Remarks for Ms. Rosemary A. DiCarlo,
Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs
Peacebuilding Commission Ministerial-Level Meeting
New York, 26 September 2024
Mr. Chair, Mr Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission, President Türk,
Excellencies, distinguished guests,
I am honored to address you today on how the United Nations can further strengthen its peacebuilding work following the adoption of the Pact for the Future.
The Pact aims to reinvigorate “global action to ensure the future we want and to effectively respond to current and future challenges”. In our fraught times, it represents an important achievement.
Indeed, over the last decade armed conflict has surged. Global division and tensions have grown. Cooperation on matters of peace and security has diminished. It is urgent to mend the ties that bind us, to rebuild trust, and recommit to address the monumental challenges before us together.
With the Pact, the global community is pledging to do just that. And, importantly for our work, the Pact places strong emphasis on prevention and peacebuilding, and on their link to sustainable development.
The 2025 Peacebuilding Architecture Review is an opportunity to further develop and operationalize the political commitments that Member States have made in this regard in the Pact.
The Review aims, of course, at enhancing the UN’s peacebuilding efforts and their impact in conflict-affected societies. It also serves as a platform for deliberation on recommendations in A New Agenda for Peace.
Mr. Chair,
Allow me to briefly highlight five areas where the 2025 Review can help translate into reality the Pact’s objective to bring a more strategic approach and coherence to peacebuilding efforts, particularly through the work of the Peacebuilding Commission.
First, the Commission could further support national prevention and peacebuilding strategies by providing a platform for sharing experiences, by highlighting how various countries address the root causes and drivers of violence and conflict within their societies.
The Commission can also provide political accompaniment, solidarity and visibility for a Member State’s peacebuilding and prevention efforts.
And it can help tailor support for the country, with potential contributions of the broader UN system, international financial institutions, regional organizations and the private sector. Key to this enhanced role for the PBC will be adequate logistical and substantive support.
Second, the advisory role of the Commission to the Security Council regarding countries in transition could be more action-oriented, as elaborated in the founding resolutions of the Commission. The Pact underscores this vital support role.
The Commission’s mandate and activities could further complement and enhance the work of the Council, sustaining peacebuilding gains and continuing valuable accompaniment.
A good example of this action-oriented approach is the Commission’s efforts to helping ensure a smooth transition in Liberia as the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) was closing. The Commission and key partners advised Liberian officials on their peacebuilding plan, identifying financial and capacity gaps.
Third, the Commission should continue to champion inclusive approaches to peacebuilding. I commend the Commission for being the only intergovernmental body with a gender strategy and a youth action plan, and for continuing to advocate for the full and meaningful participation of women and youth in peacebuilding.
Regarding Colombia, for example, the Commission has been active in highlighting the important role of Colombian women in the implementation of the Final Agreement for Ending the Conflict and Building a Stable and Lasting Peace.
The upcoming twenty-fifth anniversary of resolution 1325 is an opportunity to showcase the Commission’s added value in supporting women peacebuilders.
In line with commitments in its Gender Action Plan, we can collectively advance implementation – by increasing the number of women peacebuilders briefing the Commission and supporting, in all relevant PBC meetings, the inclusion of gender analysis.
Engagement with civil society is especially relevant here. The Commission’s exchange with more than seventy civil society representatives from around the world during the CSO-UN Dialogue on Peacebuilding was an important step in broadening the conversation on peacebuilding.
We look forward to continuing to engage with new constituencies during the next Dialogue in December of this year.
Fourth, let me underline the importance of the role of partnerships.
The Secretary-General has stressed the need for robust partnerships with regional organizations to address complex peacebuilding and prevention challenges.
The Commission’s recent decision to formalize its engagement with the African Union is a positive step towards a stronger collaboration with Africa. We hope to see the Commission partner with other regional and sub-regional organizations.
Further, the Pact for the Future reinforces the call for multilateral development banks to better address global challenges, which includes implementation of the Sustainable Development Goal 16 on promoting peaceful and inclusive societies.
Regional development banks have an increasingly important role to play in this regard. Several have recently adopted tailored strategies in fragile and conflict-affected settings.
For example, the African Development Bank has set up the Transition Support Facility, a financing mechanism that has disbursed more than $5 billion to date in member countries in transition or affected by fragility. The PBC should be encouraged to build stronger and more systematic linkages with these institutions.
Excellencies,
My fifth, and final point, is a call for us to recommit to adequate, predictable and sustained financing for peacebuilding.
The landmark General Assembly resolution on Financing for Peacebuilding (A/RES/76/305) emphasizes the need to close the critical peacebuilding funding gap.
While the achievement of assessed contributions for the Peacebuilding Fund is commendable and has been welcomed in the Pact, we need more financing to reverse the backsliding in investments in prevention and peacebuilding.
The upcoming Review will provide an excellent occasion to further explore and operationalize various elements of this resolution.
Mr. Chair, Excellencies,
The Pact for the Future provides a comprehensive framework for advancing our peacebuilding agenda. We cannot miss this opportunity. We look forward to working with all of you in turning these commitments into reality.
Thank you.