The UN Peacebuilding Commission

Mr President,

It is my pleasure to speak on behalf of the five Nordic countries; Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. I wish to express our support for the statement delivered by France on behalf of the European Union.

The Nordic countries recognize the progress made since the establishment in 2006, of the Peacebuilding Commission, in particular the important work of the country specific configurations. We welcome the appointment of Jane Holl Lute and her efforts to further strengthen the capacity and improve the focus of PBC. With the support of the PBSO we need to streamline the working methods of the PBC to allow for more countries on the agenda and to focus our efforts at the strategic level delivering on the vision of the PBC.

In this regard, we cannot emphasize enough the importance of seeking partnerships and coherence in relevant activities within and outside the UN; with UN agencies, funds and programmes, regional and subregional organizations, and international financial institutions.

Within the peacebuilding architecture, we see a need for better defining the role of the PBSO in terms of giving assistance and support to the PBC. The PBSO should have a key function in the strategic planning of the peacebuilding efforts of the United Nations. At the same time, we need to explore ways to create synergies in order to respond to the challenges facing the countries emerging from conflict in a coherent, timely and rational way. To this end, we strongly support the PBSO’s role in coordinating the Secretary-General’s report on peacebuilding and early recovery, and look forward to actively engaging in the process of providing recommendations.

Mr President,

We wish to draw attention to the Early Recovery Policy Forum held earlier this month in Copenhagen, where a number of international policy makers and practitioners were gathered to put forward proposals on how to address gaps in capacity, strategy and funding when it comes to early recovery and peace building. The Forum highlighted, inter alia, the need to speed up post disaster damage and needs assessments as well as the necessity of rapidly scaling up the capacity of Resident Coordinators in a crisis situation. We consider these and other conclusions of the Forum very useful in our efforts to further strengthen PBC and the wider peace building architecture.

Our delegations have been strong contributors to the PBF, which we believe is a vital tool to address immediate needs in countries emerging from conflicts. In conflict environments, speed is of the essence. We clearly see room for improvement in the management of the fund in order for it to work efficiently as a catalyst for more sustained support mechanisms.

We look forward to the OIOS review and the recommendations of the Advisory Group later this month in order to further improve the efficiency, effectiveness and relevance of the fund. We hope the evaluation will provide clear recommendations to address questions regarding the PBF’s function. The Nordic countries would welcome further clarity on the scope and allocation procedure for the three funding windows, an improved and transparent accountability framework and strengthened capacity in the management of the fund. We think that the relationship between the PBF and the PBC in-country could be further clarified. Furthermore, peace building gaps continue to go unfilled, and we would consider it useful to revisit the possibility of using PBF funds to support UN Secretariat entities and their missions. We look forward to working with member states and to consider improvements to the fund in the context of this assembly.

In closing, Mr. President, let me express the gratitude of the missions of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden for the reports submitted under these agenda items. They contain valuable information and form a good basis for our discussions.

I thank you, Mr. President