A/66/PV.102 General Assembly

It is a pleasure for me to participate in this joint debate on the report of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) on its fifth session (A/66/675) and the report of the Secretary-General on the Peacebuilding Fund (A/66/659). I join previous speakers in thanking the PBC and the Secretary-General for their respective reports. Both reports are informative in explaining the progress made towards mandated objectives and explicit about areas which require further pursuit and greater efforts. I commend the former Chairperson of the Commission, Ambassador Gasana of Rwanda, for his commitment and the dynamism and innovative spirit with which he carried out his responsibilities in 2011. In the same vein, I congratulate and extend best wishes for success to the new Chairperson of the PBC, Ambassador Momen of Bangladesh. As one of the six countries on the agenda of the PBC and a beneficiary of PBF resources, Liberia is convinced that these two arms of the United Nations peacebuilding architecture are playing a pivotal and indispensable role in supporting the consolidation of peace in Liberia. The Liberian Government considers its engagement with the Commission to be constructive and rewarding. It is indeed a valuable complement to the joint efforts of the Government and the United Nations family as a whole, with particular recognition given to the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) to build sustainable peace in the country and promote stability in the West African subregion. We are broadly supportive of the policy orientations of the Commission and of the activities undertaken over the past year, as well as the suggested focus for the future, which are described in the report. In particular, we believe that the Commission should continue its association with efforts to implement the recommendations of the Secretary-General’s report on civilian capacity in the aftermath of conflict, considering that capacity deficits are prevalent in most, if not all, of the countries on its agenda. The Commission’s outreach to and interaction with political and regional groupings, international financial institutions such as the World Bank and the African Development Bank, and United Nations agencies are not only supported but strongly encouraged in order to optimize coordination and the complementarity of assistance to post-conflict countries. The Commission’s relationship with the Security Council merits special mention. My delegation concurs with the observation in the report that additional efforts need to be made on both sides in order to strengthen the relationship and allow the Commission to enhance its advisory role. In that regard, Liberia believes that the country-specific briefings to the Council by the Chairs of the configurations should be institutionalized, considering that some of the countries are also on the Council’s agenda. An overview of Liberia’s engagement with the PBC is well and accurately presented in paragraphs 75 to 82 of the Commission’s report. Allow me nevertheless to amplify a few points. First, the principle of national ownership is well grounded in the Commission’s work in Liberia. The peacebuilding priorities identified by the Liberian Government reflect a national consensus which has been verified on the ground through visits to Liberia by the Chairperson and the configuration as well as the PBF Advisory Group. The three priorities — the rule of law, security sector reform and national reconciliation — underpin the activities which comprise the Liberia priority plan for peace. The second point is that the reforms undertaken by the Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO), including the decision to use national frameworks in articulating the Commission’s commitments and interventions, were successfully introduced in Liberia. The time frame from the submission of Liberia’s request, in May 2010, to be placed on the PBC’s agenda to the adoption of the statement of mutual commitments for peacebuilding, in November 2010, was significantly shortened by some six months. In addition, the rapid release of funds by the PBF enabled partners to initiate a core justice and security project. Here, I would like to extend well-deserved appreciation to the Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support, Ms. Judy Cheng-Hopkins, and the staff of the PBSO and the PBF for their support and for the guidance which they continue to provide to the Liberian configuration, the Liberian Permanent Mission here in New York and the Peacebuilding Office in our capital, Monrovia. The technical programmatic assistance provided is highly valued. A third point worthy of mention is the tremendous effort made to ensure that the Commission’s work in New York is intricately linked to field realities. The report mentions regular field visits and videoconferencing, which served as the means for the Chair and the configuration to maintain effective liaison with and to participate in decision-making by the field-based Joint Steering Committee. Those visits also afforded opportunities to consult with Government authorities, the donor community on the ground and a cross section of Liberian civil society, including in rural areas. In addition, the Chair also undertook outreach activities, which included sensitization visits to Washington, D.C., for consultations with the authorities of the United States Government, the World Bank and civil society, and the European Union in Brussels. Preliminary steps were also taken towards collaboration with the Economic Community of West African States. Complementary to those efforts was the active participation of a number of Member States in the steering group established by the Chair. As representatives may be aware, in the midst of all those positive initiatives, the Permanent Representative of Jordan, Prince Zeid Ra’ad Zeid Al-Hussein, has been obliged, on account of ill health, to relinquish the position of Chair of the Liberian configuration. I wish to convey, on behalf of my Government and in my own name, deep appreciation to him for the commitment and personal interest that he showed in Liberia. His foresight, dedication, experience and deep insight were attributes that contributed to the measure of success achieved in the partnership between Liberia and the PBC. He became the distinct face of the peacebuilding engagement in Liberia, and has left a solid foundation, which, expectedly, will be built upon by his successor. My fourth point relates to the catalytic role of the Peacebuilding Fund. I wish to express appreciation to the donors that have provided support to the PBF in order to sustain activities up to 2012. I encourage the international community to ensure that the PBF can continue its investment in peace throughout 2013, and beyond. The Fund’s resources have facilitated many activities, including the establishment of the Land Commission to address the source of the most serious, frequent and numerous conflicts in Liberia, which is land ownership. As a result of the success of its work, the Land Commission is now benefiting from more diverse donor support. The same is true of other activities, such as the radio and drama programmes in local dialects that help Liberians, including Liberian women, to know and exercise their rights and the peace huts that provide space for communities to remain engaged in the peaceful resolution of conflicts. In the area of the rule of law, training programmes have been conducted for magistrates and corrections and immigration officers, who are being deployed to the counties and border areas to ensure more effective administration of justice in the rural areas. A national youth volunteer service has been launched to respond to the priority area of youth unemployment. Trained youth are being assigned to various counties to work within the local administrations. Perhaps the most prominent of the programmes launched with PBF resources are the five justice and security hubs that are to be constructed in the counties to decentralize law enforcement and make justice mechanisms more accessible to the rural people. The first hub in Gbarnga, scheduled for completion in April, and the new central prison under construction on the outskirts of Monrovia have been prioritized among the deliverables of the first 150 days of the President’s second Administration, which began in mid-January. I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the many challenges that still lie ahead for Liberia. The mobilization of resources to meet the requirements of the activities under the priority peace plan is the most pressing of the challenges, especially where it concerns funding of the remaining four justice and security hubs. Developing the technical civilian capacity, particularly in the security sector, to man and manage the hubs, as well as to contribute to the smooth transition of responsibilities from UNMIL to the Government, is another daunting task. The sustainability of the investment in peace in Liberia is a concern that my Government is committed to addressing. The Commission faces the challenge of working closely with the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the Department of Field Support, as well as members of the United Nations country team, in particular the United Nations Office for Project Services and the United Nations Development Programme, to build synergies between peacekeeping and peacebuilding on the ground as the plan for a reconfiguration of UNMIL crystallizes. That will mark a critical turning point for Liberia, and it will be important to synchronize time frames and activities to ensure that the transition is as seamless as possible. For future peace, there is the challenge of developing a national reconciliation strategy that addresses the root causes of the Liberian conflict and sets out to mend rifts in the fabric of the national society. Reconciliation should be home grown. Nevertheless, it can benefit from technical and political support to help Liberians reckon with the difficult episodes of their past. I also take this opportunity to thank the friends and partners of Liberia for their support, and appeal to them to stay the course with us. We say to them that they cannot grow tired or weary when they are doing well.

