Mikhail Gorbachev participates in the Earth Dialogues Forum as part of his trip to Australia

     On his trip to Australia (from July 17 to August 5, 2006), Mikhail Gorbachev took part in the discussions held within the framework of the Earth Dialogues Forum and met officials from the Australian government and local authorities of the state of Queensland and the city of Brisbane. In his speeches and interviews, Mikhail Gorbachev, who is Chairman of the environmental organization Green Cross International (GCI), paid special attention to the problems of fresh water supply to the population, which are very acute in Australia, too. Mikhail Gorbachev spoke about the GCI’s initiative to develop an international convention on the right to water. Queensland Premier Peter Beattie spoke in support of the Water for Life Initiative.
     Government officials of this state, which is economically one of the most important territories in the country, also supported the Earth Charter, which was developed with active participation of the GCI, and announced their intention to support Australian environmentalists in establishing a national branch of Green Cross.
     Mikhail Gorbachev’s meeting with the youth of Queensland got a nationwide positive response. In his speech, the former Soviet leader dealt not only with the vital issues of saving the human environment in the 21st Century, but with the pressing problems of international politics. Similar subjects were also touched upon in numerous interviews Mikhail Gorbachev gave to the Australian media.