A/73/PV.81 General Assembly

Before proceeding to the items on our agenda, I would like, in keeping with established practice, to draw the attention of the General Assembly to document A/73/722/Add.5, in which the Secretary-General informs the President of the General Assembly that, since the issuance of his communication contained in document A/73/722/Add.4, Libya has made the payment necessary to reduce its arrears below the amount specified in Article 19 of the Charter. May I take it that the General Assembly duly takes note of the information contained in document A/73/722/Add.5?

I now give the floor to the representative of Romania, former Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission.

I must admit that rarely have I spoken to such a fully packed room. However, I believe it is not the number that matters but the quality of the people in the room. It is an honour and a privilege to be with members today in my capacity as former Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) to present the annual report of the PBC, this year on its twelfth session (A/73/724). The twelfth session marked another significant year for the Peacebuilding Commission. Building on progress achieved over past years, in 2018 the Commission strengthened its advisory, bridging and convening roles, thereby reinforcing its contribution to supporting conflict-affected countries and other countries the PBC engaged with on the basis of the principle of national ownership. I should like to highlight some of the most relevant Peacebuilding Commission activities during its twelfth session. In connection with its advisory role, the Peacebuilding Commission regularly provided advice to each parent bodies, that is, the General Assembly and the Security Council. In relation to the Security Council, the Commission sustained its engagement in the Sahel region to assist, as appropriate, the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel in mobilizing relevant stakeholders to advance the implementation of the United Nations Integrated Strategy for the Sahel. With a view to providing comprehensive inputs to the Council, the Commission convened several meetings on the Sahel. In March 2018, I attended, together with the Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support, the Permanent Representative of Chad to the United Nations and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel, the sixth meeting of the Ministerial Coordination Platform for the Sahel, held in Chad. At that meeting, I assured participants of the Commission’s commitment to sustaining international attention and support to the countries of the Sahel region and to helping enhance coherence and coordination among national, regional and international partners. I also took that opportunity to visit concrete projects financed by the Peacebuilding Fund, meet local communities and gain an in-depth understanding of realities and needs on the ground. I must say that I was deeply impressed by the Chadian people’s resilience and commitment to peace and development. In addition, the Commission contributed to the Security Council’s deliberations on countries on the agenda of both bodies, including Burundi, the Central Africa Republic, Guinea-Bissau and Liberia, by sharing timely, targeted and comprehensive peacebuilding perspectives. The Council and the Commission also convened an informal interactive dialogue in June 2018 to explore practical ways to enhance the advisory role of the PBC to the Council during the formation, review and drawdown of peacebuilding operations and special political mission mandates. The meeting, which discussed several country-specific examples, highlighted that the PBC is uniquely positioned to provide broad, diverse, long-term and coherent peacebuilding perspectives to the Council upon its request. During the twelfth session, progress was also achieved regarding the Commission’s advisory role to the General Assembly. Early in the year, the Commission had an enriching exchange of views with the President of the General Assembly on the objective and expected outcome of the high-level meeting of the General Assembly on peacebuilding and sustaining peace, held in April 2018 (see A/72/PV.87). In follow- up to that meeting and in the implementation of the two new resolutions on peacebuilding and sustaining peace (General Assembly resolution 72/276 and Security Council resolution 2413 (2018)) that the Assembly adopted after the high-level meeting, the Commission convened thematic meetings on coherence, financing, leadership and partnerships to advance, explore and consider the implementation of the recommendations and options contained in the report of the Secretary- General on peacebuilding and sustaining peace (A/72/707). The Commission transmitted the main findings of those meetings to the General Assembly and the Security Council, with the recommendation that the Assembly and the Commission convene informal interactive dialogues in 2019. I was pleased that this recommendation led to the informal interactive dialogue on peacebuilding and sustaining peace on 26 March. I wish to encourage the Assembly and the Commission to consider convening more interactive dialogues with a view to further discussing peacebuilding issues. In connection with its bridging role, the Commission continued to work with the General Assembly, the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council towards an integrated, strategic and coherent approach to peacebuilding while respecting the mandates of each body. In relation to the Economic and Social Council, for example, a joint meeting was convened in November last year to discuss the linkages between climate change and the challenges to peacebuilding and sustaining peace in the Sahel region. The meeting, which took place one day after the Commission’s annual session, which was also devoted to the Sahel, responded to the increased interest among Member States in supporting efforts to build and sustain peace in the Sahel. I am grateful to the President of the Economic and Social Council and to all members of the PBC and the Council for their support and their contributions to the success of that joint meeting. The dialogue with the Economic and Social Council also benefited from a briefing I provided in July on the lessons the Commission had learned in supporting African countries under its consideration, in which I noted, inter alia, the paramount importance of national ownership and leadership in peacebuilding efforts, as well as the continued commitment of the Commission to the gender dimension of peacebuilding. In addition to the work done at the intergovernmental level, the Commission continued to foster greater coherence, coordination and synergy in the work of the United Nations in peacebuilding and sustaining peace, including between headquarters and the field. In the implementation of the resolutions on the review of the peacebuilding architecture, the Commission continued to utilize its convening platform to foster partnerships with relevant actors. Throughout the last session, the Commission continued its efforts to improve its relations with regional and subregional organizations as appropriate, in particular with the African Union. In July, the Commission convened an informal interactive dialogue with the Peace and Security Council of the African Union. That meeting provided an excellent opportunity to discuss relevant regional and country- specific issues, as well as areas of cooperation between the two organizations in support of peacebuilding and sustaining peace in Africa. The Commission is also working towards stronger cooperation with international financial institutions. In October, together with the Special Representative for West Africa and the Sahel and the Assistant Secretary- General for Peacebuilding Support, I visited the African Development Bank, in Abidjan, to discuss areas of cooperation in Africa, particularly in the Sahel. On the same occasion, I had meetings with high-level authorities, civil society representatives, diplomatic communities and United Nations country teams in Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, the Gambia and Burkina Faso. Throughout the visit, I also discussed opportunities for the Commission to serve as a platform in support of national peacebuilding priorities. If partnerships are to be truly effective, they must be built around nationally identified priorities. In this regard, the Commission continued to convene country- specific and regional discussions, with the consent of all countries concerned, to provide a platform to a broad range of countries to share their priorities and challenges on peacebuilding issues, as well as to engage with relevant actors within and outside of the United Nations system. For example, the Commission’s discussions on the situation in Guinea-Bissau were informed by, in addition to the briefings by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and other actors of the United Nations system, interventions from representatives of the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States and the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries. The Commission engaged actively in dialogue with high-level national actors, who articulated and presented their specific peacebuilding priorities, touching on such aspects as social cohesion, national reconciliation, education and skills training, health, agriculture and other topics. The PBC continued its efforts to sustain international attention, help mobilize resources and ensure coordinated support to peacebuilding and sustaining peace. I recall, for example, the high- level meeting on the situation in the Gambia last April, at which the President of the Gambia briefed the Commission. Among other things, the PBC also exercised its convening role in support of electoral processes, as in Sierra Leone and Guinea-Bissau, and the transition to peacebuilding, as in Liberia. Since the countries considered by the Commission are also recipients of support from the Peacebuilding Fund, these meetings also served to strengthen the synergies between the Commission and the Fund. The Commission received updates on Peacebuilding Fund investments at the regional and country-specific levels in support of peacebuilding priorities discussed by the Commission. In addition, the Chair of the Peacebuilding Fund Advisory Group briefed the Commission on the status of implementation of the PBF strategic plan and on efforts to mobilize resources in response to the Secretary-General’s call for a quantum leap in funding. I am delighted with the broad Member State support for the mutually reinforcing relationship between the PBC and the PBF. The PBC annual session, which last focused on the Sahel region, continues to represent an important forum for the Commission to engage the countries in the Sahel region in discussing ways to strengthen national ownership and foster partnerships and coherence while listening to the needs of the countries concerned. The progress achieved by the Peacebuilding Commission has been possible thanks to the commitment of its members and the increasingly common practice of the General Assembly and the Security Council to seek the advice of the Commission, as well as to the growing interest among Member States to approach the PBC and seek its support for nationally led peacebuilding efforts. Let me conclude by warmly congratulating Ambassador Fernández de Soto Valderrama, the Permanent Representative of Colombia and current Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission, for the excellent work done so far, and by expressing my deep gratitude to the Peacebuilding Support Office for its dedicated and tireless support to the Commission. As Vice-Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission this year, together with Egypt, Romania remains fully committed to supporting the Chair in further strengthening the Commission and to contributing to the consolidation of peacebuilding and sustaining peace. My final words are a personal thank you to all representatives of States Members of the United Nations their trust, support and advice during Romania’s previous tenure as PBC Chair and current role as Vice-Chair of the Commission.

I now give the floor to the Permanent Representative of Colombia, who will speak in his capacity as the current Chairperson of the Peacebuilding Commission. Mr. Fernández de Soto Valderrama (Colombia), Chairperson of the Peacebuilding Commission (spoke in Spanish): At the outset, I wish to commend Romania, and Ambassador Jinga in particular, on their excellent work chairing the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) in 2018. Under the leadership of Ambassador Jinga and Romania, the Commission continued to demonstrate its value as a body dedicated to supporting peacebuilding and to sustaining piece. As I mentioned in my inaugural statement to the PBC, it is Colombia’s intention to ensure that 2019 is another successful year for peacebuilding and sustaining peace. We will be guided by Colombia’s recent history, our experience in building peace, our commitment to the principle of national ownership and our trust in the United Nations peacebuilding architecture, based both on our experience as member of the PBC and as a recipient of support from the Peacebuilding Fund. We are grateful to count on the support of all members of the PBC, and in particular that of Egypt and Romania as Vice-Chairs of the Commission, as well as that of the Peacebuilding Support Office, under the leadership of Assistant Secretary-General Oscar Fernandez-Taranco. I should like to share with the Assembly a few of the Commission’s priorities for 2019, starting with national ownership. The work of the PBC remains solidly anchored in the principle of national ownership. The Commission represents a space where countries can share their peacebuilding experiences, raise visibility for their priorities and engage with relevant partners in seeking support. This happens only at the request of the countries concerned. Following this model, the Commission has engaged with an increasing number of countries. The model also allows the Commission to develop and share good practices in peacebuilding. Having discussed countries as diverse as Burundi, Kyrgyzstan, Sri Lanka and my own country at its meetings, the Commission has shown that despite the fact that we all hail from different part of the world and be at different stages in our histories, each country can nonetheless benefit from the experience of others. I see such exchanges as one of the most valuable contributions of the PBC. Secondly, allow me to highlight the advisory and bridging role of the PBC. The Commission brings together States members of the General Assembly, the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council. This arrangement was intended to strengthen synergies between the various parts of the United Nations system in discussing peacebuilding issues, while always respecting the mandate of each individual body. I am encouraged to see progress in the way the Commission works with these three bodies. With the General Assembly, we convened an informal interactive dialogue on peacebuilding and sustaining peace in March. That meeting provided an opportunity for Member States to discuss priority areas for the peacebuilding work of the United Nations. I wish to thank the President of the General Assembly for having agreed to organize that important meeting. I also wish to encourage Member States to explore ways to pursue this dialogue between the General Assembly and the Peacebuilding Commission. In relation to the Security Council, in February the Vice-Chairs of the PBC, the Assistant Secretary- General for Peacebuilding Support and I attended an informal interactive dialogue organized by the Council prior to its visit to Burkina Faso and Mali. At that meeting, we briefed Council members on the work of the PBC and the Peacebuilding Fund in the Sahel region and highlighted a number of peacebuilding priorities and challenges for the consideration of the Security Council. I am pleased to see an increased number of channels through which the PBC is able to share its advice with the Security Council, including informal briefings, written submissions and interactive dialogues. I wish to encourage the members of the Security Council that are also members of the PBC to continue exploring opportunities for the Commission to share comprehensive and timely peacebuilding advice with the Council as appropriate. The PBC has also continued to implement the mandate entrusted to it by the Security Council to support the Sahel region. Earlier this month, Egypt, in its capacity as Vice-Chair of the Commission, attended the seventh meeting of the Ministerial Coordination Platform for the Sahel, held in Chad, and acted as a forum to discuss ways in which the PBC can work with the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel to strengthen commitment and partnership between the United Nations, the countries of the Sahel and other international and regional partners with a view to advancing the implementation of the United Nations Integrated Strategy for the Sahel. In relation to the Economic and Social Council, I met with its President and discussed areas of common interest to advance the country-specific and regional discussions convened over the past few years. Consultations are currently under way on the next joint event, to be held in the second half of 2019. I turn now to the third priority of the PBC — partnerships. Building on the Commission’s work to date, I intend to further strengthen the partnership between the PBC and regional and subregional organizations, in particular the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States. As agreed during the informal interactive dialogue with the African Union Peace and Security Council, another informal interactive dialogue will be convened in Addis Ababa later this year. The partnership with the World Bank is another priority and I, together with the Vice-Chairs, am planning to visit Washington, D.C., in early July. The fourth priority is synergies between the Peacebuilding Commission and the Peacebuilding Fund. Today’s discussion also encompasses the work of the Peacebuilding Fund (PBF). Colombia is a PBF recipient country and therefore decided to share its experience with the Commission. The most significant lesson we have learned from our work with the United Nations in peacebuilding is the need for coordinated support between the recipients and the United Nations system. That is the only way to make peacebuilding more efficient. I believe that the work of the Commission and the Fund go hand in hand. I welcome the interest of the Fund and its independent Advisory Group in working closely with the Commission. In 2019, we invited a member of that Group to brief the Commission, and the Group invited me and the PBC Vice-Chairs to an informal meeting to explore ways to strengthen our cooperation. The fifth priority is gender. The Commission continues to recognize that gender is a key component of peacebuilding. This year, we convened a number of meetings to further advance the implementation of the gender strategy, including a meeting under the auspices of the Commission on the legal and social status of women. At that meeting, the Commission considered how stronger gender-responsive approaches to the design and implementation of social protection systems in conflict-affected areas can improve the mobility of women and girls, thereby enhancing their ability to contribute to peacebuilding and sustaining peace initiatives in the countries concerned. I wish to encourage Member States to continue prioritizing the gender dimension in the context of peacebuilding. Finally, during the 2020 review of the peacebuilding architecture — to be conducted next year — the General Assembly and the Security Council will reassess the work of the United Nations entrusted to it. Since 2016, the Commission has focused on implementing the key recommendations of the previous review. It seems to me the most frequently used word in the presentations of the Commission’s annual reports is “progress”. Indeed, the Commission has taken significant steps to implement the twin resolutions of 2016 (General Assembly resolution 70/262 and Security Council resolution 2282 (2016)) and we look forward to the next review to formally take stock of that progress and to explore alternatives to further strengthen the organizations’ peacebuilding work. The Commission will hold a meeting next week to launch an informal discussion on the terms of reference for the review, which will be submitted to the General Assembly and the Security Council. Supporting countries in their efforts to build and sustain peace is a challenging task. I am encouraged to see the Commission become a more robust instrument at the disposal of Member States. An ever-growing number of countries are turning to the Commission for support and guidance on peacebuilding matters. The General Assembly and the Security Council are increasingly seeking the advice of the Commission. Partnership with actors both within the United Nations system and beyond are growing. I trust from these important signs that we need to further strengthen our work in peacebuilding and sustaining peace.