I would first of all like to express my gratitude to Ambassador Eugène-Richard Gasana, Permanent Representative of Rwanda to the United Nations, for his leadership and remarkable work at the head of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) in 2011 and to thank him for his presentation of the report of the Peacebuilding Commission on its fifth session (A/66/675), which we endorse. Allow me also to congratulate Ambassador Abdul Momen, Permanent Representative of Bangladesh, on his assumption of the chairmanship of the PBC for the year 2012 and to assure him of our full cooperation. I would like to convey our thanks to the Secretary-General for his report on the work of the Peacebuilding Fund (A/66/659). My delegation aligns itself with the statement made by the representative of Tunisia on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement. We underscore the role played by Brazil as Chair of the Guinea-Bissau configuration and endorse the statement made by the representative of that country this morning. Since Guinea-Bissau’s placement on the agenda of the Peacebuilding Commission in 2007, my country has benefited from its training and assistance. That has made it possible for us to achieve very positive and satisfying results in the area of peacebuilding, while recognizing that there are still many challenges to overcome. Owing to reforms undertaken in the context of peacebuilding, in recent years, Guinea-Bissau has been able to record progressive economic growth despite a very tight world economic climate. We have strengthened and improved the fight against drug trafficking and transnational crime, which has significantly reduced that scourge today. However, we should recall that international efforts are decisive for a more effective fight at the national and subregional levels, as, for example, in the context of the West Africa Coast Initiative. The reform of the defence and security sectors is an essential aspect of the peacebuilding process in my country and remains the highest priority of the Government of Guinea-Bissau. We therefore hope that conditions will soon be in place for us to move to the implementation phase through the upcoming launching of the special pension fund, which will make it possible to start the demobilization of elements of the armed forces and the security sector. In order to do that ,we hope to benefit as soon as possible from the disbursement of the funds promised by our partners, and we hope that others will join us in that process. In that context, the role of the PBC in the awareness-raising of partners is of vital importance. We are very happy to learn from the report of the innovative actions of the PBC, particularly the establishment of a partnership between the PBC and the African Development Bank, which will certainly be very useful for the countries on the PBC’s agenda. I would like to conclude by expressing the deep gratitude of the Government of Guinea-Bissau to all the countries and organizations that, on a voluntary basis, provide their financial contributions to the Peacebuilding Fund. It is thanks to them that peace is being consolidated in our countries, particularly in Guinea-Bissau.

