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Mr President,
I am privileged to make this statement on behalf of my Permanent Representative.
Pakistan delegation would like to thank you Mr. President for arranging today’s debate and felicitate you on assumption of the Presidency of the Council this month.
We also thank the Secretary General and Ambassador Peter Wittig of Germany for their important statements.
Our appreciation is also due to the two reports by the Secretary General, under discussion today. The reports enrich the evolving discourse on Peacebuilding and meliorate our collective response to address the challenge of Peacebuilding.
Mr. President,
The Secretary General’s progress report on “Peacebuilding in the aftermath of the Conflict” is a substantive addition to its early sequel of July 2009. In the earlier report, the Secretary General had outlined an agenda for coherent, efficient and predictable responses to the Peacebuilding needs of countries emerging from conflict. The present report notes the progress achieved in implementing such agenda. In this context, we note the positive role played by the ‘Integration Steering Group’, which includes peace and security, humanitarian and development actors across the UN. The ISG can enhance the Secretariat’s responsiveness to the peacebuilding needs. Parallel improvement in cooperation between the headquarters and the country team along with strengthening the office of the Resident Coordinator is also vital. At the same time, it would also be important to clarify the linkages between peacebuilding and the socio-economic development strategies implemented by the UNDP and other multilateral donors.
We agree with the Secretary General that core priority areas of Peacebuilding are: basic safety and security; support to political processes; provision of basic services; restoring core government functions; and economic revitalization. We believe that National Capacity Development would remain cornerstone of all peacebuilding efforts. Security sector reforms (SSR), together with strengthening national capacity to manage inter-community conflicts, fill the gap in a country’s ability to build sustainable peace. However, in order to succeed, all Peacebuilding initiatives must be people-centric, in terms of specific needs or circumstances endemic in a post-conflict situation.
In the context of human-dimension of Peacebuilding, the Secretary General’s report on “Women and Peacebuilding” is both candid and objective. The report put forth a ‘seven-point action plan’ that factors gender perspective in Peacebuilding endeavours.
We believe that lasting peace in a conflict would remain elusive without improving the conditions of women and other vulnerable segments of the society. For long-term economic recovery and social cohesion, women’s access to health, education and entrepreneurship is essential.
Women’s participation in mediation and policy formulation of various Peacebuilding efforts can be a source of force multiplier. However, adherence to merit, cross-board institutional contexts and strict professionalism should not be compromised.
Mr. President,
The challenge of Peacebuilding is complicated by the proven risk of the relapse of conflict. Such challenges can be tackled by a more coordinated assessment and planning for Peacebuilding and Peacekeeping activities; where both processes must be explicitly defined in a complementary relationship. This is especially important in view of the fact that now, long-term Peacebuilding objectives are enshrined in at-least 10 out of 16 Peacekeeping Missions. This overlap should not obviate the specificity of the Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding disciplines. Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding can only work together by dynamic interplay of the General Assembly, the Security Council, the ECOSOC, the International Financial Institutions, the Troop Contributing Countries (TCCs) and the relevant departments of the UN Secretariat.
The Peacebuilding Commission (PBC), with its unique composition and specific mandate holds a pivotal role in the Peacebuilding architecture. The achievements of the PBC, in the first five years of its existence, should not be downplayed. Working of the PBC will improve as the global narrative on Peacebuilding further evolves and as our collective response becomes more resource-rich. It is, therefore, important not to temper with the present composition and structure of the PBC. Any alteration in composition of the PBC, particularly with reference to representation of TCCs, should not be acceptable; as it would only weaken the institutional and other important linkages between Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding.
I would conclude by reiterating that there is no silver bullet that could precipitate conditions conducive to Peacebuilding. Such conditions, namely security and political stability, can be sustained only if the aim of our collective Peacebuilding endeavour is to win peace - not to artificially earn or impose it.
I thank you.