I now give the floor to the observer of the European Union.

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union (EU). I thank the President of the General Assembly for having convened today’s debate on the annual report of the Peacebuilding Commission (A/73/724), on its twelfth session, and on the Secretary-General’s report on the Peacebuilding Fund (A/73/829). This provides an excellent occasion to take stock of the achievements made in the past year and look towards the challenges ahead. Conflict prevention and peacebuilding are at the heart of the EU’s external action. The EU’s strategic vision is to support the multilateral system and join forces with our partners who believe that only international cooperation can contribute to a better world. For the EU, full respect for international law, international cooperation and partnership is a matter both of values and of pragmatism. We are committed to working in a spirit of partnership through the multilateral system, with the United Nations at its core. The year 2018 marked an important milestone in promoting peacebuilding and sustaining peace, and in reinforcing the role of the Peacebuilding Commission and the effectiveness of the United Nations peace and security architecture as a whole. We are encouraged by the progress achieved, including through the diverse activities of the Peacebuilding Commission, which continues to play a bridging role in integrating cross- pillar action at the United Nations, and therefore merits sustained support from the entire membership. We would like to see these efforts continue, as stipulated in the resolutions adopted by consensus by the General Assembly (resolution 72/276) and the Security Council (resolution 2413 (2018)) last April, reconfirming the twin 2016 resolutions on the peacebuilding architecture of the United Nations (General Assembly resolution 70/262 and Security Council resolution 2282 (2016)). We reiterate our determination, expressed at the high-level meeting on peacebuilding and sustaining peace (see A/72/PV.87), to further peacebuilding activities and sustaining peace, paving the way to the next review of the peacebuilding architecture in 2020. The positive dynamics created by the implementation of the reform of the United Nations provide for better integration and complementarity of peace and security activities with the development and human rights pillars of the United Nations. In this context, we would like to underscore the importance of making the most of the convening power of the Peacebuilding Commission, as well as its advisory role to the General Assembly and the Security Council in all relevant aspects. Building and sustaining peace is inextricably linked to inclusive development, resilience and respect for human rights. Inclusive societies, good governance, the rule of law, an independent judiciary, an accountable security apparatus and a functioning public sector are the best guarantors of sustainable peace and development. In our view, sustaining peace requires that human rights and fundamental freedoms are respected, protected and fulfilled. Our endeavours include the continued promotion of the role of women and youth in peacebuilding and sustaining peace to secure durable results. In this regard, we welcome the continued focus of the Peacebuilding Commission on integrating gender perspectives into peacebuilding and sustaining peace, as foreseen in its own gender strategy. The link between inclusive peacebuilding and community-level engagement, especially with field- based civil society organizations, also needs further attention. Our action should adapt to this reality by jointly enhancing our understanding of complex conflict dynamics and adopting an integrated approach dealing with all phases of the conflict cycle. We would also like to stress the need to work closely with key international and regional partners. In particular, the United Nations partnership with the World Bank is especially important to ensure each organization brings its comparative advantages to sustaining peace, as illustrated by the joint United Nations-World Bank study entitled Pathways for Peace: Inclusive Approaches to Preventing Violent Conflict. Turning to the annual report of the PBC and the Secretary-General’s report on the Peacebuilding Fund before us today, both are comprehensive documents illustrating not only the complexity of the challenges in peacebuilding and financing for peacebuilding, but also the opportunities and the potential impact these activities can have in addressing situations in which the PBC is engaged. We appreciate the work of the Organizational Committee and the Peacebuilding Support Office in guiding the PBC’s work so that it can pursue its forward- looking agenda. We welcome the fact that the PBC has implemented the recommendations pertaining to the review of the peacebuilding architecture and encourage it to pursue the different work streams outlined in the annual report, notably strengthening the bridging role of the PBC among United Nations principal organs and relevant entities; enhancing its collaboration with international financial institutions, regional organizations and the private sector; diversifying its working methods to enhance its efficiency and flexibility in support of peacebuilding and sustaining peace; and, finally, continuing to discuss ways to create stronger synergies between the PBC and the PBF. The EU welcomes the increasingly wider focus of the PBC. The regional, cross-border and thematic issues brought to its attention demonstrate the added value of the PBC as an intergovernmental advisory body that can ensure that national, regional and international peacebuilding efforts are approached in a strategic and coherent fashion. We commend the performance of the country-specific configurations over the past year and the dedicated efforts of all configuration chairs. As a member of all country-specific configurations of the PBC since their inception, the EU is trying to provide the best assistance possible to ensure their success. The Peacebuilding Fund has achieved significant results and continues to demonstrate its important catalytic role in mobilizing resources for peacebuilding. But if we want to achieve the quantum leap advocated by the Secretary-General, we need to provide further support and contributions to the PBF. The EU has financed many peacebuilding actions implemented by United Nations agencies. We now nurture the ambition to become a solid partner of the PBF and are currently considering how our ongoing cooperation could be reinforced by a direct contribution to it. Before concluding, I would like to extend my gratitude to the former Chair and current Vice-Chair of the PBC, Ambassador Ion Jinga of Romania, for his commitment and excellent work. We look forward to continuing to work hand in hand with the current Chair, Ambassador Guillermo Fernández de Soto Valderrama, the Vice-Chairs of the Peacebuilding Commission, the Chairs of the country-specific configurations, the PBC members and the Peacebuilding Support Office. We thank all stakeholders for their dedicated work and cooperation in peacebuilding and sustaining peace.

I thank the President of the General Assembly for having organized this important discussion on peacebuilding and sustaining peace, allowing us to take stock of the work in 2018 of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) and the Peacebuilding Fund (PBF). I also thank the current Chair of the PBC, Ambassador Fernández de Soto Valderrama, for his tireless efforts and congratulate him on a job well done so far. I also want to thank our former Chair, Ambassador Jinga, for his leadership and comprehensive briefing this morning. I also want to pay tribute to Oscar Fernandez- Taranco and his team at the Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO), who are here with us today. Sweden is a strong believer in and supporter of the important work done within both the PBC and the PBF, as described in the two annual reports before us today (A/73/724 and A/73/829). The reports outline an impressive account of our common efforts to promote peacebuilding and sustaining peace. I should like to highlight three points where, as we see it, progress has been particularly significant. First, understanding and appreciation of the potential of the Peacebuilding Commission in a country’s peacebuilding efforts have increased. This has been demonstrated by the meeting held over the past couple of weeks at the requests of the Governments of the Gambia, Burkina Faso and Sri Lanka. Flexible formats and working methods have contributed to this. Secondly, there has been advanced interaction and utilization of the Peacebuilding Commission as an advisory body to the Security Council, including on issues related to transitions. As Chair of the country configuration for Liberia, I would like to highlight the transition period in Liberia as one such example. During this period, the Peacebuilding Commission remained actively engaged in order to accompany the country during the transition. This included close interaction between the Peacebuilding Commission and the Security Council, including as regards the peacebuilding plan. Throughout the process, the Peacebuilding Commission worked towards ensuring inclusive national ownership in the development of the plan by offering venues for dialogue all stakeholders, including civil society, women and youth organizations. Transition is so much more than just bringing troops home when peacekeeping operations end; doing it right can mean the difference between sustained peace and renewed conflict. Thirdly, strengthened partnership between the Peacebuilding Commission and regional organizations and financial institutions is key. One example was last year’s first informal interactive dialogue between the Peacebuilding Commission and the African Union Peace and Security Council during the latter’s visit to New York for its annual meeting with the Security Council. Last year’s joint report of the United Nations and the World Bank, Pathways for Peace: Inclusive Approaches to Preventing Violent Conflict, also contributed to the ongoing efforts to further explore ways of cooperation, and we have seen the presence of World Bank representatives in various Peacebuilding Commission meetings, which we hope will contribute to advancing meaningful outcomes on the ground even further. As one of the largest donors to the Peacebuilding Fund, Sweden welcomes the fact that the synergies between the Commission and the Fund continue to develop. The Peacebuilding Fund has played a crucial role in United Nations peacebuilding activities with its ability to invest in a catalytic and risk-tolerant way. We also commend the focus on gender equality and the fact that 40 per cent of all investments in 2018 supported gender-responsive peacebuilding. Looking ahead, I would also like to highlight three opportunities for the peacebuilding architecture. First is the importance of coordinated peacebuilding activities on the ground. By bringing together national stakeholders, the United Nations country team, regional organizations and financial institutions, as well as donors and other stakeholders, the Peacebuilding Commission provides a platform for discussion that can improve this coordination. In this regard, I would like to encourage a stronger focus on impact on the ground in the reporting of the Peacebuilding Commission’s engagement. This would help improve the understanding of how the PBC and PBF can support nationally owned efforts to build peace and address root causes of conflict. Second is flexible and predictable financing. This is crucial and a constant challenge faced by the peacebuilding and sustaining peace efforts of the United Nations and beyond. To achieve long-term and sustainable financing, increased cooperation with financial institutions, as well as looking at other means of innovative financing, is necessary. A larger donor base is needed in order to take the quantum leap that the Secretary-General has called for and that we very much support. Sweden has doubled its contributions to the PBF over the past two years and we would encourage others to scale up their contributions as well. As the Fund grows, the documentation and communication of results will need to be strengthened further. Third is the importance of an integrated, cross- pillar approach at the country level. We hope that through the Secretary-General’s reform agenda, United Nations country teams and agencies on the ground will have the capacity to identify peacebuilding priorities and undertake joined conflict analysis. Here at Headquarters, the merger of the PBSO into the new Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs will allow for more comprehensive background analysis so that Member States are better informed ahead of PBC meetings. We have already seen improvements and appreciate the timely distribution of concept notes and background information ahead of PBC meetings. Next year, we will again review United Nations peacebuilding activities. Significant strides have been taken in implementing recommendations from the last peacebuilding review, conducted in 2015, and it is now time to harness this progress. But, looking around us at a troubled world, it is clear that we need to continue our efforts towards our common goal of achieving sustainable peace for all.