I would like to thank the President for his initiative to convene this meeting, as well as to commend the manner in which our work has been led since this morning. In welcoming the extremely detailed and thorough report of the Secretary-General on the Peacebuilding Fund (A/66/659), which is the topic of our debate today, I wish to pay well-deserved tribute to His Excellency Mr. Eugène-Richard Gasana, Permanent Representative of Rwanda, for his leadership as former Chairperson of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC), as well as His Excellency Mr. Abulkalam Abdul Momen, Permanent Representative of Bangladesh, as the new Chairperson. My country, the Central African Republic, which is fragile in its post-conflict phase, has been included on the Peacebuilding Commission’s agenda since 2008. After initial financing that year, $20 million was allocated in 2010 to be used in three areas, namely, security, which includes disarmament, demobilization and reintegration, the building of barracks and security sector reform; the rule of law and good governance, with an emphasis on guaranteeing access to justice for the most vulnerable, and including human rights; and the empowerment of communities affected by conflicts, in particular women, children and youth. It should be recalled that those areas are perfectly aligned with the priorities set by the Government. In the context of the financial crisis, where there has been a dearth of available financing, the Central African Republic welcomes and greatly appreciates the important contribution of the Peacebuilding Fund, which is much needed by the country in its constant effort to meet the needs of its people and combat poverty. Those projects will certainly have a real impact on the beneficiary populations in the areas of intervention. We would like to see the Peacebuilding Fund improved so that perhaps it may be more efficient, if not yield better results. That is the reason for which we would like to express our wish that there be a genuine partnership between the State and the PBC. It is only by working together that will we be able to achieve the results on the goals we have set and carry them forward, thereby reducing the risk of failure, which would entail countless consequences. In conclusion, we hope that the Peacebuilding Commission and His Excellency Mr. Jan Grauls, Chair of the Central African Republic configuration, will accept our deep gratitude for their commitment and their steadfast assistance in the process of achieving peace and development in the Central African Republic.

