S/PV.5997
5997th meeting
Tuesday, 21 October 2008, 10 a.m.
New York
Post-conflict peacebuilding
Mr. Dabbashi (Libyan Arab Jamahiriya) (spoke in Arabic): I wish at the outset to thank His Excellency Ambassador Yukio Takasu, Chairman of the Peacebuilding Commission, for his briefing on the Commission’s work and on his efforts at the helm of the Commission. We also pay tribute to the representatives of Belgium, Brazil, the Netherlands and Norway for their efforts as Chairs of the country-specific configurations.
The Peacebuilding Commission was established to buttress the change in the nature of peacekeeping operations, which in the past had been focused more on military and security issues. But those two elements in themselves are not enough to address all the challenges arising from armed conflict, including political, economic and humanitarian problems. The establishment of the Commission was thus a significant step towards sustainable post-conflict peace.
We want to say how much we appreciate the Commission’s efforts, both in the organization of its work and in its interaction with other United Nations bodies and with the African Union, thus ensuring effective working relationships in the discharge of its mandate. We wish also to voice our satisfaction about the Commission’s interest in identifying the ways and means of meeting the challenges it faces in discharging its mandate.
We pay tribute to the success of the Burundi configuration. The Government of Burundi has been able to achieve a lasting Strategic Framework for Peacebuilding, through the establishment of a joint monitoring and tracking mechanism. There was also agreement with the Government of Burundi on an annual work plan, focusing on Peacebuilding Fund projects in the areas of security and good governance.
The situation is similar with respect to the implementation of the Commission’s programmes in Sierra Leone. Indeed, the Commission and the Government of Sierra Leone have jointly adopted the Peacebuilding Cooperation Framework. Work in that country has been focused on assistance in meeting the commitments set out in the framework of the expansion of the donor base and the launching of new priority activities, with a focus on justice and security. We are confident that the Commission will continue its efforts in the same spirit and with the same effectiveness in the Central African Republic and Guinea-Bissau.
We thank donors for their contributions to the Peacebuilding Support Office, which have enabled it to exceed its targets. That also gives us reason to hope for an increase in the number of donors.
We agree with the comments and recommendations contained in the report with regard to the development of an integrated peacebuilding strategy. We continue to focus on assisting national efforts in the areas of dialogue, national reconciliation, capacity-building, institutional reform, economic revitalization and human rights, including efforts to mobilize resources and rationalize their use. Here, we should stress the importance of international, regional and subregional efforts, as well as joint efforts with main United Nations bodies.
In that connection, we wish to make the following points. First, it is quite clear that, while top priority should be placed on security sector reform, judicial reform and overall institutional reform, we should also focus on improving living conditions, creating jobs and providing medicine and food.
Secondly, all efforts and decisions of the Peacebuilding Commission must be carried out not only in coordination with local authorities, but also with their consent. Thus, all projects should reaffirm the concept of national ownership. The relevant national and local authorities must be convinced that what is being implemented is a result of their own decisions and that international efforts are aimed solely at supporting their decisions, not undermining them.
Thirdly, if the effectiveness of the Commission’s work is to be enhanced, its annual programmes should be incorporated into a longer-term plan, such as a three- or five-year plan. We know full well that that is no easy task to accomplish. However, if we are successful, it would strengthen stabilization, build trust among donors and convince them that their assistance is needed.
We are convinced that the Peacebuilding Commission has recognized that it must carry out its mandate of peacebuilding in post-conflict countries within the framework of global sustainable development. Thus, the future of peacebuilding depends on our careful understanding of the nature of all conflicts and on national ownership of all peacebuilding and development efforts supported by the international community. It is quite clear that the success of the Commission’s efforts will depend on the support that it provides to post-conflict countries in the area of sustainable development.
I wish to conclude by commending the results of the visit made to the Central African Republic by the Peacebuilding Commission under the chairmanship of the representative of Belgium. That visit led to an agreement with local authorities concerning priority areas for peacebuilding in the Central African Republic. We hope that the Commission’s second visit, which is currently being prepared, will also be successful.
