Mr. President,
Let me start by saying that it has been an honor for my country to serve as a member on the first session of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC). Right from the beginning Croatia took a leading role, along with other friends of the initiative, in advocating the case for the establishment of the PBC as an effective and transparent body where all the member states will have a chance to serve. We believed at that time, and we still believe now that the PBC has been a vital missing tool in the armory of the United Nations, which now with Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) and Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO) make indispensable peacebuilding architecture in the UN.
Croatia would like to stress that it aligns itself with the extensive statement of the European Union, but we also want to express our views on the PBC achievements for the past year.
Mr. President,
Today, in the General Assembly, we have in front of us for the first time the report of the PBC and the report of the Secretary-General on the PBF. As a very active member of the PBC, we believe that the report reflects accurately the atmosphere of cooperation and achievements of the first PBC year. We were of the view that the report should not be only a factual record of our meetings, but also a document which contains our achievements and challenges that lie ahead of us.
The first year of work covered new ground in trying to bring more coherence and coordination to peace building, especially through its impact on the ground for the two countries currently on its agenda – Burundi and Sierra Leone. It has not been easy, as we have been faced both with institutional and substantive challenges.
A number of things have been accomplished, such as rules and procedures, guidelines for the participation of civil society in the work of the PBC as well as a variety of methods in conduct of its work. But above all, PBC has adopted the first peace building document in the UN – Strategic Framework for the Peacebuilding in Burundi and it is well on its way to finalize the Sierra Leone compact. It has succeeded in mobilizing all stakeholders in Burundi and Sierra Leone around the priorities that have been established for the peace building process in both countries. This has been a major achievement, because national ownership with all partners and stakeholders involved is a key to successful peacebuilding and sustainable development.
However, much still remains to be done. PBC needs to develop tracking and monitoring mechanisms to measure the implementation of the Integrated Peacebuilding Strategy. However, to accomplish this, complete mapping of existing and planned activities of all partners should be carried out. For the success, it is essential that all peace building efforts are harmonized. During our one year tenure we have recognized the importance of field missions and we should consider ways of financing them. Having in mind our own experience, we support the Working Group on Lessons Learned. It is another important venue which gives PBC members a chance to share experience. This practice should be continued and further developed in order to help countries on the PBC agenda. It is also never enough to stress that the coordination of other UN bodies, Bretton Woods institutions as well as regional and subregional organizations with the PBC is of utmost importance.
Mr. President,
Let me now turn to the Peacebuilding Fund. Croatia has been one of the PBF co-founders and is honored to have a member on its Advisory Board. We are very happy to see that the first disbursements have started and that the first successful meeting of the Advisory Board took place in September. We are of the view that the contributions to the Fund should continue in a predictable way in order to reach the mark of $250 million funding. Croatia will certainly continue contributing to the extent possible. We hope that disbursement mechanisms will be improved for the PBF to fulfill its role as a catalyst for emergency funding. However, long-term funding has to come from other sources.
Mr. President,
It is only a year that the PBC has started its work. We strongly believe it has achieved a lot, being a new UN body. It covers the territory where many countries have different understanding of what should be the purpose of such a body. A lot of positive energy and understanding has been invested in its good and productive start. We are among those who strongly believe in the result-oriented work of the PBC and we are among those that are painfully aware how difficult is its goal. This is why our assessment of the first year of the PBC's work is positive, because we believe that it has started in the right direction by making a real impact and difference on the ground.
Even though Croatia is no longer a member of the Organizational Committee of the PBC, it has remained a member of the Country Specific Meeting on Burundi and will continue to share its experience and lessons learned in post conflict recovery and try to help make a real impact on the ground.
Let me conclude by saying that with valuable experience of being a member in the first year of the PBC, we are ready to use this experience also in other UN contexts such as the Security Council for which Croatia is running at the upcoming elections next week.
Thank you, Mr. President!
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