EU Statement – UN Security Council Arria-formula Meeting: 'Mind the gap: enhancing the dialogue and cooperation between the Security Council and the Peacebuilding Commission'

PRINT

EU Statement - UN Security Council Arria-formula Meeting: "Mind the gap: enhancing the dialogue and cooperation between the Security Council and the Peacebuilding Commission"

20.12.2023 Press and information team of the Delegation to the UN in New York

20 December 2023, New York -- Statement on behalf of the European Union and its Member States by H.E. Ms. Hedda SAMSON, Ambassador and Deputy Head of the Delegation of the European Union to the UN, at the UN Security Council Arria-formula meeting "Mind the gap: enhancing the dialogue and cooperation between the Security Council and the Peacebuilding Commission"

Chair,

I speak on behalf of the EU and its Member States. The Candidate Countries North Macedonia*, Montenegro^*, Albania^*, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina^*and Georgia, as well as Andorra,align themselves with this statement.

Thank you for convening this meeting on enhancing the cooperation between the Security Council and the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC), something that we agree is of great importance.

As we are unfortunately seeing conflicts on the rise globally, there is a need for the UN to step up its efforts on sustaining peace, including on conflict prevention. In the New Agenda for Peace, the Secretary General urges Member States to invest more in prevention, both politically and financially.

The PBC should be part of this effort and could complement the work of the Security Council by contributing to a more holistic treatment of the conflict cycle.

The interaction between the PBC and the Security Council has already intensified in the past couple of years. We have seen record numbers of advice being sent from the PBC to the Security Council and briefings by the PBC Chair to the Security Council have become more frequent. However, this interaction should become more systematic and also provide feedback from the Security Council to the PBC.

First, the PBC could play an important role through a stronger focus on prevention in addition to peacebuilding efforts during and in the aftermath of conflicts.The PBC can discuss root causes of conflict considering factors such as inclusion, equity, respect for human rights, social cohesion and climate change. In order to support specific countries, the PBC could also discuss national prevention strategies. Such discussions could convene the UN system, donors and development banks, as well as civil society and voices from the ground to ensure a coordinated approach in the spirit of the Humanitarian-Development-Peace-Nexus and regular follow-up.

Second, the Security Council could encourage countries on its agenda to engage with the PBC before, during and after a peace operation transition. The Council could also recommend that the PBC discuss a country situation, which the Security Council does not regularly deal with. This would ensure continuity in the UN's engagement. More regular and free-flowing interaction between the PBC and Security Council penholders would facilitate the partnership between the two bodies and ensure relevance of the PBC's advice. Given its unique position, expertise and convening power, the PBC can provide valuable input to design the Security Council's mandates to Special Political Missions, making them more efficient and fit for purpose. As part of this greater information exchange, the PBC Chair and/or Vice-Chair(s) could also participate in Security Council field visits.

Of course, any engagement by the PBC will depend on the national ownership of the country in question. The fact that the PBC operates only with the consent of countries being discussed is a strength of this body because it ensures political buy-in and relevance for the country concerned. In this line, we must do more to destigmatize these discussions and dispel the myth that conflict prevention is something intrusive and negative when it in fact is a universal obligation that we have all signed up to in the UN Charter.

Third, the PBC could play a greater role in mobilizing resources for sustaining peace by convening member states, the UN Country Team and International Financial Institutions. We know that financing conflict prevention is cost effective, but peacebuilding which prevents the relapse into conflict still suffers from a huge funding gap. According to the OECD/DAC, peace ODAin fragile contexts is decreasing, whereas the world is witnessing the largest number of violent conflicts since 1946.

There is a need to broaden the donor base and to strengthen the relationship between the IFI's and regional development banks with the PBF. Last year, the General Assembly unanimously acknowledged the necessity for adequate, predictable and sustained financing for peacebuilding, and decided to consider assessed funding. We are encouraged by the progress made in the Fifth Committee, where the EU together with the vast majority of the UN membership stand ready to move forward and finally reach an agreement this session.

In conclusion, we look forward to continued discussions on this topic so that we can shape a stronger partnership between the PBC and the Security Council for a more holistic approach to sustaining peace across the conflict cycle.

*North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.