Peacebuilding Fund Under Review
New York, 16 April 2009 – The UN’s Peacebuilding Support Office has issued draft changes to the Terms of Reference for the Peacebuilding Fund (PBF), which propose reconfiguring the funding windows for support for countries emerging from conflict.
Member States are expected to consider a draft of the revisions this month.
In country-specific updates, the Strategic Framework for the Central African Republic was adopted informally on 26 March. An informal meeting of the Sierra Leone configuration is scheduled for 29 April. The other two countries currently on the agenda of the PBC are Burundi and Guinea-Bissau.
The current members of the Organizational Committee were elected in December 2008 and January 2009, following delays and disagreement over regional rotation of members. When finally constituted, the OC then selected its Chair and Vice-Chair, as well as the heads of the country-specific configurations.
Review of PBF Terms of Reference
After two years of operation, the Peacebuilding Fund has been reviewed by internal and external bodies, examining its efficacy, functioning and added value, both within the UN system and at the country level. Separate reviews were undertaken by the Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO) and the UN’s Office of Internal Oversight Services.
The PBF aims to provide sustained support to countries emerging from conflict, acting as a “bridge between conflict and recovery at a time when other funding mechanisms may not yet be available,” and “to minimize the risk of a relapse into conflict.”
Major donors to the PBF have expressed concerns about the management of the Fund, some of which are reflected in the conclusions and recommendations of the Secretary General’s report on the PBF in August 2008. The PBSO is now in the final stages of revising the Fund’s Terms of Reference (TOR). Consultations with Member States, facilitated by the Permanent Representatives of Sweden and India, as well as the Fund’s Advisory Committee, have informed the process.
As currently configured, the PBF provides funding through three disbursement windows:
- Window I – Supports countries on the PBC’s agenda,
- Window II – Provides substantial funding to support peacebuilding priorities in countries approved by the Secretary-General, and
- Window III (the “Emergency Window”) – Intended to provide quick disbursement to critical peacebuilding projects approved by the PBSO.
A number of Member States have asked that these three windows be reconsidered in view of the capacity constraints and the potential for added value of the PBSO and PBF. In the revised TOR, it is expected that the PBF will consist of two disbursement windows – one for PBC countries and one for all other countries, with a capacity for quick-disbursement projects.
Tensions between Member States on the purpose and management of the PBF, its accountability mechanism, and its relationship to the PBC prevented agreement on more sweeping changes.
The report is expected to be presented to the GA within April.
Country-specific Work
The PBC currently has four countries on its agenda. The Commission’s engagement with each country is managed through separate country-specific configurations. Strategic Frameworks for Peacebuilding have been agreed for all four countries, most recently for the Central African Republic (CAR).
The Strategic Frameworks identify peacebuilding challenges and the commitments of stakeholders to meeting peacebuilding goals. Following agreement on the Framework, the PBC monitors implementation of each one and mobilizes support for peacebuilding activities in each country.
Since the last ReformtheUN.org Latest Development on the PBC in November 2008, the Burundi and Sierra Leone configurations both have held their second biannual reviews.
Burundi
On 4 February 2009 the members of the Burundi Country-Specific Configuration reviewed the implementation of the Strategic Framework for Peacebuilding in Burundi.
Reporting on progress made, members of the configuration highlighted the peace process between the Government of Burundi and Forces National de Liberation (Palipehutu-FNL), the resumption of parliamentary activity, and the reform of the justice system and the professionalization of the security forces, as well as the adoption of the national land tenure Policy Paper and Land Code.
Challenges for peacebuilding in the country were voiced by the Chair of the configuration in January 2009 following his trip to Burundi (see report of mission). He stressed the need for additional contributions due to the global food crisis and oil-related difficulties in the country. Other challenges included the reintegration of soldiers and the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) process.
Observers have expressed concerns about the effectiveness of the monitoring and tracking mechanism established in Bujumbura following agreement on the Strategic Framework.
Sierra Leone
On 15 December 2008, the PBC adopted conclusions and recommendations following the second biannual review of the Sierra Leone Peacebuilding Cooperation Framework. The first biannual review of the framework document took place in June 2008.
At the recent meetings of the configuration, participants noted progress made by the government, including in anti-corruption, conduct of local council elections, public sector reform, and creation of an enabling environment for private sector development. However, additional efforts were called for to ensure sustainable peace in the country.