At the outset, I wish to thank the President of the General Assembly for the opportunity to address the General Assembly during its debate on the annual reports of the Peacebuilding Commission (A/73/724) and the Peacebuilding Fund (A/73/829). I thank Ambassador Ion Jinga for his statement summarizing the activities of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) under his able chairmanship in 2018. Ambassador Jinga did a commendable job leading the Commission into more flexible forms of engagement with a view to building and sustaining peace. I would also like to express our full confidence in and support for the work of Ambassador Guillermo Fernández de Soto Valderrama, who has already proven to be a very talented and skilled Chair and will surely hand over a stronger PBC to his successor. Today’s annual debate is an opportunity for us not only to learn more about the activities of the PBC but also to applaud the continued evolution of our young Commission. Brazil has been championing the mainstreaming of peacebuilding and sustaining peace in the United Nations since the creation of the PBC, and we take pride in the fact that the strengthening of the peacebuilding architecture has shown steady and unwavering progress since 2005. Back then, the creation of the PBC was justified by the unequivocal need to address important, gaping holes in our collective efforts to build sustainable peace, thereby rendering the United Nations more fit for purpose. The most obvious gap is the drop-off in international attention and financial resources following the phasing out of our peacekeeping missions. But there are other important gaps that the peacebuilding architecture has been striving to address. For instance, many observers have noted that the same financial and attention gaps also jeopardize United Nations engagement in the structural prevention of crises. With a mandate to bridge discussions among the General Assembly, the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council, as well as between political forums and United Nations activities in the field, the PBC has also contributed to filling important coordination gaps in the United Nations institutional machinery. One of the most important gaps that the PBC helps to mitigate is the democratic one. Nowadays, the peacebuilding architecture has become an indispensable tool for permitting countries willing to contribute to the maintenance of international peace and security to do so. Throughout 2018, the PBC exercised its convening role in support of the transition in Liberia, as well as of the electoral processes in Siena Leone and in Guinea- Bissau. As Chair of the Guinea-Bissau configuration, I visited the country last July and held exchanges with Guinea-Bissau parties, leaders and stakeholders on how to overcome the political deadlock facing the country. There has been significant progress in Guinea-Bissau since then, and with the support of the PBC the country held legislative elections in March. We strongly encourage the international community to remain actively supportive of Guinea-Bissau during the coming months. The country is now grappling with divisions around the best path towards holding presidential elections. The PBC has a role to play in helping foster political unity in Guinea-Bissau. After the country finds its path towards political stability, the PBC is expected to use its convening power to help Guinea-Bissau mobilize the necessary funds to deliver on its people’s legitimate aspirations for sustainable development and lasting peace. Brazil has been involved with the conception of the peacebuilding and sustaining peace pillar of the Secretary-General’s Action for Peacekeeping initiative. We are resolutely committed to reinforcing the role of peacekeepers as early peacebuilders, including through the strengthening of their programmatic activities and quick-impact projects. The PBC undoubtedly has a role to play in this process. The Commission gave important advice to the Security Council during the renewal of the mandate of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic. The original funding for the African initiative that is leading the political process in the Central African Republic came from the Peacebuilding Fund. That set a major example of good practice, which should be replicated. We encourage the Security Council to invite the PBC to provide advice during the renewal of the mandates of all United Nations peacekeeping operations and special political missions. We are still short of answering the Secretary- General’s call for a quantum leap in the financing of peacebuilding. However, there have been positive signs indicating that we are going in the right direction. The Peacebuilding Fund approved $183 million in 40 countries in 2018, exceeding all previous annual records. This is a clear indication that the international community trusts in the relevance of prioritizing funding for peacebuilding activities. During the past year, we had some very fruitful meetings aimed at following up on the report of the Secretary-General on peacebuilding and sustaining peace (A/72/707). This was particularly helpful to improving our collective understanding of the possible opportunities and challenges related to the operationalization of sustaining peace. Over the past few years, significant achievements have been made at the conceptual level of this discussion. While some adjustments are still required at the operational level, we are well positioned to address them, given the expected 2020 reform of the peacebuilding architecture. In conclusion, I reaffirm Brazil’s commitment to the continued strengthening of the peacebuilding architecture. Born in the twenty-first century, the peacebuilding architecture has become an indispensable tool for the United Nations to address contemporary peace and security challenges. Our Organization as whole is stronger with a stronger peacebuilding architecture.

I would like to thank the current Chairperson and his predecessor for their exemplary leadership of our work in the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC). This morning, I should like to focus on two concrete aspects of our work based on the reports before us today (A/73/724 and A/73/829). The first is to look at the forthcoming review of the peace building architecture, which we, frankly, see as a key opportunity to build on the work that we have already done and to reinforce our capacity at a time when we view our peacebuilding role to be at a critical juncture. The second point I wish to highlight — which should come as no surprise to those who know me — is the gender-focused work of the Peacebuilding Commission and the Peacebuilding Fund. We know there is considerable work already under way to support women in peacebuilding. We think we can do more. No one can deny that we continue to see how effective the Peacebuilding Commission is in many instances before us. Today I will touch on two — the transitions of Liberia and Sierra Leone — where we have seen considerable progress and the catalytic role the United Nations system has been playing is well recognized in supporting national and local actors in building peace. The work of the PBC in both of these instances we consider to be truly striking. The reality is, of course, that peace processes and peacebuilding are hard work, and we know that sustaining peace is harder. Through our own lived experience of conflict on the island of Ireland, we recognize that achieving and sustaining piece is not an overnight task. It is certainly a process that requires long- term investment, and that is exactly the area in which we see the PBC as bringing real added value, as over time it looks at the security and development interests of the regions and countries under consideration. One of the distinguishing features that we regard as a strength in recently emerging PBC efforts has been the adoption of a regional approach looking through a regional lens. That is becoming ever-more important. I see that as an area in which the PBC really excelled in 2018. We saw a sharp focus on the Sahel region, for example, with the Commission interacting with other Organs of the United Nations, namely, the General Assembly, the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council, including on the cross-cutting issues and important underlying factors of fragility, such as climate change and security. We think that is the type of broad-based approach that facilitates inclusive discussion on the challenges and, importantly, a coherent response to those challenges by the United Nations system as a whole. We believe that breaking down silos matters now more than ever, if we are to live up to our rhetoric in building coherence and delivering on complementarity across the system. We are delighted to see that that work has actually already begun in a very concrete way, including through the establishment of the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and the reform of the United Nations Resident Coordinator system. Frankly, through the PBC, we need to continue to work to build on that. Ireland has high hopes for the forthcoming review of the peacebuilding architecture because we believe in the urgency of getting it right now and supporting the transformative change to which we sometimes do little more than pay lip service. With regard to women and peacebuilding, we are delighted to see that the United Nations is building partnerships on the ground with historically excluded parts of communities, particularly women and young people. As former President Robinson of Ireland said, peace is not sustainable when you exclude half of the population of a given society. Inclusion is not an aspiration. It is a prerequisite to building peace. That is why I am both personally and professionally committed to furthering the implementation of the women and peace and security agenda. My own country, Ireland, knows the difference that women can make. We have seen it first-hand. We have lived it. We have deeply benefited from the work of women peacebuilders in the ongoing peace process on the island of Ireland. It makes a significant difference. The PBC is in pole position. It was the first intergovernmental body here at the United Nations to adopt its own gender strategy. That important step, we think, was a practical expression of the need to work together across the system to ensure that women’s voices are not just heard but heeded. I never tire of saying that you cannot just add women and stir. The PBC has led the way on that. We need to further develop that aspect. I consistently raise this point at every debate in the context of our PBC work on a day-to-day basis. We want to maintain the momentum of the PBC on that issue, as we approach the twentieth anniversary of Security Council resolution 1325 (2000). I believe that there is an onus on all of us here to explore concrete and innovative ways to build momentum. For example, we should maybe consider holding an annual discussion on the best practices of women in peacebuilding that would coincide with the Security Council’s annual open debate on women and peace and security. I also think that we need to focus on that aspect in very concrete and detailed terms in individual national action plans when we meet with briefers at our country configuration meetings, in other words, to pull the issue out and shine a light on the challenges and progress. Like others. I would also like to recognize the work of the Peacebuilding Fund and putting gender at the heart of its work. Forty per cent of the Fund’s interventions in 2018 were focused on women and youth empowerment. That is a concrete, critical way to make the points that I just enumerated. In conclusion, we believe that the PBC is well placed to play a critical role in strengthening the General Assembly’s capacity to do what we see as our most important job — to meet the challenges of peace and stability in the areas of our house, region and globe where the voices of those left furthest behind are most in need of volume. We stand ready to play our part in that role.

Let me start by conveying my delegation’s appreciation to the Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC), Ambassador Fernández de Soto Valderrama of Colombia, for his statement and his contribution to the work of the Commission. We also appreciate the stellar work undertaken last year under the chairmanship of Ambassador Ion Jinga of Romania. The report of the Peacebuilding Commission on its twelfth session (A/73/724) provides a comprehensive overview of the activities undertaken by the Commission’s Organizational Committee and the country-specific configurations. We welcome the emphasis on enhancing international and regional engagement with national Governments, mainstreaming thematic issues, strengthening the PBC’s partnerships with regional organizations and the coherence of engagement within the United Nations system. Over the years, the PBC has contributed significantly to peacebuilding efforts undertaken by countries emerging from conflict that have engaged with the Commission on the principle of national ownership. As a founding member of the PBC and a major troop contributor to United Nations peacekeeping, Pakistan fully appreciates the importance of peacebuilding to sustain the gains achieved by peacekeeping missions. Peacebuilding is the natural and indispensable successor of peacekeeping. The Peacebuilding Commission therefore assumes a critical role in transitions following the conclusion of peacekeeping operations when the United Nations country teams begin to take over. That is the moment to invest our energies to ensure that there is no relapse into conflict, and it entails adequate funding, capacity-building for State institutions and political processes anchored in national inclusivity. In that regard, I would like to make four brief points. First, much like the principles of peacekeeping, the principle of national ownership provides credibility to our work at the Peacebuilding Commission. That must always remain front and centre of the PBC’s efforts. Secondly, flexibility and adaptability in reflecting the national priorities of countries engaging with the Peacebuilding Commission are an indispensable ingredient for success. Thirdly, while focus on thematic issues is important, it is their relevance in a given situation that should guide our work. The last thing we need to do is to mount gratuitous pressure on Governments already dealing with fragile situations. And, fourthly, continued and stronger engagement with regional organizations is critical, especially in view of their knowledge of local conditions and the fact that countries coming out of conflict continue to face trans-border challenges. The report of the Secretary-General on the Peacebuilding Fund (A/73/829) reflects a positive trajectory, while at the same time setting greater goals for the coming years. We fully understand the importance of funding in peacebuilding and look forward to engaging with stakeholders in the system to explore options for strengthening the Fund both in terms of resources and utilization mechanisms. Pakistan, along with Japan and Norway, is championing innovative financing to augment existing financing streams for the Fund. In conclusion, let me also add my voice to my Irish colleague’s and emphasize the need to make gender pivotal in the work of all peacebuilding plans. Peace, of course, is sustained when its foundations are based on inclusiveness. Nationally owned political processes must therefore be supported, as only they can chart a sustainable path forward. We look forward to engaging constructively to see that the peace kept by the Blue Helmets takes root and is sustained by peacebuilding efforts. We are confident that by working together we can further enhance the efficacy of the Peacebuilding Commission as an advisory body of the Security Council on peace and security issues, as well as its invaluable work on the ground.

China would like to thank Mr. Ion Jinga, Permanent Representative of Romania and Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) at its twelfth session, for introducing the PBC’s report on that session (A/73/724). China appreciates the work of the Peacebuilding Commission and the achievements obtained over the past year. China also congratulates Mr. Fernández de Soto Valderrama, Permanent Representative of Colombia, on his assumption of the chairmanship of the PBC at its thirteenth session. Since the establishment of the United Nations peacebuilding architecture in 2006, the PBC, the Peacebuilding Fund and the Peacebuilding Support Office have been performing their respective functions in close collaboration, while faithfully implementing mandates established by the relevant General Assembly and Security Council resolutions and coordinating international efforts in support of post-conflict reconstruction. Positive results have been achieved over the years. Member States will launch the quinquennial review of the peacebuilding architecture during the seventy-fourth session of the General Assembly. I would like to offer the following points on the work going forward. First of all, peacebuilding efforts should follow the principle of national ownership and highlight national specificities. In order to realize lasting peace and sustainable development in post-conflict countries, those countries themselves bear the most responsibility. Host countries’ national conditions and stages of development vary; therefore, peacebuilding efforts that have differentiated focuses, programmes and methods are required. The United Nations and other peacebuilding partners should always uphold the purposes and the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, respect the ownership of the host countries, provide constructive assistance according to the aspirations and specific requests of the host countries and formulate peacebuilding plans on the basis of their national realities. Secondly, all the relevant peacebuilding actors should enhance integration and coordination. Peacebuilding actors include not only Governments of host countries and domestic stakeholders but also regional organizations, the United Nations, international financial institutions as well as other international organizations and specialized parties. The United Nations should serve as a platform, strengthen coordination and achieve complementarity in order to avoid duplication and the squandering of resources. All entities should fulfil their responsibilities in strict accordance with their respective mandates. United Nations peacekeeping operations should work in accordance with the relevant Security Council resolutions to carry out early-stage peacebuilding work. Thirdly, the PBC should effectively play its advisory role. Established through mandates from both the General Assembly and the Security Council, the PBC enjoys the advantageous position of covering both political and security affairs as well as the development agenda. We welcome the efforts of the PBC and its country-specific configurations to give full play to their respective strengths and provide the Security Council with valuable advice. The configurations should make concrete efforts to help host countries mobilize resources, scale up capacity-building, consolidate peace gains and lay a solid foundation for the sustainable development of the countries concerned. Fourthly, peacebuilding work should fully tap into the role of regional partners. The Commission and its country-specific configurations should strengthen their engagement with regional and subregional organizations. Peacebuilding plans should align with the strategies of the countries and regions concerned so as to achieve synergy. The United Nations and the international community should support the African Union in implementing the African Peace and Security Architecture Roadmap for the period of 2016 to 2020 and Agenda 2063. The United Nations and the international community should also assist Africa in achieving long- term peace, stability and prosperity. China is committed to the cause of global peace and development and stands ready to work with all other nations to promote multilateralism, build a community for the shared future of humankind and make even greater contributions to the maintenance of international peace and the pursuit of common development.

