NOVEMBER 25, 2009-UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY DATE ON THE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 STATE 120796 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL UNSC KPKO BY CT PU SL SUBJECT: NOVEMBER 25, 2009-UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY DATE ON THE REPORT OF PBC ON ITS ANNUAL REPORT ON PEACEBUILDING COMMISSION TALKING POINTS ¶1. This is an action request. USUN should draw from the talking points in paragraph 2 below, as appropriate, during the UN General Assembly debate on the Annual Report of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC). ¶2. Begin talking points: -- We thank Ambassador Munoz for his dedication to the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) during his tenure as Chair. -- The United States welcomes the third annual Report of the PBC and appreciates this opportunity to reflect on both past achievements and future challenges as we near the five-year anniversary of the establishment of the Commission. -- Mr. President, the United States was an early supporter of the Peacebuilding Commission. In 2005, we looked at a 15-year track record of international response to armed conflict and saw major gaps. We saw a rate of relapse into conflict that was unacceptably high. We saw peace processes at risk not only because of the inherent fragility of post-conflict transitions but also because many of our diplomatic, security, humanitarian and development tools were not fit for their purposes or were sometimes even at cross-purposes. We saw development jeopardized across the board. When one-third of people living in extreme poverty are from conflict-affected states, we knew we were doing something wrong. -- We saw this as unacceptable. We were also convinced it was remediable. And the Peacebuilding Commission had the potential, we believed, to be a crucial new instrument to help us change course. -- Mr. President, the PBC is still a young institution trying to deliver on these expectations. The United States appreciates the PBC,s growing track record - including its efforts to institute more flexible methods of work, its success in mobilizing resources from traditional and non-traditional donors, its commitment to nationally-driven peacebuilding strategies, and its facilitating coordination among all stakeholders in order to have concrete impact. -- The third annual report documents notable achievements. In Burundi, the Commission added its voice to regional institutions and others in helping create conditions for the resumption of the political process. In Sierra Leone, the PBC has helped broaden the donor base. In Guinea-Bissau, the PBC supported the organization of legislative elections and helped secure crucial funding. In the Central African Republic, the PBC supported the National Dialogue, and is helping to enhance prospects for disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration. -- We also welcome the revised Terms of Reference of the Peacebuilding Fund which gives the Fund the potential to be a much more responsive mechanism to meet urgent needs. -- Mr. President, as we approach the PBC,s five-year mark, we now have the opportunity to take stock and look to the PBC,s future. We believe the PBC has the potential to be an instrument for mobilizing our best, collective efforts and helping us focus on the most pressing requirements: helping governments restart critical services, generating jobs and reviving economies, restoring the rule of law, reforming the security sector, tackling crime and trans-border causes of instability, putting an end to sexual and gender-based violence. Whether in the PBC or not, these issues are among the highest on the U.S. agenda at the United Nations, and we see an urgent need to strengthen ways of working together to address them successfully. -- The United States is committed to a serious, ambitious review. We believe we need to approach the process with open minds and a practical commitment to frank dialogue about the PBC,s value added and what is required to strengthen its role and impact. This includes looking candidly at our performance in the Security Council where, as we noted last July, we need to do more to take earlier account of the peacebuilding components of peace processes. -- In the last twenty years, there has been tremendous learning and experience in this field that the review will need to tap. The review should engage key stakeholders, especially regional organizations and actors, international financial institutions and development banks, troop and STATE 00120796 002 OF 002 SUBJECT: NOVEMBER 25, 2009-UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY DATE ON THE REPORT OF PBC ON ITS ANNUAL REPORT ON PEACEBUILDING COMMISSION TALKING POIN police contributing countries, donors, the private sector and civil society. It will of course need to draw on the insights of members of the PBC, especially its country-specific configurations. We will additionally look to the Secretary-General,s leadership to mobilize ideas and expertise from across the UN system. -- Most of all, the review should be informed by the views and experiences of post-conflict countries, both on and off of the PBC,s agenda - whether the PBC adds value to them is really the ultimate barometer of success. -- Mr. President, we wish to make two final observations. -- We want to stress the importance of timely follow-up to the Secretary-General,s report on Peacebuilding in the Immediate Aftermath of Conflict. We look forward to progress in the clarification of key peacebuilding roles and responsibilities which will enable the UN system to build clear centers of excellence in critical areas. We also welcome steady progress in the effort to meet the "civilian capacity gap," with particular attention to mobilizing talent and expertise from developing countries. In this regard, we see value in deeper reflection on the links between integrated peacebuilding missions, civilian components of peacekeeping operations, and related activities of UN agencies in order to ensure that core civilian functions are fulfilled in the most effective way. -- We also want to underscore the value we see in working to forge greater coherence between the UN,s peacemaking, peacekeeping, and peacebuilding efforts. Throughout this year, we have engaged in a deepening conversation about how to strengthen peacekeeping. As we look to future deliberations, both on peacekeeping and the PBC review, we see an opportunity to forge a closer and more dynamic link between these interrelated efforts -- Mr. President, the PBC was created because of gaps in international response that left too many countries vulnerable to the relapse of violence. The PBC has helped shrink those gaps, but many remain. The challenge to us all today is to redouble our efforts to close them. Thank you. End talking points. CLINTON