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World must act with 'urgency': PM

Tess IkonomouAAP
Anthony Albanese held talks with British PM Boris Johnson ahead of the NATO Leaders' Summit.
Camera IconAnthony Albanese held talks with British PM Boris Johnson ahead of the NATO Leaders' Summit. Credit: AAP

Anthony Albanese will reaffirm Australia's commitment to defending global peace at a meeting with a major development organisation in Paris, warning the international community needs to act with urgency.

Australia will also seek to boost its productivity in a bid to strengthen the economy.

The prime minister will arrive in France on Thursday after having joined the world's leaders for security talks at the NATO Summit in Madrid.

In an address to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to mark 51 years of Australia's membership, Mr Albanese will reiterate the need for democratic values and the rule of law to be upheld in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and an increasingly assertive China in the Pacific region.

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"Now more than ever, we need to act with urgency and conviction," he will say.

Mr Albanese will tell the organisation that Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and South Korea attended the summit to strengthen ties and help Ukraine after Russia's "barbaric" invasion.

"The attempts to divide the West have not only failed but they have drawn us closer together and strengthened our commitment to defend the values we cherish," he will say.

"Through the OECD we see that what unites us is far more enduring than what divides us ... open economies, open societies, and open governments promote greater opportunity for all."

Mr Albanese will say he wants Australia to become a renewable energy superpower, due to its abundant resources, and will commit to stronger action on climate change.

"We're looking at a range of measures to boost productivity, too -- vital to keeping the economy moving at this time of higher inflation and more restrained growth," he will say.

The prime minister met with US President Joe Biden on Tuesday night in Madrid, after the NATO gala dinner which officially marked the beginning of the summit.

He also held a one-on-one meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on the sidelines of the summit on Wednesday, which touched on the AUKUS security partnership, "common action" in the Indo-Pacific region, climate change, and shocks to the global economy.

Mr Johnson congratulated the prime minister on his election victory, while Mr Albanese gifted his UK counterpart a Rabbitohs rugby league jersey and hat.

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