The report of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) on its twelfth session (A/73/724) serves as a strong reminder of the growing scope of activities the PBC is engaged in. That is particularly true for its advisory role to the General Assembly and the Security Council, but also with regard to its convening role for both actors from inside and outside the United Nations system. We would like to congratulate Romania, last year’s Chair of the PBC, and the Republic of Korea, last year’s Vice-Chair, for their leadership in furthering the PBC’s role. We are also grateful that Germany, as Vice-Chair last year, could also contribute to strengthening the PBC’s role. Prevention, peacebuilding and sustaining peace are cornerstones of our commitment here at the United Nations, and the PBC plays a crucial role in our efforts. The PBC made great progress in 2018, and many examples are mentioned in the report. We particularly welcome the opportunity to discuss cross-cutting issues, both thematic, such as gender, as well as regional, such as the PBC’s deliberations on the Sahel. More generally, we are convinced that the PBC plays a crucial role in implementing the sustaining peace agenda, and that it should do so as well with regard to the upcoming review of the United Nations peacebuilding architecture. It is important that we now sustain the progress made but that we also take the PBC’s role forward. I would like to highlight two points in particular in that context. The first one is on transitions. For Germany, this topic is of great importance. It is very well known that transitions after the withdrawal of a peacekeeping mission are challenging in many ways. The international community’s political and financial support and attention often quickly decrease. Root causes of conflict remain unaddressed, thereby impeding development and sustainable peace. Too often and too easily, the conflict cycle starts over again. Therefore, to get transitions right, we need political commitment, long-term planning, national ownership, expertise and strategic advice. With its unique mandate, bridging role and composition, the PBC can help with all those elements. For instance, the PBC can play an important role in helping countries with their nationally designed peacebuilding strategies. The PBC can also do more in bringing in the private sector and international financial institutions. Secondly, with respect to the PBC’s advisory function, we believe the PBC has the potential to provide timely, realistic and concrete advice. The PBC is strongest when it speaks with one voice and has all members engaged. It is clear that the work of the PBC must be based on the ownership of the countries concerned. That is why nationally owned peacebuilding strategies are so helpful in shaping the PBC’s contributions. As Germany is currently serving in both the Security Council and the PBC, in our role as informal coordinator between the two we will pay particular attention to close links between the two bodies. We believe the Security Council has a lot to gain from the advice of the PBC — for instance, on transitions — but also on such regional issues as the Sahel. Please allow me also to briefly address the Peacebuilding Fund (PBF), as we are today also debating the annual report of the Secretary-General on the same (A/73/829). Germany has been an active supporter of the PBF since its inception, and we have repeatedly underlined our strong political and financial support. We have been the top contributor to the PBF for the past three years. We commend the PBF for its quick impact, results, inclusivity and focus on local ownership. The envisaged quantum leap will require efforts from all sides. To do that, existing contributors to the PBF need to find solutions to secure long-term funding that goes beyond annual donations. We are therefore particularly happy that the European Union, for the first time, is considering also contributing to the PBF within its multi-year financial framework. We also believe that it is important to broaden the PBF’s donor base and to bring in a wider range of actors, such as international financial institutions. We also commend new and more creative ways of financing to which the report gives evidence. Germany welcomes the PBF’s areas of priority, such as cross-border programming, transitions, gender equality and women and youth empowerment. In the light of the current planning of the strategic plan for the period of 2020 to 2022, we appreciate the ongoing outreach and encourage the PBF to continue to be innovative, but also to communicate lessons learned as well as the many success stories. We also encourage the PBF to ensure coordination with other donor instruments as well as medium- to long-term mechanisms. Before concluding, allow me to thank the Peacebuilding Support Office for its support, commitment and hard work. I would also like to congratulate Colombia as new Chair of the PBC for the excellent start, and to wish Ambassador Guillermo Fernández de Soto Valderrama and his colleagues from Egypt and Romania, the two Vice-Chairs, the best of success. We of course will continue to be actively engaged in the work of the PBC.

Today’s debate takes place at a time when the international system is facing increasing uncertainty and a lack of confidence on the part of citizens in the ability of both national and international institutions to respond to their just and pressing demands. The situation is even more serious in societies that are embroiled in violent conflict, as well as in those that are moving towards peace. It is for that reason that we are making every effort to improve the effectiveness and strength of the United Nations peacebuilding architecture. In that regard, we wish Ambassador Fernández de Soto Valderrama, Ambassador of Colombia, much success. The adoption, in 2016, of resolution 70/262 and Security Council resolution 2282 (2016), on the review of the United Nations peacebuilding architecture and follow-up resolutions 72/276 and 2413 (2018), as well as the reform proposals of Secretary-General António Guterres, have demonstrated that it is indeed possible to give greater coherence to the United Nations system. The concept of sustaining peace, emanating from those resolutions, understood as a goal and a process, is a paradigm shift for the United Nations and has become the guiding principle of that approach. Sustaining peace is our paradigm shift because, through it, we have established that prevention is more important than conflict management. The concept of sustaining peace illustrates that the various stages of conflicts must be addressed comprehensively from a prevention perspective, with a view to implementing strategies that address their structural causes, with the participation of all the relevant actors, inside and outside the United Nations. Development, inclusion and the rule of law will always be the underlying factors of the root causes of conflict. It is therefore essential to strengthen the resilience of communities and States, given both the national and cross-border risks to peace and security. As a member of the Peacebuilding Commission and Chair of the Group of Friends of Sustaining Peace, Mexico is committed to fully implementing the agreed measures so that the United Nations peacebuilding architecture can fulfil its mandate and work in collaboration with, not in isolation from, the United Nations development and human rights pillars. Mexico welcomes the progress made by the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) in 2018. We are pleased with the progress made in diversifying the Commission’s working methods, which has enabled it to increase its efficiency and flexibility and is an invaluable foundation on which we must build if people are to occupy a central place in peacebuilding and peacekeeping. However, the PBC has not reached its full potential. To considerably enhance the role of the Commission in the United Nations peacebuilding architecture, it is crucial that the Commission have an advisory role, not only with regard to the Security Council but also with the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council, and genuinely fulfil its mandate as a multisectoral platform and axis that makes the system coherent. The Commission’s interaction with various peacebuilding and peacebuilding allies, including youth and women’s organizations, provides it with a unique position to formulate relevant, applicable, diverse, long- term and realistic recommendations, well integrated into each community, on issues related to peacekeeping and peacebuilding. That is the goal we hope to achieve with the new review of the peacebuilding architecture in 2020. That new milestone, which coincides with the seventy-fifth anniversary of the United Nations and other processes, such as the twentieth anniversary of the women and peace and security agenda, will serve to inspire us to continue improving the multilateral institutions we have created and to achieve the goals of the United Nations and its Charter.

First, we wish to thank Romania for its excellent work as Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission last year. We would also like to commend the strong leadership of Ambassador Fernández de Soto Valderrama of Colombia as Chair of the Commission this year, and of Egypt and Romania as Vice-Chairs. We are encouraged to see the strong collective will of the Members of the United Nations to implement the historic resolutions on sustaining peace by breaking silos and working more effectively together to reach sustainable peace and development. The Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) has also been intensifying its efforts to better assist countries in building and sustaining peace, in full respect of national ownership. As a result, we are seeing greater interest in the work of the Commission. Most notably, countries in transition, such as the Gambia and Burkina Faso, are voluntarily turning to the Commission for assistance. The Security Council is increasingly requesting that the PBC provide advice. Building on that significant progress, we wish to point out a few areas where the PBC can further strengthen its work. First, the PBC has been helping to raise awareness of country situations. It should now focus on identifying and implementing concrete ways to help countries with their peacebuilding priorities. That is the greatest task ahead of the Commission if it is to play its envisioned role. More countries will be interested in working with the PBC only if they believe they can reap practical benefits, with their national ownership being respected. Secondly, the PBC should work strategically with the empowered resident coordinators, who will be coordinating stakeholders to help Governments reach sustainable development and peace. With the ongoing reforms, it is unclear how the peace and security pillar will be aligned with the development pillar. But, with the host Governments’ consent, resident coordinators should have a clear mandate to work across the development-humanitarian-peacebuilding continuum if the situation so requires. Thirdly, the PBC should strengthen its advisory and bridging role with its parent organs to bring about integrated and cross-pillar support. The Commission has been increasing its interaction with the Security Council. It would be important to strengthen its advice to the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council, especially given that the root causes of many security challenges are development-related, as we are witnessing in the Sahel. Fourthly, the PBC should continue to strengthen its convening power by forging partnerships. When Korea chaired the PBC in 2017, the PBC and the World Bank issued a joint statement calling for the holding of an annual dialogue between PBC members and senior representatives of the World Bank. We need to seize on that agreement to help mobilize resources for the countries supported by the PBC. Finally, the PBC needs greater support from the Secretariat, including in-depth analysis of countries’ priorities. We should continue to support reform efforts that will enable the Peacebuilding Support Office to be an effective hinge across pillars. Turning now to the Peacebuilding Fund (PBF), Korea has been a strong supporter of the Fund, especially its unique ability to rapidly disburse funds to countries in transition. We are pleased to see that the Secretary-General has been using the PBF to push forward with reforms to overcome fragmentation and drive coherence across United Nations activities, by funding multiple United Nations agency programmes and cross-border and regional activities. In that regard, we support the Secretary-General’s call for a quantum leap in support to the PBF. At the same time, given the relatively small scale of the PBF, we hope its catalytic role will be strengthened. Once PBF-funded projects are proven successful, other actors — especially the World Bank — should scale up the projects so that they are sustainable. In conclusion, I would like to reiterate Korea’s strong commitment to assist countries in transition build and sustain peace. In that regard, we are ready to engage constructively in the 2020 review of the peacebuilding architecture.

I would like to express my gratitude for the dedicated work carried out so far this year by Ambassador Guillermo Fernández de Soto Valderrama of Columbia, Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC). I would also like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to his predecessor, Ambassador Ion Jinga of Romania, for his work last year and for presenting the report today (A/73/724). Japan believes that, by bringing together actors from across the United Nations system, in 2018 we were able to use the PBC as a unique platform to promote United Nations-wide coherence concerning peacebuilding. The increased coordination with the Security Council is especially welcome. One of the greatest challenges of peace is how to sustain it. The PBC is built to support long-lasting peace by shedding light on areas that require international attention. It also has a unique convening power, which allows it to bring together relevant actors to hold discussions beyond country-specific configurations, such as thematic and regional issues. Japan believes that the PBC should continue to grow to become a platform that can provide, through such in-depth discussions, more quality guidance to contribute to the work of peacebuilding and sustaining peace. At last year’s high-level meeting of the General Assembly on peacebuilding and sustaining peace (see A/72/PV.85), Japan highlighted two important points for the Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) — the first relates to maintaining transparency and flexibility, while the second relates to seeking out untapped resources and new, non-traditional sources of funding. A year has passed since then, and we are encouraged by the progress we have seen. We are pleased that the PBF has increased its synergy with the PBC. It has taken into account regional perspectives to address the complex cross-border issues on the ground. Japan also strongly supports the very first innovative financing project in Colombia, which introduced a blended financing scheme in peacebuilding activities. We believe that model holds great promise for the future. Those particular cases of progress carried out by the Peacebuilding Support Office are commendable, and we hope to see more this year. Next year will be the seventy-fifth anniversary of the United Nations, which will also feature two key milestones for peacebuilding and sustaining peace, that is, the review of the peacebuilding architecture and the start of the new PBF strategic plan. Those milestones will help us chart the future of our work. To that end, Japan will do its part to contribute to sustaining peace, including at the upcoming seventh Tokyo International Conference on African Development, to be held in August.

