PEACEBUILDING COMMISSION: SECURITY COUNCIL LOOKS

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 001094 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV KPKO UNSC SUBJECT: PEACEBUILDING COMMISSION: SECURITY COUNCIL LOOKS TOWARD 2010 REVIEW ¶1. SUMMARY. During its annual debate on the report of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC),Chairman Heraldo Munoz told the Security Council that the PBC had consolidated its core advisory role and had increased its support for countries on its agenda. Council members affirmed the need for earlier and more coherent peacebuilding efforts and looked forward to the 2010 five-year review of PBC as an opportunity to strengthen UN peacebuilding efforts. Ambassador Rice called for clarification of key peacebuilding roles and responsibilities in the Secretariat and for increased efforts to develop the Secretariat's civilian expertise. The United Kingdom, France and other Council members suggested the PBC should give more focus to national priorities. China said the PBC should focus more effort on economic and social development, while Vietnam said the PBC should rationalize its relationship with other UN bodies and streamline its working methods and procedures. END SUMMARY. ¶2. During the Security Council's annual debate on the report of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) on November 25, Chairman Heraldo Munoz (Chile) said the PBC had made efforts during its third session to enhance both global awareness of the commission and the PBC's interaction with other UN bodies, especially the Security Council. Munoz said the PBC had consolidated its core advisory role and had demonstrated increasing support for the countries on its agenda: Burundi, Central African Republic (CAR),Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone. The peacebuilding agenda had expanded since the 2005 World Summit decision to establish the PBC, the Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO) and the Peacebuilding Fund (PBF),he said, adding that the role of the PBSO would need to be enhanced as the peacebuilding agenda continued to expand. ¶3. Munoz believed the PBC was uniquely positioned to play a strong advisory role in post-conflict peacebuilding given its membership composition and ability to engage non-UN actors, but also thought the PBC had been underutilized. He welcomed revised Terms of Reference (TOR) for the Peacebuilding Fund (PBF),which he said would allow for more rapid and flexible funding for peacebuilding priorities. He said a potential added value of the PBC at the country level would be to advance mutual accountability among national actors in concerned countries and their international and regional partners. He acknowledged the importance of the 2010 five-year review of the PBC as an opportunity to further define the PBC's role in the UN peacebuilding agenda. ¶4. Security Council members acknowledged the importance of earlier and more coherent peacebuilding efforts in post-conflict countries, and looked toward the 2010 review of the PBC as an opportunity to strengthen the UN's role in post-conflict reconstruction and to refine the PBC's role in the effort. Most members welcomed more flexibility in the working methods of the PBC as well as revised terms of reference for the PBF. Most speakers also stressed the importance of enhanced interaction between the PBC and the Security Council, as well as the importance for the Council of early integration of peacebuilding efforts into peacekeeping mandates. Council members stressed the importance of national ownership and leadership in peacebuilding efforts. ¶5. Ambassador Rice recalled that the United States was an early supporter of the PBC, and acknowledged that it was still a young institution, trying to deliver on high expectations. Rice noted the PBC's efforts to institute more flexible working methods and to mobilize resources from traditional and non-traditional donors, and she welcomed the revised TOR of the PBF, which could help the fund be responsive to urgent needs. Rice recognized the importance of nationally driven peacebuilding strategies and the need to take earlier account of peacebuilding components in peace processes. She underscored the importance of timely follow-up on the recommendations in the Secretary-General's report on "Peacebuilding in the immediate aftermath of conflict," (S/2009/304) in particular, on clarifying key peacebuilding roles and responsibilities, and mobilizing talent and expertise from developing countries to meet the "civilian capacity gap" in peacebuilding efforts. Rice also underscored the value of greater coherence among peacemaking, peacekeeping and peacebuilding efforts. ¶6. Several Council members suggested the PBC could improve its performance. The United Kingdom said the PBC should not get "bogged down" in elaborating detailed peacebuilding strategies, but should instead make use of existing plans and identify practical steps to address immediate priorities-- in short, the PBC needed to shift its focus from New York to country-level action. The U.K. also said the PBC needed to reach out to the development community, including the international and regional financial institutions. France called on the PBC to focus more attention on following up on projects financed by the PBF in order to ensure the coherence of the international community's financial assistance. France also said that an Integrated Peacebuilding Office on the ground in concerned countries is critical as a focal point for PBC efforts and a prerequisite for coordinated international efforts. Uganda called upon the PBC to strengthen its review of mutual commitments of national and international actors. Vietnam said the PBC needed to improve its working methods and procedures, and to rationalize its relationship with the General Assembly, ECOSOC and the Security Council. China called for the PBC to focus more of its attention on "deeply rooted" problems, related to economic and social development. ¶7. Some members also suggested actions the Secretariat could take to improve its role in post-conflict peacebuilding. Costa Rica said the Secretariat needed to include peacebuilding recommendations in its country reports. It also encouraged the Secretariat to follow through on efforts to develop better civilian peacebuilding expertise. Turkey supported strengthening the capacity of the PBSO in order to ensure better harmonization of peacebuilding efforts in the UN system. ¶8. Referring to the 2010 PBC review, Japan suggested that an Arria-formula meeting should be organized in order to bring in the perspectives of experts and interested parties in order to enrich the effort. Japan also said the Council should nominate a facilitator for the review who has "extensive knowledge of peacebuilding and is capable of forging consensus." ¶9. Turkey and Burkina Faso said financing for peacebuilding efforts should be more predictable, sustainable, transparent, accountable and flexible. Turkey noted that its own contributions to the PBF did not include caveats. ¶10. Several non-members of the Security Council also participated in the debate, and generally echoed the themes of the Council members. Bangladesh said that countries with a "comparative advantage" in particular areas, such as disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR),should be considered as partners when transitioning from peacekeeping to peacebuilding activities. El Salvador also said that peacekeeping personnel could remain in country to participate in the peacebuilding phase of post-conflict situations. Brazil emphasized the need for a strong UN presence on the ground during peacebuilding activities. Speaking on behalf of the EU, Sweden said peacebuilding activities needed to focus on a limited set of national priorities and be tailored to existing national capacities. ¶11. A complete transcript of the debate can be found on the Security Council page at the UN web site: www.un.org RICE