Summary: 25 November 2009, New York – Statement on behalf of the European Union by H.E. Mr. Anders Lidén, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Sweden, at the Security Council Debate on the Annual Report of the Peacebuilding Commission, United Nations
Mr. President,
I have the honour to speak today on behalf of the European Union.
The following countries align themselves with this statement:
The candidate Countries Turkey, Croatia*, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia*, the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Montenegro, Serbia, as well as Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Armenia, and Georgia.
Mr. President,
This year Member States and United Nations system have taken important steps to strengthen international support to countries emerging from conflict.
We have had debates in this chamber and in the General Assembly on the matter. Concrete initiatives are underway to enhance the coherence and the effectiveness of our engagement.
Mr. President,
Ending violence is merely the first step of building peace. Weak state institutions, broken economic systems, and a lack of trust and confidence between former adversaries remain potent threats to stability long after a peace agreement has been signed.
The challenge is to ensure basic security while starting the long process of building sustainable peace. This requires a comprehensive and coordinated response from the international community in support of national efforts.
The Peacebuilding Commission is mandated to promote coordination, marshal resources and advise based on integrated strategies for peacebuilding.
It was created as a forum for policy coordination at the strategic level among key international actors, including the International Financial Institutions.
The Commission can play a central role in addressing critical gaps in peacebuilding efforts and contribute to increased coherence between security, development and humanitarian actors.
Experience shows that the PBC can also be an important framework for mutual accountability, under which host governments and the international community can be held to account against agreed commitments.
The unique membership of the Commission provides international legitimacy to deliver effectively on these roles.
Mr. President,
The 2010 review provides an important opportunity to reinvigorate the vision behind the PBC, inject renewed political attention and generate a common understanding on the way forward.
In the review process, we should build on our experiences from the PBC’s first years of operation. We know that support to post-conflict countries must build on national ownership and be context specific.
The PBC should therefore be flexible in its engagement, focusing on a limited set of priorities and building on existing strategies and capacities at country level.
We also know that high level commitment and ownership by the PBC membership is central. We must ensure that our words and policies correspond with our actions in countries on the PBC agenda and in relevant multilateral organizations.
Mr. President,
The EU would welcome a more structured relationship, including increased interaction, between the PBC and the Security Council.
This would promote the early inclusion of peacebuilding perspectives in Security Council considerations and decisions.
We need to ensure better use of synergies between peacebuilding and peacekeeping – from mandating and planning to deploying and carrying out peace support operations.
The processes of reviewing the peacebuilding architecture and the effectiveness of peacekeeping operations should be undertaken in tandem.
The recommendations in the Secretary Generals report on “Peacebuilding in the immediate Aftermath of Conflict” and the non-paper “A New Partnership Agenda: Charting a New Horizon for UN Peacekeeping” highlight these linkages.
Further efforts are needed to implement the integrated mission concept for a more strategic and coherent UN support to peacebuilding.
The UN leadership in country needs to be empowered to corral international support behind early and prioritized strategies.
The operational capacity in core peacebuilding sectors must be strengthened, including through improved and timely deployment of civilian capacities. The EU will continue to engage actively in taking these recommendations forward.
Mr. President,
As we approach the tenth anniversary of the Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women and Peace and Security, urgent action must be taken to implement this agreement. More resources for advancing gender equality within transitional recovery, reintegration and reconstruction efforts are needed.
Efforts in countries emerging from conflict can offer opportunities to redress gender inequities of the past, and set precedents for the future.
Gender equality brings new degrees of democratic inclusiveness, as well as faster social recovery and more durable economic growth. These opportunities should be enhanced by the international community.
Mr President,
Supporting countries emerging from conflict is a moral obligation and responsibility of the international community. We must not fail to meet this challenge.
The United Nations, with its global legitimacy and broad range of tools, has a central role to play. We look to the Secretary-General for strong leadership in enhancing the coherence and effectiveness of the United Nations peace and security structures. The European Union will continue to actively support efforts to better assist countries in building sustainable peace.
Thank you.
* Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.
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