Let me begin by joining others in thanking the current Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) and his predecessor for their invaluable work. We have made major progress on the sustaining peace agenda over the past four years, which is a system-wide agenda with particular implications for the Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) and the PBC. The membership has agreed to work on 42 specific recommendations from the Secretary-General’s 2018 report (A/72/707), which, along with the 2016 and 2018 resolutions, provide the basis for the United Nations continuing work on implementing the sustaining peace agenda. We welcome the fact that the report of the PBC (A/73/724) outlines progress to date in implementing the Secretary-General’s recommendations while also highlighting how much remains to be done. We look forward to both the sustaining peace interim report and the 2020 peacebuilding review process, which should continue to focus on United Nations system-wide implementation efforts. On the PBC, we welcome the continued expansion of its scope and advisory capacity and express thanks to all Member States that have led PBC sessions. We especially welcome the fact that the PBC is focusing on a diverse range of countries and regions. PBF recipients and prospective recipients have been generous, sharing national approaches and experiences. Civil society briefers have played a key role, demonstrating once again the value of an inclusive approach. We also welcome the PBCs increasing engagement outside the United Nations system, particularly with the World Bank, the private sector and regional organizations. We encourage the PBC to continue using its convening power to involve diverse voices and to build on its role as a platform for positive momentum. We applaud the efforts of both the PBC and the PBF to actively promote gender-sensitive approaches to peacebuilding, and we look to both to continue those efforts. We also look to the PBC and the PBF to play key roles in transitions. It is especially important to capture and build upon the good practices in the area of transitions that have emerged in recent years. We also welcome the continued expansion of the PBF, a sign of its effectiveness; however, we need to do more than just expand the PBF to ensure an appropriate focus on peacebuilding. For example, one of the Secretary-General’s recommendations that has been endorsed by Member States looks to the PBF to assume a strategic resource-mobilization role in financing. We look forward to detailed updates on the implementation of that recommendation. Lastly, it is important that all agencies at the United Nations, with the Peacebuilding Support Office as a hinge, work in partnership with other international organizations, including for the upcoming High-level Political Forum on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 16. The connections between sustainable development, human rights and peace and security are being increasingly recognized and valued. In conclusion, our key message is this: let us not lose this moment to implement the initiatives we have already agreed in order to improve the effectiveness of the United Nations in the modern world and to fully implement the comprehensive ambition of sustaining peace across all the activities of the United Nations.

Let me start by thanking Ambassador Ion Jinga and Ambassador Guillermo Fernández de Soto Valderrama, the former and current Chairs of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC), respectively, for their work, their efforts and especially for their support to the work of the country-specific configurations. Switzerland welcomes the report of the Peacebuilding Commission (A/73/724) and the report of the Secretary-General on the Peacebuilding Fund (A/73/829) and wishes to highlight the following three points. First, we share the views on the role of the Peacebuilding Commission as a privileged platform for advancing conflict prevention and the maintenance of peace. Our commitment to achieving those goals must respond to the realities on the ground in support of the priorities identified by the countries concerned. The Commission offers an inclusive space for dialogue to meet those imperatives. It is where we talk to States, not about States. Having the honour of chairing the Burundi country configuration, I thank the members of the configuration for their interest and continued engagement in assisting Burundi on the path to peacebuilding and sustainable development. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the Head of the Peacebuilding Support Office, Oscar Fernandez-Taranco and his team for their excellent support for the work of the configuration, particularly Mr. Fernandez-Taranco. The involvement of the configuration is by definition complementary to the efforts of other actors and institutions at the international and regional levels. Secondly, the work of the Peacebuilding Fund is crucial to supporting the Secretary-General’s ambition to invest more in the sustainability of peace and the prevention of violent conflict. As one of the 12 largest donors, Switzerland welcomes the increase in resources available to the Fund. We will continue to ensure that the Fund’s strengths, in particular its flexibility, adaptability and effectiveness, are preserved. The resources available at the World Bank for situations of fragility, conflict and violence have increased significantly. Switzerland therefore encourages forging a much closer partnership between the United Nations and the World Bank. That is why Switzerland supports the Fund’s Humanitarian-Development-Peacebuilding and Partnerships Facility. Thirdly, our emphasis on strengthening synergies and coherence among the pillars of the United Nations remains as relevant as ever. As former Secretary- General Kofi Annan said, there is no peace without development, there is no development without peace, and there is neither without human rights. We welcome the fact that the reforms of the current Secretary-General give priority to conflict prevention and better integrate a truly cross-cutting approach both at Headquarters and in the field. In particular, Switzerland calls for the full potential of United Nations human rights instruments to be used for the sustainability of peace and conflict prevention. In addition, we would like to encourage a more regular, joint and inclusive analysis of contexts as part of peacebuilding activities. If we do not have the same starting point — that is, if we do not identify the same problems to solve — there is a chance that we will arrive at different destinations. In this regard, openness to new partnerships to increase coherence within and beyond the United Nations system will remain crucial. To illustrate the progress that has already been made, we also encourage the Secretariat to increase its communication efforts to share the successes of the United Nations in conflict prevention. Having highlighted these three aspects, Switzerland wishes to reaffirm its continued commitment to actively support the implementation of conflict prevention and the sustainability of peace.

My delegation would like to congratulate Romania, last year’s Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission, on its successful leadership and for the excellent way it implemented the Commission’s mandate. We also appreciate the commitment of Colombia and the Bureau to building on past achievements and their launch of new initiatives this year. The cardinal principle of the United Nations is to support and sustain international peace and security in all its manifestations. Yet, although we have observed a significant reduction in traditional inter-State conflicts over the past 50 years or so, our current era is clearly characterized by numerous intra-State conflicts. The resultant loss of human lives together with increased suffering has affected a substantial proportion of the world population. Indeed, such conflicts have become more complex, deeply fragmented and seriously intractable. Armed or terrorist groups, extremism and criminal networks may be drivers of intra-State conflict, but so are poverty, human rights violations, competition for natural resources, lack of development, failures of governance and climate change. They can all lead to fighting, mass killing, displacement and a range of humanitarian disasters. It is a comprehensive list of concerns, which is why we believe that there is a need for a comprehensive approach and extensive support if peace is to be sustainable. It is very clear — conflict prevention through peacemaking and peacekeeping must be strengthened. Post-conflict recovery and reconstruction are particularly critical for re-establishing communities and recreating stable societies, and a comprehensive approach must depend largely on the necessary coordination between the peace and security, human rights and development pillars of the United Nations. Sustaining peace cannot be limited to efforts aimed at preventing a return to conflict. It must be concerned with the prevention of conflict and peacekeeping in the broadest sense. Since economic and social grievances are among the most evident causes aggravating intra-State conflict and violence, progress in socioeconomic development is a critical factor in preventing outbreaks of violence or the return to conflict. Addressing the challenges to livelihood, subsistence and governance through inclusive, broad- based and sustainable development is fundamental to any transition from conflict to normality. The corollary to this idea is that countries in need must be supported in their efforts. In this regard, Ethiopia strongly believes in the importance of the Action for Peace initiative. There was a record level of distribution of funds from the Peacebuilding Fund last year because of the striking response to the Secretary-General’s call for a quantum leap in funds to better prioritize United Nations peacebuilding activities. It was particularly encouraging that of the disbursements last year, 40 per cent went to support gender equality and women’s empowerment. These are areas of growing importance in conflict prevention and peacekeeping. Equally important, I would emphasize, are local-level peacebuilding initiatives, involving participation of elders, women and youth. These are critical to re-establishing State institutions and extending State authority in post-conflict situations. Similarly, traditional authorities, leaders and communities have an instrumental role to play in the implementation of disarmament, demobilization and reintegration and security sector reform processes. These sorts of initiatives also need to be supported in a sustainable manner. The costs will be small compared to any peacekeeping budget. Ethiopia was greatly encouraged to be one of the countries where, as the Secretary-General put it, political developments afforded new opportunities. It was one of the seven African countries chosen last year to benefit from the Fund under the Immediate Response Facility. The support will definitely strengthen the capacities of our regional state governments to prevent conflicts and protect civilians. The strategic plan of the Peacebuilding Fund is designed to implement resolutions on the review of the peacebuilding architecture, covering inclusive approaches to preventing conflict, including methods to incorporate youth and provide for innovation, monitoring and outreach. In this context, we believe that the restructuring of the Peacebuilding Support Office into the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs will definitely help to enhance our capacity to understand the causes of conflicts and act quickly to reduce damage. The Peacebuilding Commission is uniquely positioned to provide broad, diverse, long-term and coherent perspectives for the successful involvement of the three principal inter-Governmental organs: the General Assembly, the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council. The United Nations Secretariat and other agencies have an important role to play in the implementation of an integrated, strategic and coherent approach to ensuring sustainable peacebuilding. During its tenure in the Security Council, Ethiopia strongly advocated the review of the peace and security architecture. We remain fully supportive of all efforts to reorganize the United Nations peacebuilding architecture. We want to see the Peacebuilding Commission strengthen its role as a bridge between the principal organs and relevant entities of the United Nations, as identified by the Secretary-General. We also hope that the General Assembly and the Security Council will stress the need for partnership and cooperation between the United Nations and regional and subregional organizations, notably the African Union. The ongoing strategic partnership between the Peacebuilding Commission and the Peacebuilding Fund with the African Union deserves the widest welcome and support. The year 2020 will mark the fifteenth anniversary of the creation of the United Nations peacebuilding architecture. In this context, we expect that the current discussions on the review and development of United Nations peacekeeping and peacebuilding will identify key areas in which the Peacebuilding Commission’s role can be revitalized. As a member of the Commission, we very much look forward to this prospect.

We thank the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) for the report on its twelfth session (A/73/724), which provides a useful account of the activities of the Commission during the last year. We also thank the Secretary-General for his report on the Peacebuilding Fund (A/73/829), which gives a good overview of the Fund’s situation and projects. The annual debate provides us with an opportunity to reflect on the progress made so far and to discuss the next steps, which is particularly important in view of the fact that the Member States have started exchanging views on the review of the peacebuilding architecture set for 2020. The year 2018 was a significant year for peacebuilding activities. The high-level meeting in April reflected on the comprehensive nature of issues involved with the broader concept of sustaining peace (see A/72/PV.83 et seq.). We demonstrated our collective commitment to moving forward, which was evident with the adoption of the consensus resolution 72/276 following the high-level meeting. Today’s conflicts are increasingly intra-State, involving non-State actors and international terror networks. The complex and interlinked nature of conflicts has much wider implications across countries. We therefore have a collective interest in building and sustaining peace. The concept of sustaining peace requires the engagement of all the pillars of the United Nations. We appreciate the Secretary-General’s focus on the Peacebuilding Support Office in the context of ongoing reforms. India believes that the efforts undertaken by the PBC in various countries and regions will result in sustainable outcomes only if national ownership is strictly followed. Peacebuilding activities should be aligned with national priorities and implemented with the involvement of the country’s leadership and national institutions. This would ensure that gains are always long term and would prevent any relapse. We recognize and welcome the importance of expanding cooperation with regional organizations in peacebuilding efforts. The working sessions on partnerships during the annual session on the Sahel and the informal interactive dialogue with the Peace and Security Council of the African Union reaffirmed the usefulness of strengthening strategic partnerships between the United Nations and regional and international organizations. We support the advisory, flexible and convening role of the PBC in its interactions with its parent bodies — the General Assembly, the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council — with the objective of pursuing a coherent and integrated approach to building and sustaining peace. We note that, during the past year, the Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) has supported projects valued at $183 million in a total of approximately 40 countries. The robustness of donor contributions to the Fund in the last two years is a clear sign of confidence in the contribution of the United Nations to peacebuilding. We welcome the specific financing options presented by the Secretary- General in his report, including voluntarily committing unspent peacekeeping funds to the Peacebuilding Fund. Some of these options had already been considered for implementations by select Member States. The role of women and youth in peacebuilding, including in decision-making is important. We commend the PBF for exceeding its own record of previous years by allocating, in 2018, 40 per cent of it funds to support of gender equality and women’s empowerment. Skill development and employment- generation for youth play a significant role in building and sustaining peace. The Fund’s contributions to United Nations efforts in designing and implementing peacebuilding programmes that prioritize the inclusion, participation and leadership of young people, cross- border programming, mission transitions, transborder peacebuilding initiatives, and partnerships with regional organizations and other multilateral funds, are positive and welcome. There is a clear recognition of the importance of sustainable and inclusive economic growth and political processes in preventing conflict as well as undertaking effective peacebuilding efforts. India continues to expand its development-partnership efforts with fellow developing countries to assist in their development priorities. As a member of the Peacebuilding Commission since its inception, India looks forward to working with all its partners in strengthening the peacebuilding architecture and will play a constructive role in pursuing the objectives of achieving peace and prosperity for our peoples.

