The review of the Peace Building Commission (PBC) kicked off yesterday with Secretary General Ban-Ki-Moon welcoming the start of the process. The review is co-facilitated by Ambassadors Baso Sangqu, Permanent Representative of South Africa who was appointed by the Dr Ali Abdussalam Treki, President of the General Assembly alongside the Permanent Representatives of Ireland and Mexico. During yesterday’s launch of the review process, member states expressed their support to the facilitation team and outlined their expectations for the review outcome.
In line with the decision of the world leaders during the 2005 World Summit, the PBC was established jointly by resolutions of both the United Nations (UN) General Assembly and the UN Security Council in 2005 to serve as an intergovernmental advisory body of the UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council. The resolutions call for a review of the PBC architecture after a period of five years. The review entails an assessment of the work of the PBC in the last five years with a view to making recommendations on the UN’s peace building efforts.
The mandate of the PBC among others is to bring together all relevant actors to marshal resources and coordinate the activities of international donors, the international financial institutions, and national governments as well as to advice on integrated strategies for post-conflict peace building.
During this initial meeting, Member States expressed an overwhelming enthusiasm for a revitalised and rejuvenated Peace Building Architecture that will better register quick impact in countries emerging from conflicts and in this regard emphasised the need for the review process to visit countries on its agenda as well as prospective countries to ascertain their views. National ownership of the peace building process is the overarching principle for the success of building sustainable peace in vulnerable countries. Wider consultations with all stakeholders including regional organisations, civil society, non-governmental and women organisations, developmental agencies and International Financial Institutions (such as World Bank) is envisaged through this review process.
South Africa is a member of the Organisational Committee of the PBC and also participates in Country Specific Configurations on Burundi, Central African Republic, Guinea Bissau and Sierra Leone. South Africa is also the Chair of the African Union Post Conflict Reconstruction and Development Committee on the Sudan.
South Africa hopes that the review process will build on the positive lessons learnt and that it will provide recommendations to further enhance the role the PBC, making it efficient and effective in providing support to national and transitional governments and authorities of countries emerging from conflict or at risk of relapsing into conflict.
Issued by: Department of International Relations and Cooperation
20 February 2010
