Bangkok--11 Oct--UNIS Bangkok
The United Nations today launched the Peacebuilding Fund which is set to play a critical role in supporting countries emerging from conflict. The Fund, which has already received more than $140 million in contributions and pledges from donors, is designed to address critical and immediate peacebuilding challenges in post-conflict countries and prevent a relapse into conflict during the peacebuilding process.
Speaking at the launch in the UN's New York headquarters, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said "The new Peacebuilding architecture attests to a renewed commitment by the international community to provide a more sustained
engagement in countries emerging from conflict." He added that the Fund would extend support to countries under consideration by the Peacebuilding Commission to kick start critical peacebuilding activities. The Fund would
also be available to other countries in similar circumstances. "The Peacebuilding Fund must help people to rebuild state institutions, and regain confidence in them after years and even decades of strife", he said, emphasizing that the restoration of national capacity to build peace must be at the heart of international efforts.
The Fund, established by the Secretary-General at the request of the General Assembly as part of UN reforms, will address immediate needs at a time when other sources of funding may not yet be available. The money from the PBF is expected help bring about improvements that would attract more sustained and long-term funding by development agencies and bilateral donors.
The Secretary-General thanked donors who have pledged or indicated their intention to contribute to the Fund, which has a target of $250 million, an amount that will enable support to several peacebuilding countries at any given time. Praising non-traditional donors which have pledged their support to the Fund, the Secretary-General reassured donors that the United Nations will "adhere to the strictest accountability standards in managing the funds". In order to maintain its ability to respond to new challenges, the Fund will require regular replenishments from donors.
Day-to-day operations of the Fund will be overseen by the Peacebuilding Support Office, while the United Nations Development Programme, as the fund manager, will assume responsibility for the financial administration. The approval of projects will be undertaken jointly by the United Nations and the government authorities at country level.
The Peacebuilding Commission will meet on 12 and 13 October to discuss the cases of Burundi and Sierra Leone and is expected to formally declare the two countries as eligible for PBF funding which will trigger the disbursement process.
For additional information, please contact Dominik Bartsch, Senior
Strategic Planning Officer, Peacebuilding Support Office, New York,
Email: [email protected] , Tel.: 1-917-367-9522.
The Peacebuilding Fund
Fact sheet
The Peacebuilding Fund is a multi-year standing Trust Fund and is designed to cover several post conflict situations simultaneously. The PBF will support interventions of direct and immediate relevance to the peacebuilding process and seek to address critical gaps in the peacebuilding process especially in areas for which no other funding mechanism is available. This could include activities related to the implementation of a peace process or interventions to mitigate against
threats to a peace process. PBF funding is meant to have a catalytic effect in helping to bring about other, more sustained support mechanisms. Support extended through the PBF must have a direct and positive impact on the sustainability of the peacebuilding process.
So far donors have pledged more than USD 140 towards the PBF amountingto more than half of the projected requirements. The PBF is a multi-year fund and will require regular replenishments to maintain its ability to respond to new challenges.
The Secretary General has established the PBF at the request of the General Assembly. In designing the Terms of Reference for the Fund the Secretary General consulted extensively with Members States and advised the Genera ssembly of the outcome of this process through his report A/60/984.
The PBF is established by the Secretary-General and its day to day operations will be overseen by the Peacebuilding Support Office. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has been appointed as Fund Manager and will assume responsibility for the financial administration of the Fund and its actual disbursements.
The Peacebuilding Commission may declare a country under its consideration as eligible to receive PBF funding, a designation which will formally trigger the allocation and disbursement process. Some countries emerging from conflict which are not under active consideration by the PBC can also be declared as eligible by the Secretary-General.
The Government and the UN system in the country concerned agree on a short term priority plan which contains a select number of critical interventions to strengthen and sustain the peacebuilding process. The plan will be reviewed by the Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding in consultation with other UN stakeholders. Once concluded, a funding envelope for the country will be issued. Within that envelope and in light of the priorities identified, the actual decision to approve projects is then delegated to the UN at country level, acting jointly with the Government authorities.
Government authorities, Non-Governmental organizations, the bodies of the United nations and other international organizations are eligible to receive funding from the PBF through project agreements.
Should a country emerging from conflict require access to immediate funding in order to respond to an unforeseen and imminent threat to the peace process, the PBF will allow for emergency disbursements of up to US$ 1 million, at the request of the senior UN official in the country.