It is a pleasure to participate in today’s General Assembly debate on the report of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) on its twelfth session (A/73/724) and on the report of the Secretary- General on the Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) (A/73/829). The report of the PBC reflects the rapid evolution of the Commission’s work in fulfilling its mandate, in accordance with the twin resolutions of the General Assembly and the Security Council on the review of the United Nations peacebuilding architecture (resolutions 70/262 and 2282 (2016)), in addition to the 2018 twin resolutions (resolutions 72/276 and 2413 (2018)). In this context, Egypt takes pride in being among the lead negotiators and generators of critical ideas contained in the action points prompted by the 2016 twin resolutions negotiated at the General Assembly, and unanimously adopted by the Security Council during Egypt’s non-permanent membership at that time. The significance of these milestone resolutions is that they endorsed an integrated, comprehensive, strategic and coherent approach to peacebuilding and sustaining peace across the United Nations system and among Member States in countries affected by or emerging from conflict. This approach was also highlighted in the Secretary-General’s 2018 report (A/72/707) as a key factor for the United Nations to become more fit for purpose when responding to complex peace and security challenges. It is encouraging to see how the PBC has managed to expand and diversify its activities during the past year through addressing an increased number of country- specific, regional and thematic issues, which has helped to sustain international attention and enhance coherence in peacebuilding and sustaining peace. Moreover, the bridging role played by the Peacebuilding Commission with the General Assembly, the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council, is indeed commendable, in the light of its valuable contribution to United Nations system-wide coherence in support of peacebuilding efforts and sustaining peace. The two reports under consideration show the vast contribution of the PBC to fostering partnerships and strengthening synergies with the Peacebuilding Fund. In that connection, it is promising to learn that the Fund approved $183 million in 40 countries in 2018, exceeding the previous record of $157 million in 2017. This yearly growth attests to the collective will of the Member States and donors to advance the broader engagement of the PBC and the PBF, and illustrates the wider recognition of the PBF’s significant role in advancing peacebuilding and sustaining peace. In the same vein, I would like to touch upon a very important aspect of PBF activities that relates to cross-border and regional initiatives and demonstrates the Fund’s niche in supporting transboundary peacebuilding initiatives. As we approach the third five-year comprehensive review of the United Nations peacebuilding architecture, scheduled for 2020, the PBC and PBF reports provide a good basis for consultations between the Member States and the Secretariat, through Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO), to take stock of progress made so far in the implementation of the recommendations of the twin General Assembly and Security Council resolutions of 2016 (resolutions 70/262 and 2282 (2016)) and 2018 (resolutions 72/276 and 2413 (2018)), and identify the remaining challenges in that regard. It is also imperative to draw upon lessons learned from previous PBC engagements in making recommendations for the way forward. I also wish to share some thoughts that may help inform the current reflection on the way forward. First, we must fully draw upon the advisory and bridging role of the Peacebuilding Commission, as a dedicated intergovernmental body, to bring a strategic approach and coherence to international peacebuilding efforts. Secondly, it is also crucial that we advance the role of the Peacebuilding Fund as a unique, catalytic, rapid- response and flexible pooled fund that is risk tolerant and has a proven record of success in critical financial and technical engagements in a variety of contexts. Thirdly, it is imperative to improve and advance our collective efforts aimed at mobilizing and channelling predictable and sustainable resources to implement short-, medium- and long-term peacebuilding programmes. Fourthly, national ownership and leadership are key if peacebuilding activities are to deliver tangible results. In addition, strategic partnerships with regional organizations, particularly the African Union, are crucial and vital to the success of the PBC’s tasks. Fifthly, a people-centred approach that empowers women and youth, in particular, is important to advancing peacebuilding and to ensuring that the needs of all segments of societies in conflict are taken into consideration. Last but not least, a regional approach to peacebuilding with a subregional arrangement is crucial. In conclusion, Egypt, in its capacity as current Vice-Chair of the PBC and Chairperson of the African Union in 2019, under the leadership of the PBC Chair, Colombia, and in collaboration with Romania and the PBSO, remains committed to advancing the engagement on practical and tangible ways and means to forge a strategic partnership between the United Nations and the African Union on peacebuilding and sustaining peace, and to setting the continent on a steady path towards achieving the key objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Agenda 2063 of the African Union, especially given that the current country configurations are all on the African continent.

We thank the President for convening this meeting to discuss the report (A/73/724) of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) at its twelfth session and the annual report of the Secretary-General (A/73/829) of the Peacebuilding Fund (PBF). My country aligns itself with the statements made by the Permanent Representatives of Colombia and Romania and thanks them for their work over the past two years. For El Salvador, the peacebuilding process must be a fundamental part of the work of the United Nations to achieve peace and sustainable development. As we stressed at the high-level meeting on peacebuilding and sustaining peace (see A/72/PV.86) and on many other occasions, renewed emphasis on conflict prevention, strengthening operational coherence through responsible leadership and addressing the root causes of conflicts help us to promote lasting peace. My delegation wishes to highlight the importance of the thematic priorities described in the report, on which the work of the Commission focused in 2018, in particular those related, first, to gender and youth, since that cannot be achieved without the participation of women and young people, as established in Security Council resolutions 1325 (2000) and 2250 (2015), respectively; secondly, to the issue of financing, given that innovative financing can achieve its only objectives if it goes hand in hand with the participation of new actors and partnerships that lead to a real commitment, including that of the recipient country; and, finally, to the issue of operational and political coherence, which we see as closely linked to the increase in flexibility in the convening power of the PBC to promote coherence. We also wish to support and highlight the thematic and regional expansion of the Commission’s work in 2018 through various forms of interaction with countries not covered by its configurations, at the express request of countries that have presented specific cases of peacebuilding, such as Colombia, Sri Lanka and the Sudan, among others. We therefore support the actions described in section II of the report, specifically those related to building a more flexible PBC, based on the working methods included in the annex to the report. Finally, although it is not included in the reports submitted to this Assembly today, I support the vision contained in the Secretary-General’s report (A/74/73) on the quadrennial comprehensive policy review, specifically paragraphs 135 to 140, which stresses the importance of the links between the work of both the PBC and the PBF and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development on the ground. Let me now turn to the report on the Peacebuilding Fund. My delegation appreciates the Secretary- General’s designation of El Salvador as a country eligible to be a recipient of the Peacebuilding Fund, through which we have received support at various stages, both at the national level — with the implementation and culmination of the joint peace programme for the post-conflict generation, which promoted stronger mechanisms to protect people affected by various manifestations of violence — at the subregional level, through the ongoing implementation of the trinational project for resilience and social cohesion in northern Central America, which has sought to respond to the urgent demands for the return of migrants and the strengthening of citizen security. More recently, we have initiated the implementation of a third joint programme, known as Peace and Reintegration of Migrants on their Return Home, which promotes three main areas: the protection of migrants, as mentioned in the Secretary-General’s report; secondly, security, primarily to support returnees with criminal records and allow them to reintegrate into the community; and thirdly, national political dialogue, to support a United Nations dialogue initiative that will enable us to build multi-stakeholder national agreements, an effort already initiated with previous joint programmes. In response to the Fund’s report and point (c) of paragraph 45 of the Commission’s annual report, El Salvador wishes to reiterate once again its total readiness to brief the members of the PBC on its national progress, which was enabled by the Fund’s support. We hope that all the members of the Commission agree to that course of action, in keeping with the Commission’s rules of procedure. We welcome the success of the Fund and the confidence of the international community in it, as reflected in the highest level of annual contributions since the Fund’s establishment, in 2006. As the Assembly is aware, El Salvador is one of 40 direct beneficiary countries, and one of 12 countries from which the five cross-border initiatives were launched — in our case, together with Honduras and Guatemala. It is important to make full use of such initiatives by sharing experiences and leveraging the Fund’s flexibility to address the most pressing needs of various countries through various modalities. Equally important, we emphasize the need to be effective at the time of the implementation of the projects approved by the Fund and to improve coordination among Governments and country teams, in the case of multi-country projects. In the context of the contents of both reports and their implementation in 2019 under the leadership of Colombia, El Salvador will continue to support the strengthened role of the PBC, through an expanded dimension of sustainable peace and a broad conception of peacebuilding, as established in the twin resolutions of 2016 (resolution 70/262 and Security Council 2282 (2016)), with a view to concluding the discussions on peacebuilding architecture in 2020. Finally, El Salvador continues to support the discussions within the PBC, as a follow-up to resolution 72/276 — adopted in the context of the high-level meeting on peacebuilding and sustaining peace (see A/72/PV.83 et seq.) — to consider the implementation of all of the recommendations contained in the Secretary General’s report (A/72/707), which my country believes is valid, including those concerning financing.

I welcome the holding of this meeting as an opportunity to take stock of the activities of the United Nations peacebuilding architecture over the previous year through the consideration of the annual report (A/73/724) of the Peacebuilding Commission. It is also an opportunity to look ahead to the current year by identifying priorities, best practices and challenges we face in our actions within the Commission and the country-specific configurations. I would like to congratulate Romania on its successful chairmanship over the past year, which yielded very positive results, and pay special tribute to Ambassador Jinga and his entire team, whose dynamism and commitment ensured the success of the chairmanship. I also assure the current Chair of the Commission, Colombian Ambassador Guillermo Fernández de Soto Valderrama, of the full support of my delegation. The year 2018 was a productive one for the Peacebuilding Commission, during which it continued to reap the benefits of the strengthening processes initiated in previous years. Whether in the review of a specific country, region or theme, the work of the Commission has been of growing interest and has led to tangible results, particularly in the Sahel, in the five countries on the Commission’s agenda, and in the countries eligible to be beneficiaries of the Peacebuilding Fund. The past year has also been a successful one for the Central African Republic configuration, which Morocco has had the honour of chairing since 2014. The visit to World Bank headquarters in February 2018 strengthened the partnership with that institution, whose involvement in the Central African Republic has grown exponentially, particularly in the context of the implementation of the national recovery and peacebuilding plan for the Central African Republic. Engagement with national authorities has continued at the highest level on an ongoing basis. We are honoured that again this year, the President of the Central African Republic, Mr. Touadera, participated in one of the country-specific configuration meetings on the follow- up to the national recovery and peacebuilding plan, which was organized on the margins of the high-level meeting of the General Assembly on peacebuilding and sustaining peace (see A/72/PV.83 et seq.). In another significant development, the configuration submitted to the Security Council, in writing, a series of observations with a view to renewing the mandate of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic. Those observations were developed based on ongoing monitoring of the situation in the country and the conclusions of the strategic review of the Mission. We have also implemented the recommendations from the Commission’s previous annual report (A/72/721), with a particular focus on holding meetings at the expert level prior to those at the ambassadorial level. That approach makes it possible to improve the monitoring of the country’s situation and to keep ambassadorial discussions on a strategic level. While 2018 was a difficult year for the Central African Republic, particularly in terms of security, 2019 began with the signing, in February, of the Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in the Central African Republic between the Government and 14 armed groups. The configuration chose that period to travel to Bangui. During my visit, Ambassador Omar Hilale, Chair of the configuration, was accompanied by the Assistant Secretaries-General for Africa and for Peacebuilding Support, Ms. Bintou Keita and Mr. Oscar Fernadez-Taranco, respectively, as well as by representatives of several member countries of the Security Council and the configuration. The annual report presents the full scope of the Commission’s activities, both as a platform for advocating the causes of fragile countries and mobilizing the funds needed for its recovery, and as a leading advisory body capable of providing advice and recommendations to the principal organs of the United Nations. It also reflects all the Commission’s efforts to take ownership of, and implement the recommendations made by, the resolution 70/262, on the review of the peacebuilding architecture, in full respect of the principle of national ownership of programmes by countries according to their priorities. That approach has been applied in the Sahel, an area of particular and growing interest for the Commission in 2018. During expert meetings at the ambassadorial or senior level, during the high-level dialogue with the Economic and Social Council and during the annual session, the challenges of the Sahel have been highlighted on several occasions and at different levels. The field visits also had a beneficial impact on the Commission’s follow-up. We welcome the sustained commitment to the Sahel as the best example of the importance of a coherent, coordinated and integrated strategy. We also welcome the emphasis placed on strengthening partnerships, in particular with the African Union, and the institutionalization of dialogue with the African Union Peace and Security Council. The next step will be to support the strengthening of the African Union’s peacebuilding mechanisms, including through capacity-building. With regard to the Peacebuilding Fund, we would like to express our satisfaction with the development of its activities in line with the Secretary-General’s recommendations. The budget allocation and the number of projects are gradually increasing from year to year, and cover more and more countries. The figures speak for themselves — $183 million allocated in 2018 in 40 countries on five continents, as compared to $157 million in 2017, which was already a record. In addition, we welcome certain positive developments noted in the Secretary-General’s report on the Fund’s activities, such as the fact that of the $183 million approved in 2018, 40 per cent was devoted to promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women, or the emphasis on transnational projects. We agree with the view that the integration of the Peacebuilding Support Office into the newly created Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs will provide the Fund with additional political expertise, which in turn will strengthen the Fund’s work. More specifically on the Central African Republic, the Chair of the country-specific configuration had an opportunity to visit several projects financed by the Fund, in particular in support of women parliamentarians and capacity-building for the police and the gendarmerie. The Fund also played a key role in supporting the Panel of Facilitators of the African Initiative for Peace and Reconciliation in the Central African Republic, and addressed the issue of transhumance by launching a project on the border with Cameroon. Before I conclude, I must congratulate the Chair of the Commission on his commitment and rigour, as well as the Chairs of the Commission’s country-specific configurations for their efforts and support. I also sincerely thank Ambassador Ambroisine Kpongo and all the members of the Permanent Mission of the Central African Republic to the United Nations, Mr. Onanga- Anyanga and his successor, Mr. Mankeur Ndiaye, as well as Assistant Secretary-General Oscar Fernandez- Taranco and the entire team of the Peacebuilding Support Office, who, despite the limited resources at their disposal, selflessly carry out their tasks.