At the outset, my delegation aligns itself with the statement delivered this morning by the representative of Tunisia on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement. I should now like to make the following statement in my national capacity. Allow me to thank the Secretary-General and the Chairperson and members of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) for the comprehensive report (A/66/659) on the Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) and the report of the Peacebuilding Commission (A/66/675), as mandated by resolutions 63/282 and 60/180, respectively. Sierra Leone warmly welcomes the reports, which, among other things, accurately reflect the programmes and activities of the PBF and the work of the Peacebuilding Commission in Siena Leone, and respond to resolution 65/7, which requests the Commission to reflect in its annual reports the progress made in taking forward the recommendations contained in the co-facilitators report on the 2010 review (A/64/868, annex). Let me also thank the former Chairperson of the PBC, the Permanent Representative of Rwanda, for steering the work of the Commission in an excellent way during his tenure, as well as for his support of the work of the Chair and members of the Sierra Leone configuration. In a similar vein, I would like to welcome the new Chairperson of the PBC, the Permanent Representative of Bangladesh, and assure him of Sierra Leone’s support. We note and commend the Chairperson’s road map for actions in 2011, which focused on taking forward the relevant recommendations from the 2010 review. We also appreciate the continued support of the country-specific configurations of the PBC for countries on the agenda by providing political advocacy and support, fostering coherence among key actors, and intensifying efforts for resource mobilization We acknowledge the effort made by the PBC in taking forward the recommendations of the 2010 review of the United Nations peacebuilding architecture, in particular the Commission’s initiation of activities on the path towards strengthening its impact and demonstrating value added, both in the field and as a policy platform, for the normative development of the peacebuilding discourse in the United Nations and beyond. We further note the progress made by the Commission through its interaction with regional, subregional and international financial institutions, United Nations entities and the private sector, as well as by experience-sharing by countries that have successfully gone through State-building and peacebuilding, which should be built upon in achieving coherence and coordination and in rallying the relevant actors for early and successful peacebuilding. In that regard, we note the efforts of the Commission in strengthening its relationship with United Nations operational entities and international financial institutions, and, more important, its efforts in strengthening linkages with the principal organs of the United Nations. We encourage the Commission to continue to interact with the World Bank, the African Development Bank, regional organizations and operational actors of the United Nations system in strengthening their partnership and aligning activities, with a view to enhancing complementarity and coherence among actors in the countries on the agenda. That is important because it essentially has the potential to strengthen the Commission’s political advocacy and resource mobilization efforts and address transnational organized crime and drug trafficking. We also note the Commission’s adoption of the statement of mutual commitments in Liberia and Guinea as the new instruments of engagement in line with the findings of the 2010 review on the advantages of a single overarching planning document that includes well-defined peacebuilding elements. Clearly, there is a need for the Commission to promote poverty reduction strategy papers that adequately reflect peacebuilding and State-building priorities. Along those lines, the Commission should take into account the transition phases of peacebuilding and seamlessly adopt the different forms of engagement at every phase. We urge the Commission to continue building on the contributions to the work of the Senior Advisory Group, in particular in improving the United Nations contribution to strengthening national capacities for peacebuilding. The fundamental principle of national ownership and the importance of supporting national civilian capacity development and institution-building will no doubt broaden and deepen the pool of civilian expertise for peacebuilding in the immediate aftermath of conflict. In that regard, the Commission should monitor and make recommendations for the implementation of the Secretary-General’s civilian capacity review and assess its practical implications for national capacity-building in critical peacebuilding priority areas. It is clearly important to emphasize that countries emerging from conflict need an institution like the PBC to serve as a platform to support the country with advice and by raising its profile internationally, building trust and dialogue among the various national stakeholders, and mobilizing financial resources for immediate and long-term peacebuilding priorities, including support to democratic and governance institutions. However, the PBC’s record on resource mobilization remains mixed. In that regard, the PBC should consider what the appropriate goals in the area of resource mobilization should be, including whether it can make a contribution in other areas, such as aid management, aid coordination, technical assistance and outreach to the philanthropic and private sectors. In that respect, the wider membership of the Peacebuilding Commission should work to identify clearer ways in which it can concretely contribute to peacebuilding in the countries on the agenda. In that regard, the report should incorporate the initial findings of the Working Group on Lessons Learned, as well as inputs from the views expressed by Member States on the need to develop a field-centric approach, ensuring the timely and predictable financing of peacebuilding activities over the medium to long term. We acknowledge and appreciate the role of the Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO), which remains crucial for the Commission’s efficient functioning through providing assistance in the development of instruments of engagement, assessment of progress towards commitments made therein, or the unblocking of obstacles and identification of opportunities for resource mobilization. The PBC should be clear on what is further expected of the PBSO in its future activities in support of the work of the Commission and the countries on the agenda, especially in enhancing the visibility of the Commission’s work in the field. Sierra Leone has had fruitful engagement with both the PBC and the PBF. As noted in the PBC report, through the relentless effort of the Sierra Leone configuration, as well as donors and development partners, the Commission has made tremendous progress in its peacebuilding efforts, chiefly by aligning the peacebuilding elements of the Agenda for Change of the Government of Sierra Leone with the Joint Vision of the United Nations country team and resource mobilization efforts. In that regard, we express profound appreciation to all our donors that continue to invest in successful peacebuilding elements aligned to our development framework. The recent financial contribution made by Australia, Canada, Italy and the United States of America towards addressing the funding gap in the implementation of the Agenda for Change is testimony to those countries’ commitment to ensuring successful peacebuilding through the support of national development frameworks. The Agenda for Change provides a strong partnership link between Sierra Leone and the United Nations and the donor community. To date, its implementation has had a great impact on peacebuilding and in laying the foundation for opening the path to sustainable development and peace consolidation. Furthermore, through the country-specific configuration and the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Sierra Leone, the PBC provided a platform for enhanced dialogue among political parties and all national stakeholders with a clear commitment to ensuring durable peace and stability. Today, Sierra Leone is considered a best practice in donor coordination. Through engagement with the PBC, the PBF released $35 million in 2007 as catalytic funding to support well-defined peacebuilding initiatives, including contributions to the reparation of war victims, the Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone, emergency support to the energy sector, youth enterprise development, good governance, the rule of law and public service delivery. That was followed by a second envelope of $7 million to enhance political dialogue and the participation of civil society in the political process leading up to the 2012 elections, among others. Essentially, the PBF contributed to a visible peace dividend, and its impact on peacebuilding cannot be overestimated. According to a recent independent evaluation, such contributions also proved effective. However, the PBF funding mechanism is designed to kick-start the pilot phase of key peacebuilding projects. That requires additional and sustained support for such projects to be fully developed. The PBF’s catalytic funding mechanism remains crucial to preventing a relapse into conflict. We therefore thank the Member States whose contributions have led to a significant increase in the Peacebuilding Fund  — from $31.3 million to $66.73 million. We urge other Member States that are in a position to contribute to the Fund to invest in achieving durable peace and stability. However, there is a need to develop greater synergy among the PBF, the PBSO and the Peacebuilding Commission. The New Deal for International Engagement in Fragile States, recently agreed in Busan, as well as the publication of the World Development Report 2011 and the ongoing work on peacebuilding at the United Nations, provide an opportunity for countries undergoing transition or post-conflict recovery to have their voices, perspectives and needs better heard at the United Nations. The Peacebuilding Commission, as a whole, should serve as a global platform for such discussions, while the country-specific configurations should provide political support for field-level implementation. The Chair of the Sierra Leone configuration, Ambassador Guillermo Rishchynski, visited Sierra Leone in January this year. His report and briefing on the configuration underscored the progress made in addressing key peacebuilding priorities and the need for enduring support, particularly in the area of youth unemployment and empowerment, building the capacity of the police, and strong private sector growth that could translate into a more tangible peace dividend and sustainable peace consolidation. Let me also express Sierra Leone’s gratitude to the Chair of the Sierra Leone configuration for his unreserved commitment towards achieving Sierra Leone’s peacebuilding objectives, along with our development transformation goals. In conclusion, as one of the first countries on the PBC agenda, Sierra Leone has charted a path from which others can potentially learn. That has involved adjusting early approaches in order to make more effective use of PBC resources, lowering the bureaucratic burden placed on the Government and ensuring better alignment with national priorities. It has also entailed a shift in the perspective from heavy field-level engagement, with an operational focus, to a more political role that concentrates on how the PBC can serve as an international platform for advocacy and action on all aspects of peacebuilding.

