Peacebuilding
Peacebuilding aims to prevent the outbreak or recurrence of armed conflict. It is the development of structural conditions, attitudes and modes of political behaviour that enable peace, stability and ultimately prosperous social and economic development. Peacebuilding encompasses activities such as disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) of ex-combatants, reform of the security sector, restoration of justice systems and the rule of law more broadly, civilian police reform, elections, human rights monitoring, and the problem of small arms and light weapons.
Peacebuilding, like conflict prevention, is the primary responsibility of national Governments. However, many countries at risk of conflict or emerging from conflict are extremely fragile, facing a lack of security, government capacity, and financial resources. The UN, with the rest of the international community, has played a key role in peacebuilding in many countries through its peacekeeping missions and its development programmes. Security Council mandates for peacekeeping operations often cover a range of peacebuilding issues that are essential for the successful implementation of the country’s peace agreement.
Key issues include ensuring that there is national ownership of the peacebuilding process and a clear peacebuilding strategy; ensuring effective co-ordination between the various actors carrying out peacebuilding activities; ensuring long-term engagement of the international community and ensuring sufficient financing for core peacebuilding activities.
Peacebuilding Commission
On 20 December 2005, in response to an agreement between Heads of State/Government at the 2005 UN World Summit regarding the importance of peacebuilding, the Security Council and the General Assembly established a new
UN Peacebuilding Commission (PBC), with the simultaneous adoption of
Security Council resolutions 1645 (2005) and 1646 (2005), and
General Assembly resolution A/RES/60/180. The PBC’s purpose is to advise on strategic priorities for peacebuilding and bring together international political, donor and military efforts in a given country, as well as to highlight any gaps which threaten to undermine peacebuilding, and where necessary to mobilise funding.
The 31-member
Organisational Committee of the Peacebuilding Commission, which includes the UK, has been established. The current elected chair is Japan, vice-chairs are El Salvador and Ghana. Provisional rules of procedure have been agreed. It has also selected the first two countries on its agenda: Burundi and Sierra Leone. The real work of the Commission will be in its country-specific committees where participation will be tailored to each case, to involve country representatives as well as all the relevant contributors such as regional organisations, regional banks and international financial institutions.
The UK is currently working to ensure that the first meetings of the PBC establish a good precedent for future working practices and lead to the Commission establishing both credibility and authority in helping countries to build peace and prevent them falling back into conflict. The PBC has no executive powers, so its authority will flow from: the utility of its advice to the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council and other bodies; its expertise; the willingness of its Members to feel bound by its findings; and its proven results.
UK policy
Peacebuilding