*As the issue of establishing a peacebuilding capacity has been settled for the time being, the Center for UN Reform Education will only continue reporting sporadically.
Latest Updates
Peacebuilding Fund Under Review
By ReformTheUN.org, 16 April 2009
The UN’s Peacebuilding Support Office has issued draft changes to the Terms of Reference for the Peacebuilding Fund (PBF), which propose reconfiguring the funding windows for support for countries emerging from conflict.
Danish UN Mission Publishes Report: "A Strategic Review of the PBC"
18 April 2008
Following the completion of a year as a member of the Peacebuilding Commission, and against the backdrop of Denmark’s extensive role along with Tanzania in negotiating the establishment of the PBC, the Permanent Mission of Denmark to the UN commissioned the New York University Center on International Cooperation (CIC) and the International Peace Institute (IPI) to undertake an independent strategic review of the PBC’s performance. Report available via above link.
New NGO Report on PBC
9 October 2007
The research organization, Security Council Report, released today a special report Special Research Report No. 2: Peacebuilding Commission analyzing the first year of operation of the UN's new Peacebuilding Commission.
PBC Adopts Strategic Framework for Burundi
5 July 2007
On 20 June 2007, the Peacebuilding Commission held a country specific meeting focusing on the adoption of a Strategic Framework for Peacebuilding in Burundi.
New NGO Report on PBC
27 June 2007
Today, an NGO consortium (ActionAid, CARE, and Catholic Agencies for Overseas Development) released their "shadow report" Consolidating the Peace: Views from Sierra Leone and Burundi on the UN Peacebuilding Commission analyzing the Peacebuilding Commission's first year of activity, and, among other points, recommended that peacebuilding strategies be developed before PBF funds are allocated, and that funds be linked to political commitments.
"A Year in Review" - An Interview With ASG Carolyn McAskie
by Irene Martinetti, 4 June 2007
The Center for UN Reform interviewed Assistant Secretary-General Carolyn McAskie, head of the Peacebuilding Support Office, on the work of the Peacebuilding Commission, the UN’s new advisory body on peacebuilding, which has been in operation now for almost a year.
PBC Discusses Country-Specific Draft
11 June 2007
On 6 June 2007, the Peacebuilding Commission held an Informal Country Specific Meeting on Burundi regarding the proposed draft of the “Strategic Framework for Peacebuilding in Burundi.” The document proposes a strategic framework for peacebuilding in Burundi according to the principles of international cooperation.
PBC Adopts Guidelines for NGO Participation
11 June 2007
On 6 June 2007, the PBC Organizational Committee adopted the “Provisional guidelines for the participation of civil society in meetings of the Peacebuilding Commission,” (PBC/1/OC/12). The document sets forth guidelines in regard to the acceptance and participation of civil society in meetings of the PBC.
PBC Ad-Hoc Working Group Discusses NGO Participation
24 May 2007
On 23 May 2007, the Peacebuilding Commission held an informal meeting to discuss “Provisional Guidelines for the Participation of Civil Society in Meetings of the Peacebuilding Commission.”
Update on Governance Reform in Burundi
19 March 2007
The Peacebuilding Commission Support Office hosted a discussion on Burundi: Governance Reform: Enhancing Democracy and Democratic Participation. The purpose of this informal thematic discussion was to obtain relevant information for the formulation of advice and recommendations for the peacebuilding process in Burundi.
First Lessons Learned in Sierra Leone
20 February 2007
The Peacebuilding Commission Working Group on Lessons Learned convened the First Lessons Learned Meeting on Sierra Leone: Peacebuilding, Elections, and Risk Reduction in Post-Conflict Context.
PBC After One Year
by ReformtheUN.org, 13 February 2007
On 31 January the work of the Peacebuilding Commission was reviewed for the first time by the Security Council and a week later on 5 February by the General Assembly, also for the first time. The meetings took place a little over one year since the Commission was established and could be seen as a step towards a more integrated institutional approach to peacebuilding in the United Nations.
"A Unique and Unusual Experiment" - An Expert View on the PBC
by Niamh Gibbons, 20 December 2005
In late November 2005, the Center for UN Reform interviewed Dr. Necla Tschirgi, Vicepresident of the International Peace Academy, about the new body.
Background
The Peacebuilding Commission is a newly formed advisory body at the U.N. Created as a result of the World Summit Outcome Document, it aims to prevent unstable peace agreements from collapsing within a few years, and to help prevent war-torn countries from once again falling into deadly conflict. The Commission was established with the adoption of joint resolutions from the General Assembly, Resolution A/RES/60/180, and the Security Council, Resolution S/RES/1645 on December 20th, 2005. The Peacebuilding Commission serves as a subsidiary organ of the General Assembly and the Security Council .
Peacebuilding Commission Goals
The primary objective of the UN Peacebuilding Commission is to aid states in transitioning from a post-conflict environment to an environment of sustainable peace. The Peacebuilding Commission acts in a primarily advisory role, providing input when solicited by the Security Council, ECOSOC or the General Assembly, and the Secretary-General. Member states on the verge of relapsing into conflict or member states emerging from conflict may petition the commission for assistance directly, provided that the Security Council is not already involved.
The main task of the Peacebuilding Commission is that of bringing together all relevant actors to advise and propose integrated strategies for post-conflict peacebuilding and recovery. Attention will be paid to reconstruction and institution-building to support a foundation of sustainable development. The Commission will act primarily as an advisory body in an attempt to develop best practices, to ensure financing for early recovery activities, and to increase and continue the attention given by the international community to post-conflict recovery.
The hope behind the creation of the Peacebuilding Commission is to aid states in developing sustainable infrastructure, societies, and governments that will be able to increase the longevity of the peace agreements brokered to end the violence. That is not to say that the United Nations will abandon all preventative or peacekeeping measures in its peace sustaining efforts, however, the creation of the Peacebuilding Commission affirms the importance of focusing on the post-conflict environment.
Origins of the Peacebuilding Commission
The first suggestion to create the Peacebuilding Commission surfaced in The Report of the High-level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change, A More Secure World, Our Shared Responsibility A/59/562, dated December 2, 2004. In response to the suggestions made by the High-level Panel, Former Secretary-General Kofi Annan published his own report, In larger Freedom, Towards Development, Security, and Human Rights for All, A/RES/59/2005 on March 21, 2005.
In this report, Kofi Annan identified a gap in the institutional workings of the United Nations in which no UN body effectively addressed the challenges of the transition from war to lasting peace in post-conflict countries. Fifty percent of all conflicts collapse back into violence within five years of reaching a peace agreement, a fact which can be attributed to this institutional gap. As a result, the conception and formulation of the Peacebuilding Commission was actualized in the 2005 World Summit Outcome Document, A/RES/60/1, which stipulated the Peacebuilding Commission to be operational by December 31, 2005.
