I would like to join others to thank Ambassador Mohamed Edrees for convening today’s meeting. Let me also thank Ambassador Jun Zhang for his insightful briefing, says a press release recived here today from New York.
As a member of Peacebuilding Commission and a major TCC, Pakistan remains actively engaged in the efforts to promote peace, stability and prosperity in Africa. We take immense pride in the fact that Pakistani peacekeepers played a critical role in three of the most successful UN Peacekeeping Missions in Africa: Liberia, Sierra Leone and Cote d’Ivoire. Imbued with the spirit to serve, our contingents went beyond the call of duty to help restore normalcy and win hearts and minds of local populations.
Today, Africa faces a multitude of challenges. Poverty, political fragility, terrorist attacks, illicit trade of high value natural resources, climate change and a debt crisis, among others. Addressing these root causes and containing the COVID-19 pandemic should be at the core of peacebuilding and recovery efforts in Africa.
In these unprecedented times, the Security Council, building on its resolution 2558 (2020), could take greater advantage of Peacebuilding Commission’s unique capabilities, derived from its diverse membership comprising, TCC’s and finance contributors among others, as well as its convening power that allows it to engage with host countries, regional organizations and IFI’s. Here I would like to make a few suggestions:
Firstly, the PBC and Security Council should have more informal interactions, like the one today, especially ahead of mandate renewals or drawdowns of peace missions. Similar Informal-Informal Interactive Dialogues could also be convened prior to Security Council visit to conflict affected countries which could include PBC representation.
Secondly, the Security Council, while authorizing a peacekeeping mission, could consider allocating a certain percentage of resources, from the budget or from voluntary contributions, for community support projects. Winning hearts and minds of local populations has a vital role in the success of any peacebuilding effort.
Thirdly, notwithstanding the role of robust peace operations, reflected in the A4P plus concept, the Council and the Commission can synergize their actions to support internal and cross border ‘reconciliation’ between the parties to conflict. We should dedicate more financial resources toward Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) processes and towards creating an environment in which peace processes and sustainable development and financial support can take root. Economic development should be leveraged to incentivize the warring parties to strive for peace.
Fourthly, creating dynamic channels of communication with the AU and sub-regional organizations is crucial. Many internal conflicts in Africa are influenced by regional dynamics and may have cross border implications and spill overs. Therefore, it is crucial that regional actors are involved in the design and implementation of peacebuilding initiatives to spur a unified response at the national, regional and international levels.
Finally, the Council and the Commission could cooperate to enlarge the capacity of the Secretary General’s Peacebuilding Fund (PBF). This could encompass larger voluntary contributions, additional contributors and larger support from the IFI’s which have the resources and expertise to support development programmes that can build and sustain peace in the concerned African countries.
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