The UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown in his statement at the Security Council debate on UN co-operation with the African Union on 16 April 2008:

‘History tells us that fragile and conflict states need not only humanitarian aid and peacekeeping, they need to combine that with the help for stabilisation and reconstruction. And for countries where breakdown occur, it is now right to agree major changes in the way the international order responds, so that we can systematically combine humanitarian aid and peacekeeping with help for reconstruction and development. And in the same way that we have military forces ready to respond to conflicts, we should agree to have civilian experts ready on stand-by to deploy quickly to help rebuild countries emerging from instability.’

Immediately after a cease-fire or peace agreement, rapid engagement of the UN and international community is critical to help stabilise a country, to build up national capacity rapidly to lead the recovery process and build the confidence of its population to invest in peace - nearly 30% of conflicts that end with negotiated settlements break out again within five years.

The UN and international community has got better at addressing this challenge, but current efforts remain too little, too late and too fragmented. The UK has identified three critical gaps that hamper these efforts:

There is a leadership gap. The whole UN system needs to move into action from Day One of a peace agreement. And, better co-ordination of the overall international effort is required.

There is a capacity gap. The international community often fails to ensure the right kinds of civilian experts are deployed rapidly. Capacity is being built by the UN, regional organisations and member states, but their arrangements are incompatible.

There is a financing gap. There is no specific funding instrument or appeal mechanism to provide rapid up-front support for the range of critical requirements in the immediate aftermath of conflict.

The UK, as Presidency of the Security Council for the month of May, will chair on 20 May a debate that we hope will shape thinking, inject momentum and provide a platform for further work by the UN, regional organisations and individual member states on how best to address these gaps.