Norway is member of the Organizational Committee of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) and a major contributor to the Peacebuilding Fund (PBF). My country attaches great importance to the peacebuilding architecture of the United Nations. Much has been achieved over the past few years and my delegation is grateful for the active role played by the past and the present Chairs of the Organizational Committee. Yet, it is a fact that the PBC is, as emphasized by Switzerland, relatively new and has to prove its added value. We therefore need to explore ways to enhance its impact. One way of doing so is to bring the Chairs of the different country configurations into closer dialogue with the Security Council. Norway appreciates the efforts to bring the PBC closer to the concrete experiences of African countries in post-conflict peacebuilding, as well as to initiate dialogue between the PBC and regional institutions in Africa. We would also like to highlight the common meeting of the Organizational Committee of the PBC and the Executive Board of UN Women. One of the conclusions of that meeting was to initiate country-specific discussions on the progress and challenges of integrating women into peacebuilding. Indeed, the PBC and its configurations can play an important role in securing an effective follow-up to Security Council resolution 1325 (2000). Let me highlight two issues from the report we have in front of us (A/66/675). One of the overarching recommendations from the 2010 review (A/64/868, annex) was to enhance the interaction and the impact between the Commission and the field. The way we see it, the country-specific configurations should work as a type of support group for the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and the United Nations country teams on the ground. We think that this approach could have been highlighted even more in the report. Secondly, we value all the work on resource mobilization that has been done, in particular in the country-specific configurations. At the same time, we must be candid. Due to severe financial constraints, the prospects for increased aid are dim. We would encourage new partners and emerging Powers to increase their support. Let me stress that we are pleased with the broadening of the donor base of the Peacebuilding Fund. The PBF plays an essential role in furthering the United Nations peacebuilding agenda. The Fund’s focus on countries low on the donor radar, its swiftness, willingness to take risk and its large donor base constitute the Fund’s main strengths and added value. Furthermore, considerable progress has been made in establishing the PBF as an effective and accountable funding mechanism. We thank the Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support, Ms. Judy Cheng-Hopkins, and her staff for their great efforts to that end, and encourage a continued focus on further strengthening the management and follow-up of the PBF. The PBF has obviously demonstrated its added value. We support the Fund’s emphasis on countries on the PBC’s agenda and the Group of Seven Plus countries, while we fully agree to include other countries as well. We would also like to highlight the close partnership that the PBF has established with other United Nations funds and programmes and the World Bank. We note from the Secretary-General’s report (A/66/659) that the Fund will need to work harder in order to attain the goal of a 15 per cent allocation focused on women’s specific needs. We look forward to rapid progress in that regard. Norway made a new contribution to the PBF last year of $5 million, and we are currently assessing the possibility of providing more funds in 2012.