Fragility, conflict and violence are among the defining challenges of our time. Alongside climate change, they present the biggest threats to the successful implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. There is a clear rationale for us to prioritize peacebuilding; it prevents the loss of life, it averts national security threats, it is critical for development and it is far cheaper than the cost of responding to violent instability and crisis through stabilization, peacekeeping or humanitarian aid. The United Kingdom has committed to allocating 50 per cent of our official development assistance to States and regions at risk of fragility, and we are exceeding that target. Member States established the United Nations peacebuilding architecture in 2005 to help strengthen the United Nations capability as a whole to build and sustain peace, but it is the responsibility of the United Nations system as a whole, including all its major bodies and its Member States, to make that promise a reality. The Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) has a central role both in supporting countries and regions at risk of fragility, and in facilitating more joined- up assistance across and beyond the United Nations system and its Member States. The PBC has the ability to convene a broad range of partners, most notably host Governments — and I stress the importance of country ownership in peacebuilding — but also civil society, regional organizations and investment banks, and the international financial institutions. However, as so often for us here in New York, the question that we must continuously ask ourselves time and time again is: How do we turn meetings and discussions at Headquarters into meaningful results on the ground? Our success in that respect has been mixed, but some good practices merit attention. For one, the active engagement of the PBC — and especially of the Chairs of the country-specific configurations — with host countries has provided critical diplomatic backing to national peacebuilding initiatives. The active engagement of the Commission with the international financial institutions has supported better alignment of economic and development objectives in pursuit of peace, and the diplomatic advocacy of the PBC has enabled the marshalling of increased financial resources for peacebuilding programming. As the PBC’s practice is further refined, more can be done to build on those good practices. It is positive that the PBC has been aligning its work more closely with the agenda of the Security Council. It should continue to do so in order to provide advice that is both timely and relevant. Expanding activity beyond country-specific configurations is also a welcome step towards improving the Commission’s working practices and ensuring that its support is flexible and effective. The PBC can redouble its efforts to engage with all relevant entities, both within and outside of the United Nations system, including the World Bank, as we take forward the Pathways for Peace: Inclusive Approaches to Preventing Violent Conflict report. Turning to the Peacebuilding Fund (PBF), the United Kingdom remains firmly committed to that instrument. In 2018, we doubled our contribution to the PBF, committing $40 million by 2020. The PBF has shown impressive drive in its innovation, flexibility and risk appetite to identify opportunities that other actors are not able to take up. We saw that in Kyrgyzstan, where the PBF has supported young people to become a growing power for peace, reducing inter-ethnic tensions and the likelihood of radicalization. We also welcome the PBF’s offer as a catalytic fund, becoming more concrete and aiming to attract 10 dollars for every one dollar of PBF funds invested. That is particularly important as existing donor funding for peacebuilding is limited, so we need to be thinking about leveraging long-term funding from other sources, including through international financial institutions, the private sector and innovative financing mechanisms. We are supportive of using PBF funds more flexibly, for instance through distribution to a more diverse range of actors such as non-governmental and civil-society organizations, which have unique expertise and local networks. United Nations agencies, funds and programmes play a critical role in realizing the Secretary-General’s vision for sustaining peace. What we would like to see is for the United Nations system to work together more efficiently throughout the whole conflict cycle, drawing on the right people and resources at the right time and engaging in shared analysis and planning to design successful, long-term interventions that support peacebuilding. This conversation is not new. Member States have been calling for more joined-up approaches by the United Nations system to tackling conflict for the past 20 years. In that respect, United Nations reforms provide an opportunity not to be missed. Transitions are a priority for the United Kingdom; they are critical points on the road to peace, often accompanied by increased risk of conflict. In that context, we welcome the increase in PBF funding to transition contexts at a critical juncture, such as in the Sudan, with the departure of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur in mind. But it will be important to learn lessons from previous engagements — in Liberia, for instance — so that joint planning for transition happens earlier and longer-term plans and financing to build peace and stability are in place when peacekeeping missions leave. We also welcome a focus on women and youth, as we saw for instance in Sierra Leone, where a PBF project helped increase women’s participation in the political process. That is in line with the United Kingdom’s national action plan for women, peace and security, which we launched in 2018 and which puts women and girls at the heart of the United Kingdom’s work to prevent and resolve conflict. We welcome the overall increase in funding, which allows the PBF and its partners to engage in an increasingly complex portfolio of work. It is clear, however, that much still needs to be done to realize that vision. The donor base still needs to be broadened and peacebuilding work better mainstreamed across the work of United Nations country teams. Finally, we are keenly anticipating the 2020 review of the United Nations peacebuilding architecture as an important moment to take stock of progress against the aspirations set out by Member States in 2005. The United Kingdom, for one, remains firmly committed to those aspirations.

Kenya congratulates Romania on its able leadership of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC), in conjunction with Germany and South Korea as Vice-Chairs, during its twelfth session. The various items in its annual report (A/73/724), including the work of the various country configurations, reflect the Commission’s role as a bridge across the three United Nations pillars. We would also like to commend the entire team of the Peacebuilding Support Office for its efforts in ensuring that the PBC continue to effectively utilize its convening platform and advisory role. Allow me to make a few observations and recommendations, some of which carry over from the twelfth session and have been flagged as priorities for the thirteenth session. For Kenya, our singular message is to build bridges for stronger partnerships and tangible deliverables for the whole of society. That is a mandate that the PBC is well suited for. First, from the annual reports of both the PBC and the Peacebuilding Fund (A/73/829), we can see there is value in linking the work of sustaining peace and peacebuilding on the ground with the discussions here at Headquarters, particularly in the areas of women and youth engagement, conflict prevention, support for peace agreements, and mission transitions, to name but a few. The scenario on the ground should inform the discussions and formulations here at Headquarters, not the other way around. That will require strategic partnerships with Governments and other national stakeholders, who are the drivers and sustainers of peacebuilding and sustaining peace efforts. Consequently, national ownership is key. Initiatives should be nationally owned, regionally anchored and internationally supported. Secondly, at the regional level, we commend the continued partnership between the Peacebuilding Commission and the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council, as reflected in the PBC report. Kenya is currently a member of both, and we can testify to the potential the two bodies have when they partner in the area of conflict prevention and the promotion of peace and stability within the African continent. This PBC-AU Peace and Security Council partnership can be further strengthened by integrating the work of the AU on post-conflict reconstruction and development, which is one of the pillars of the African Peace and Security Architecture. We commend Egypt, one of the PBC’s current Vice-Chairs, for the offer to host the headquarters of the AU Center for Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development. The PBC-AU Peace and Security Council partnership can actualize joint development policies and strategies geared towards consolidating peace, building resilience and promoting sustainable development for conflict-affected countries. Regional initiatives need to be supported given their capabilities and proximity to the actual situation on the ground. Thirdly, the link between peacebuilding and peacekeeping also needs strengthening. Both are currently indispensable parts of maintaining international peace and security. We welcome the advisory and accompaniment role that the Commission has undertaken — for example, in the informal interactive dialogues with the members of the Security Council, briefs to the Council prior to mission transitions and Security Council field visits, and focused meetings such as the one held early last year on gender-sensitive peacekeeping transitions, which highlighted the joint initiative of UN-Women, the former Department of Peacekeeping Operations, the Department of Political Affairs, the Peacebuilding Support Office and the United Nations Development Programme. We applaud the increasing focus and integration of gender perspectives in the various PBC meetings as part of the implementation of the PBC gender strategy. We welcome the proposals made earlier by the Permanent Representative of Ireland in that regard. Fourthly, the synergies between the Security Council and the PBC have been strengthening. We welcome Council presidential statement S/PRST/2018/20 on the advisory role of the PBC to the Security Council, which was adopted on 18 December 2018. We also commend Sweden on that initiative. We recognize that there is still more work that needs to be done — for example, to capitalize on the diverse, albeit limited, membership of the Commission in a way that will further complement its work with that of the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council on relevant cross-cutting peacebuilding and sustaining peace agenda items. We have also seen the Commission exploring a stronger partnership with the General Assembly. I therefore commend the President for organizing, in coordination with the Peacebuilding Commission, the first informal interactive dialogue on peacebuilding and sustaining peace between the General Assembly and the Peacebuilding Commission, in March. Given the increasing complexity of challenges in our rapidly changing world, it is important to maximize the complementarity, strengths and mandates of the two intergovernmental institutions. Lastly, on financing, we appreciate the important work of the Peacebuilding Fund, particularly its efforts to align programmes and projects with national development plans and priorities, as elaborated in the reports. We are also looking forward to the Secretary- General’s interim report, which will include, inter alia, recommendations and options on financing for United Nations peacebuilding activities. My delegation urges strengthened partnerships between the Commission and regional, subregional and international development and financial partners, including with the private sector. In conclusion, I would like to reiterate Kenya’s continued constructive support to Colombia, as the Chair, and Egypt and Romania, as the co-Vice-Chairs, of the current session, as we look ahead to the 2020 review of the peacebuilding architecture.

Peru welcomes this meeting to discuss the important work being done by the Peacebuilding Commission and the Peacebuilding Fund to promote greater coherence, effectiveness and efficiency in a sustainable peace approach to prevent conflicts by addressing their root causes in a comprehensive manner and strengthening the institutional framework required for that purpose. We believe that it is necessary to incorporate the new United Nations paradigm of action on the ground. That means understanding that peace and security, development and human rights are interdependent and mutually reinforcing. In particular, it means investing more in prevention activities and in an integrated treatment of the root causes of conflicts and humanitarian crises. We therefore welcome the fact that, in many conflict- affected countries, the Peacebuilding Commission has been working with national actors and the support of regional organizations and financial institutions. There are no one-size-fits-all models or formulas for achieving sustainable peace; each country must find its own path, in accordance with international law and with the timely support of the United Nations and the international community. Against that backdrop, the Peacebuilding Commission plays a fundamental role as a forum to bring together Member States, the General Assembly, the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council with a view to establishing institutions capable of promoting development, safeguarding human rights and guaranteeing access to justice, as well as combating corruption and impunity. Last year, during Peru’s presidency of the Security Council, we held a high-level briefing (see S/PV.8245) on the Council’s role in promoting sustainable peace, during which we adopted resolution 2413 (2018), on peacebuilding and the maintenance of peace. Together with Sweden, we worked on presidential statement S/PRST/2018/20, in which the Council recognized the important progress made by the Peacebuilding Commission and expressed the importance of robust coordination, coherence and cooperation between the two bodies. As current members of both the Security Council and the Peacebuilding Commission, we will continue to work actively to strengthen coordination between the two bodies to increase their effectiveness in advancing political processes related to peace and security. We will seek to promote greater reflection on the Secretary-General’s recommendations to adequately manage periods of transition from conflict to post- conflict at the end of the mandates of peace operations and regarding the need to develop alliances and enhance synergies for peacebuilding, including among regional organizations, the World Bank and other international financial institutions, donor countries, the private sector and civil society. We will also continue to promote the consultative role of the Peacebuilding Commission to the Security Council through joint meetings, such as informal interactive dialogues like the one held prior to the Council’s visit to Mali and Burkina Faso. In conclusion, I would like to state that Peru, as a country committed to multilateralism, international law and the principle of the peaceful settlement of disputes, will continue to work actively to promote those ideas and to see them reflected in concrete actions on the ground.

