Anthony Albanese has joined prominent world figures such as Henry Kissinger, Robert De Niro and Justin Trudeau after the Atlantic Council declared him a “global citizen” during a star-studded black-tie event at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York.

Accepting the prestigious honour in a room full of celebrities such as Keanu Reeves, the Australian Prime Minister declared the post World War Two global order was “no longer fit for purpose”.

“The most consequential factor shaping the Indo-Pacific is the strategic competition between the United States and China,” Mr Albanese said.

“Our alliance with the United States is the anchor of Australia’s foreign policy. For our largest trading partner, China, our approach is clear: co-operate where we can, disagree where we must, and engage in the national interest.

“Through sustained leader level engagement, we are advancing Australian interests while managing differences. How Washington and Beijing manage their relationship matters profoundly. But it cannot be the only lens through which we see the region.”

“The Indo-Pacific is not a chessboard on which superpowers move the pieces,” the PM declared.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong and former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd watched on as their colleague was being introduced onto the stage by Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister James Marape.

“Albo is a fair dinkum Aussie,” Mr Marape said.

Other previous winners of the award that was first bestowed in 2010 include composer Quincy Jones, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Academy Award-winning actor and activist Forest Whitaker. Directly after Mr Albanese’s acceptance speech, Australian pop star Betty Who performed a song on stage which she dedicated to the Prime Minister. “I too identify as a global citizen. I grew up in Australia and I’ve lived in America for the second part of my life. So, I dedicated this to the Prime Minister of my motherland,” she said before bowing on stage before her performance.

Her lyrics opened with “who’s around when the days feel long? Who’s around when you can’t be strong? Who’s around when you’re losing your mind?”.

Her chorus included “Somebody misses you when you’re away”.

After Mr Albanese, the next award recipient was Wicked actress and singer Cynthia Erivo, one of several celebrities at the event, including Canadian actor Reeves, famed for his role as John Wick. Earlier Reeves had introduced Formula One chief executive Stefano Domenicali on to the stage to receive his Global Citizen award.

The other winners of the award on Thursday (AEST) included Finnish President Alexander Stubb.

On Monday Mr Albanese brushed off suggestions he should feel like a “fraud” accepting a global citizen award in New York while Labor grapples with its worst Newspoll result in more than a decade.

The Prime Minister had been challenged at a press conference inside United Nations headquarters after the poll showed Labor’s primary vote had fallen to 27 per cent, its lowest level since 2012.