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Joint Nordic Statement at General Assembly Debate on Peacebuilding and Sustaining Peace

Who H.E. Martin Bille Hermann
Who H.E. Martin Bille Hermann
When 24.07.2023

Check Against Delivery

 

President of the General Assembly, distinguished briefers, excellencies,

 

I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the Nordic countries, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and my own country, Denmark.

 

Across the world, people take action to build bridges between communities, address grievances and find joint solutions. They act for peace.

 

From Colombia to the Gambia and South Sudan, the UN supports inclusive transitional justice processes, women’s full, equal and meaningful participation, and the protection of human rights defenders. The UN brings hope.

 

The annual reports on the Peacebuilding Commission and the Peacebuilding Fund are testaments to these critical efforts. Indeed, peacebuilding and prevention are key in realizing the commitments we have made in the Charter of this very organization.

 

At today’s meeting, the Nordics call on prioritization of peacebuilding and prevention, including by ensuring adequate, predictable and sustained financing for peacebuilding.

 

Firstly, we urge member states to support assessed contributions to the Peacebuilding Fund when negotiations are resumed in the fifth committee later this year.

 

The Fund fills a gap. It enables agile, quick and catalytic support when a peacebuilding need arises - both when a crisis hits and when countries are in need of support to sustain peacebuilding gains. It is essential to preserve this agility of the Fund, which allows it respond to national peacebuilding priorities. While the investments through the Fund was the highest ever in 2022, supporting 37 countries, the demands for support by countries exceeded this. The value of the Peacebuilding Fund is clear. We all know that the returns on investment in peacebuilding is high in both economic and human terms. Investing in peacebuilding is a moral imperative as it saves human lives, but it also saves money that can be further invested for a sustainable future.

In addition, with last year’s General Assembly resolution, we have all committed to enhance financing for peacebuilding. The resolution recommends more systematic engagement with International Financial Institutions and making financing more accessible, including for young people, women and grassroots organizations.

 

Secondly, we support the Secretary-General’s call for a strengthening of the UN’s mandate on peacebuilding. In this regard, we encourage,

  • Advancing the UN’s support to national prevention strategies;
  • Enhancing climate-sensitivity in conflict prevention and peacebuilding;
  • Prioritizing partnerships and locally-led, inclusive and participatory approaches to peacebuilding; and
  • Promoting and protecting civic space.  

Excellencies, an expanded role of the Peacebuilding Commission is a way of strengthening the UN’s efforts, in line with national ownership and inclusivity. The increased engagements of the Peacebuilding Commission are a sign of the interest in and the role of the Commission. We encourage UN member states to use the convening role of the PBC to exchange on peacebuilding practices and draw international attention to peacebuilding priorities. We also call on the General Assembly, the Human Rights Council, the Security Council and the Social and Economic Council to leverage the relationship to the PBC. In our role of being the informal coordinator between the PBC and ECOSOC, Denmark supports strengthening the synergies between peacebuilding and development.  

 

Lastly, the Secretary-General’s policy brief on a New Agenda for Peace not only sets out an ambitious vision, it also makes concrete recommendations on sustaining peace. The Nordics look forward to working in partnership with member states and all stakeholders to prioritize prevention, the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, gender transformative and climate-sensitive peacebuilding, and the protection of civilians.

 

There are key entry points to strengthen the peacebuilding architecture in this regard, including the SDG Summit, the Summit of the Future, and the 2025 review of the Peacebuilding Architecture.

 

Excellencies, let us seize these moments to increase investments in peace and the prioritization of prevention. We need a UN, which is fit to tackle the challenges of today’s world and to sustain peace in the future.

 

I thank you.