protests.

Ms Bishop served as Australia’s Foreign Minister from 2013 to 2018 under Prime Ministers Tony Abbott, Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison.

She became ANU Chancellor in January 2020.