Australia seeks United Nations Security Council seat

Australia is to make a fresh bid for another seat at the United Nations Security Council.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop will unveil the bid for a 2029-30 seat in a speech to the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday (Wednesday morning AEST).

She will tell the assembly that Australia is seeking the term to promote greater international cooperation to tackle global security challenges.

Ms Bishop told a forum on countering Islamic State and violent extremism - hosted by US President Barack Obama - that while a comprehensive package of domestic counter-terrorism measures had been put in place, it was important to defeat the group at their source.

"The coalition is working to deny the group safe haven and the campaign is making progress," she said.

However she said it would also require a "frank discussion" with the Iraqi government to ensure concrete measures to reconcile the various groups in the country.

"Without them the military efforts won't succeed," she said.

Australia last served on the UNSC in December 2014.

The 2029-30 term is considered the first available opportunity to nominate for a seat that is uncontested, giving Australia the greatest chance of success and minimising the cost.

Australia is also a candidate for the Human Rights Council for the term 2018-20.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon used the forum to ask all UN members to contribute to a new plan in 2016 to tackle extremism.

The plan, to go to next year's assembly, would provide specific recommendations for individual and collective action to address the drivers of violent extremism.

Opening the forum Mr Obama said defeating Islamic State in Syria will only be possible if Bashar al-Assad leaves power.

"In Syria ... defeating ISIL requires, I believe, a new leader," he said, a day after a clash with Russia over the Syrian president's fate.

Russia snubbed the summit called by the US, sending a low-level diplomat to the meeting to take stock of the one-year campaign to defeat IS jihadists, who control large swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria.

"This initiative seriously undermines UN efforts in this direction," Russia's UN envoy Vitaly Churkin was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi told the forum his people were making great sacrifices to defeat ISIL.

"We must not lose purpose and lose time."

British Prime Minister David Cameron told the forum tackling extremism required winning a "battle of hearts and minds" amongst young Muslims.

"The boy who straps a bomb to his chest and blows up an Iraqi town, the guy that stands in the desert with a knife having just beheaded a British hostage or whoever - they don't get there from a standing start.

"They have extremist views and an extremist mindset before they make the final decision to be an extremist terrorist."