I thank the President for convening us to review the work of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) and the Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) over the past year. I also thank the Chair and the former Chair for their respective briefings. Before I begin my remarks, I want to express our collective sense of loss following the terrorist attacks on the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali, which killed one Nigerian peacekeeper and wounded several Chadians. The United States sends its condolences and sympathy to the family of the Nigerian peacekeeper and wishes a speedy and full recovery to the injured Chadian peacekeepers. The annual reports (А/73/724 and А/73/829) before us today make clear that the two peacebuilding institutions we are discussing have provided support to countries’ efforts to build sustainable peace. While much work remains to be done, we are encouraged by the openings they have created in post-conflict environments this year from Liberia to the Sahel and beyond. The United States is particularly focused on peacebuilding efforts that support transitions from peacekeeping missions to civilian-led efforts. The PBC and PBF are important resources to assist with that process. We are pleased that some peacekeeping missions have begun to adopt peacebuilding strategies. We encourage all missions to follow suit, as it can help enable sustainable political transitions. The closure of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Haiti this fall and the likely establishment of a civilian mission demonstrate the progress Haiti has made in promoting stability and provide an important peacebuilding opportunity. We are pleased that the Government of Haiti recognizes the positive role the PBC can play in promoting lasting security and stability, and we stand ready to support those efforts. The Secretary-General’s reform initiative has positioned the United Nations system to better support those kinds of transitions. We were pleased to see the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs take on the additional responsibility of peacebuilding this year — a signal that the United Nations is serious about incorporating peacebuilding into post- conflict transitions. As we take stock of the United Nations peacebuilding work this year and look to the next, the United States will continue to integrate several themes into its own peacebuilding efforts. First, we believe the international community should treat a peace deal or a ceasefire as only the first step in the post-conflict reconciliation process, which takes time and cannot be rushed. Secondly, we know that local actors and societies as a whole must buy into any transition. The PBC understands those dynamics and is well-positioned to support that critical work, from Colombia to the Central African Republic and beyond.

I am pleased that we are discussing the work of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) and the Peacebuilding Fund in this forum, which helps to strengthen synergies between the PBC and the General Assembly. I am also pleased that, for the first time, in March, an informal interactive dialogue was held between the General Assembly and the PBC. Those kinds of synergies are fully in line with the sustaining peace strategy, presented by the Secretary-General in January 2018, which we fully support. France believes that the PBC has immense untapped potential. We welcome the scaling up of its activities in recent years. A review of the peacebuilding architecture will be held in 2020, and France intends to participate in that endeavour. The PBC has an essential role to play, in particular in helping the Security Council to comprehensively understand the causes and dynamics of a conflict, to hear all actors and to think about long-term solutions to a crisis. I welcome the fact that the Security Council adopted presidential statement S/PRST/2018/20 last December on the relationship between the PBC and the Council, in which it encouraged the PBC to present recommendations. In order to make progress, it is also important to coordinate our schedules. In that regard, we welcome the holding, in March, of an informal interactive dialogue on the Sahel between the PBC and the Security Council, just before the Council’s visit to Mali and Burkina Faso. The PBC is a crucial forum for sharing experiences and best practices on peacebuilding, as part of a continuing effort to ensure national ownership. That is essential. The PBC meetings in recent weeks on Sri Lanka, the Gambia and Burkina Faso were emblematic and very useful in that respect. I would also like to emphasize the fundamental role of women in peacebuilding processes, and I welcome the ongoing work to update the PBC gender strategy. I would also like to recall France’s support for the Peacebuilding Fund, which is a valuable tool that enables swift and flexible intervention in risky and volatile contexts. It should be stressed that the Fund also plays a catalytic role and has a knock-on effect on other donors, which should be underscored. France has increased its contribution to the Fund and contributed €500,000 in 2019. Finally, France is fully committed, both multilaterally and bilaterally, to working on conflict prevention and peacebuilding. In 2018, we adopted a national strategy on prevention, resilience and sustainable peace. France has established a Peace and Resilience Fund to support bringing an end to crises. That Fund, which is financed in part by a financial transactions tax, has an annual budget of €100 million, which will increase to €200 million by 2020.

Let me begin by thanking the President of the General Assembly for convening this annual debate on the report of the Peacebuilding Commission (А/73/724) at its twelfth session and on the report of the Secretary-General on the Peacebuilding Fund (А/73/829). We commend the Secretary-General for his insightful report on the Peacebuilding Fund. We also commend Ambassador Fernández de Soto Valderrama, Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission, and his team for their astute leadership in steering the Commission’s affairs. By the same token, we express our immense gratitude to Ambassador Ion Jinga, Permanent Representative of Romania, for his invaluable contributions to the Peacebuilding Commission, especially when he served as Chair. Today’s reports are quite welcome, in particular as we remain engaged in the continuing review of the United Nations peacebuilding architecture and further contemplate innovative ways to promote peacebuilding and sustain peace, thereby enhancing sustainable economic growth and development. Lest we forget, we are pleased to extend our gratitude to the Peacebuilding Support Office and the Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support, Mr. Oscar Fernandez- Taranco, for their invaluable support to the work of the Peacebuilding Commission, especially in relation to the Republic of Liberia. I hasten to highlight the significance of the Peacebuilding Commission and the Peacebuilding Fund to the renewed peace and development initiatives in Liberia. First and foremost, as a country, we are gratified that the Peacebuilding Commission has been the platform on which the new Government of the Republic of Liberia, under the astute leadership of His Excellency Mr. George Manneh Weah, has been able to share perspectives on its priorities aimed at sustaining the peace being enjoyed. As rightly indicated in the Peacebuilding Commission’s report, the Commission was instrumental in facilitating the United Nations system’s support to effectively and efficiently manage the transition from the United Nations Mission In Liberia (UNMIL) to the United Nations country team. The Commission stood side by side with Liberia to ensure the success of our electoral processes, then went on to provide support to Liberia’s new peacebuilding plan, led by national actors, including the Government of Liberia, civil society and political institutions, together with UNMIL and the United Nations country team. Building on those achievements, Liberia developed its national development agenda, dubbed the Pro- poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development, which was envisioned and launched by President Weah. The paramount objective of the Pro-poor Agenda, particularly for the five years from 2018 to 2023, is to address the basic needs of Liberians for income security, better access to basic social services and greater opportunities for self-advancement, and to encourage a more peaceful and inclusive Liberian society, while highlighting Liberia’s peacebuilding priorities and initiatives to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals. As we hail the continuous success of the Peacebuilding Commission, the Government and the people of the Republic of Liberia will remain immensely indebted to the leadership of Sweden, as Chair of the Liberia country-specific configuration of the Peacebuilding Commission. Sweden continues to prove to be a very trusted partner of Liberia, and the personal commitment of Ambassador Skoog of Sweden to our numerous peace initiatives is certainly acknowledged with high esteem. As for the Peacebuilding Fund, there is a lot more that Liberia can refer to with appreciation. The Fund has driven United Nations coherence and led the way on conflict prevention. It has made a significant contribution to gender equality and women’s empowerment in conflict resolution and the security sector. For example, at the local level, it has empowered women’s organizations to help with conflict resolution with concession companies; and, at the national level, has supported a task force on gender and security sector. Expanding beyond traditional partnerships and engaging with the private sector, the work of the Peacebuilding Fund on livelihoods also included an innovative financing component with concession companies committed to funding the continuation of multi-stakeholder platforms. Those platforms endeavour to be a dialogue mechanism for communities to engage with companies and the Government. In spite of those achievements at the national level and the fact that the Peacebuilding Fund has proven successful in a number of ways in bringing partners and important national stakeholders together to ensure continued commitment, we should not relent in exploring creative ways to invest in preventing conflict and sustaining peace. We would like to reiterate that the Peacebuilding Fund should neither be a substitute for conflict prevention nor peace sustenance. As Member States, we have a pivotal role to play, as do other stakeholders, including regional and subregional bodies, and we must take responsibility for our own economic advancement. We are also particularly pleased with the increasing level of interaction between the Peacebuilding Commission and the Security Council, especially with regard to country-specific situations highlighted on the programmes of both institutions. As a Member State, Liberia can attest to the relevance of the Peacebuilding Commission’s advisory role with the Security Council. We would like to emphasize the following points, which we think, if considered, will go a long way towards enhancing the realization of the objectives of the Peacebuilding Commission geared towards sustainable peace and security, and hence development in our global community. First, let us endeavour to keep alive deliberations on how the Peacebuilding Commission can work better with the relevant intergovernmental bodies to bring about a coherent, integrated approach to building and sustaining peace. Secondly, it is important to continuously explore every available means to ensure that the Peacebuilding Commission strengthens its partnership with key stakeholders. Thirdly, enhancing and consolidating robust multilateralism is the way to go. Let us re-echo that sustaining development and long-term tranquillity will largely depend on building and consolidating peace. Lastly, the platform created by the Peacebuilding Commission, where countries can exchange experiences and learn lessons from one another, is highly laudable. We think that initiative should be further strengthened. Finally, on behalf of President Weah and the Government and the people of Liberia, we salute and hold all donors of the Peacebuilding Fund in the highest esteem for their immeasurable support to the Peacebuilding Fund.

At the outset, we would like to welcome the reports of the Secretary-General on the Peacebuilding Commission at its twelfth session (А/73/724) and on the activities of the Peacebuilding Fund over the past year (А/73/829). We would also like to congratulate Ambassador Guillermo Fernández de Soto Valderrama of Colombia on his election as Chair of the Commission, and in particular to thank Assistant Secretary-General Oscar Fernandez-Taranco and his team for their outstanding work in this area. The year 2018 has been particularly important in the history of the Peacebuilding Commission and the Peacebuilding Fund. Although my country was not a member of the Commission in 2018, it followed its work closely over the past year and actively participated in the interactive dialogue between the General Assembly and the Commission on peacebuilding and sustaining peace, which was held in March. In that regard, we welcome the efforts made by the Commission in 2018 to increase coherence in addressing regional, thematic and country-specific issues in order to contribute to the effective implementation of its mandate. By the same token, we would also like to underscore the Commission’s liaison role among the principal organs of the United Nations in seeking flexible ways of interacting and contributing to strengthening coordination, coherence, synergies and complementarities in the delivery of United Nations support to peacebuilding and sustaining peace, both at the strategic and operational levels. Since its inception, the Peacebuilding Commission has made important contributions and taken concrete actions to implement its mandate. However, we believe that the expectations for the Commission and its full potential have not yet been met. The Commission must therefore have adequate, predictable and sustainable funding to enable it to deal with the magnitude of the peacebuilding tasks. Against that backdrop, we welcome the meetings of experts organized over the past year to analyse alternatives and predictability in financing peacebuilding activities. We encourage the Commission to continue working to establish stronger synergies between the Commission and the Fund. The Organization will soon commemorate its seventy-fifth anniversary. Our country believes that every effort to achieve sustainable peace involves a renewed emphasis on prevention, but with a particular focus on preventing conflicts from recurring, in particular during periods of transition and withdrawal from peace missions. To that end, we must address the root causes of conflicts and make progress in recovery and reconstruction efforts. The United Nations system and Member States must also align themselves with the Secretary-General’s holistic approach to the pillars of the Organization, given that development and human rights are a fundamental part of peacebuilding and peacebuilding. At a critical moment for the practical implementation of 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which is aimed at building fair, peaceful and inclusive societies, and the principles set out in peacekeeping resolutions, Argentina would like to urge the Commission to enhance the fulfilment of its mandate by adopting flexibility that allows it to go beyond regional configurations. As reflected in the annual report under consideration at this debate, peacekeeping resolutions confer an important role on the Commission and encourage it to be more effective, flexible and innovative, while also underscoring its role as a bridge and source of advice between the Organization’s peace and security efforts and those devoted to development, human rights and humanitarian assistance. In particular, we believe that the Commission can play a more active role in supporting the Security Council in the design and evaluation of peacekeeping operation mandates, as well as in supporting the Economic and Social Council in monitoring compliance with the Sustainable Development Goals by conflict-affected countries. Furthermore, we would like to emphasize the need to improve synergy between peace missions and the Commission. Argentina shares the Secretary- General’s view that peacekeeping missions, along with the entire United Nations system, can, through joint work, become effective platforms for preventing conflicts from escalating and for sustaining peace in the countries where they are deployed. That alignment is essential to reaching a shared understanding among the stakeholders and to putting forward options on the best way to help States that host peacekeeping missions to implement their development and peacebuilding policies. It can also contribute to the adoption of coherent measures across the United Nations system in support of the Commission’s mandate. In conclusion, we reiterate our commitment to continuing to work to help the Commission and the Fund acquire an increasingly important role as key instruments in conflict prevention, as well as in peacebuilding and sustainable peace.

We have heard the last speaker in the joint debate on the items for this meeting. We shall hear the remaining speakers here in the Hall at 3 p.m.