We have heard the last speaker in the debate on these items for this meeting. The Assembly has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of agenda items 31 and 111.

The Assembly will now consider the report of the Fifth Committee on sub-item (b) of agenda item 115, entitled “Appointment of members of the Committee on Contributions”. In order for the Assembly to consider the report of the Fifth Committee under the sub-item, it will be necessary to reopen consideration of sub item (b) of agenda item 115. May I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to reopen consideration of sub-item (b) of agenda item 115 and to proceed immediately to its consideration?

In paragraph 3 of the report contained in document A/66/540/Add.1, the Fifth Committee recommends that the General Assembly appoint Mr. Kazuo Watanabe of Japan and Mr. Dae-jong Yoo of the Republic of Korea as members of the Committee on Contributions for a term of office beginning on 19 March 2012 and ending on 31 December 2012 and 31 December 2014, respectively. May I take it that it is the wish of the Assembly to appoint Mr. Kazuo Watanabe of Japan and Mr. Dae-jong Yoo of the Republic of Korea as members of the Committee on Contributions for a term of office beginning on 19 March 2012 and ending on 31 December 2012 and 31 December 2014, respectively?

May I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to conclude its consideration of sub-item (b) of agenda item 115?

In paragraph 3 of the report contained in document A/66/746, the Fifth Committee recommends that the General Assembly appoint Mr. Luis Mariano Hermosillo of Mexico as a member of the International Civil Service Commission for a term of office beginning on 19 March 2012 and ending on 31 December 2013. May I take it that it is the wish of the Assembly to appoint Mr. Luis Mariano Hermosillo of Mexico as a member of the International Civil Service Commission for a term of office beginning on 19 March 2012 and ending on 31 December 2013?

May I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to conclude its consideration of sub item (l) of agenda item 115?