The configuration recommended that the government of Sierra Leone finalize and strengthen monitoring of its Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper, as well as develop long-term strategies for energy-sector investment and development, including youth empowerment and employment.
Members of the configuration reiterated the need to continue assisting the government in addressing challenges and to try to expand donor support.
In early 2009 the PBC’s relationship with the Security Council on Sierra Leone was enhanced by a Resolution of the Council establishing the UN Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Sierra Leone (UNIPSIL). The office is mandated to support engagement between the government of Sierra Leone and the PBC, and implementation of the Peacebuilding Cooperation Framework. The new head of UNIPSIL and the Chair of the Country-Specific Configuration addressed the Security Council on 9 February 2009.
Guinea-Bissau
Since Guinea-Bissau was added to the PBC’s agenda on 19 December 2007, the Country-specific Chair and members of the Commission have undertaken several missions to the country to finalize the peacebuilding strategic framework. The framework was adopted by the Commission on 1 October 2008 after consultation with the new government. It highlighted the following focus areas: security sector reform, law enforcement, wealth generation and modernization of the public and administration system in the country.
Recent developments in Guinea-Bissau tested the PBC’s capacity to respond to security challenges rapidly and its links to the Security Council. In March, following the assassination of the Chief of Staff of the General Armed Forces, General Tagme Na Waie Chi, Guinea-Bissau’s President, Joao Bernardo Vieira, was assassinated. Intense informal discussions took place within the PBC on how best to respond to these developments. It was widely reported that France objected to issuing a statement on the situation or holding an emergency meeting of the country-specific configuration, thus preventing an immediate response from the Commission.
After several days, the chair of Guinea-Bissau Configuration, Ambassador Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti (Brazil), issued a statement encouraging the international community to “continue assisting Guinea-Bissau in the implementation of the Strategic Framework and in the organization of the upcoming presidential elections”. She expressed confidence that “Guinea-Bissau will peacefully resolve the current political crisis within the constitutional framework.”
The difficulty in reaching consensus on the PBC’s response reflects broader disagreement about the respective roles of the PBC and Security Council in countries on the bodies’ agendas.
The Secretary-General noted in his latest report to the Security Council on the activities of the PBSO in Guinea-Bissau that, in addition to the Commission’s engagement in forthcoming elections in the country, the PBC “will also explore opportunities for further support in other key priority areas identified in the Strategic Framework.”
Central African Republic (CAR)
In developing the framework document, the CAR Configuration took several trips to the country to discuss main peacebuilding priorities and challenges of the country with the government and relevant stakeholders, to familiarize itself with relevant to peacebuilding projects inside and outside Bangui, and to discuss the activities of the PBF with the National Steering Committee.
During these and a series of other meetings and consultations in New York, the PBC and the CAR Government decided on three priority areas:
- Security sector reform (including DDR),
- Governance and the rule of law, and
- “Development hubs,” which aim to strengthen local economies and “restore the authority of the State.”
The strategic framework describes the three priorities as “mutually complementary and reinforcing” and says they “form a coherent set of interventions aimed at promoting the return of peace and peacebuilding throughout the country.”
This process builds on the lesson-learned from developing strategic frameworks in the other PBC countries, in particular the emphasis on aligning with existing strategies and supporting resource mobilization for and implementation of key pending peacebuilding activities.
The Chair noted that DDR efforts are dependent on funding, and financing of the process has not been finalized yet. On 9 March, he requested PBF and other funders to increase their allocations for DDR activities, but the funders reportedly need the CAR to finalize its operation costs to decide on additional funding. Currently, the PBF is expected to provide USD 4 million, while UNDP is considering allocating a limited contribution from its Trust Fund.
Elections to Organizational Committee and Bureau
Members of PBC Organizational Committee
A number of PBC election issues were resolved earlier this year, including the stalled elections process in ECOSOC and the related selection of a PBC Chair for the third session.
The complex elections procedures for the PBC, by which the main UN bodies as well as top troop and financial contributors are represented, coupled with political dynamics between Member States to cause delays in the election of new PBC members and chairs.
Following a lack of agreement within ECOSOC on the election of its seven members to the PBC in July 2008, Member States agreed to postpone elections to December 2008. In the meantime they would seek agreement on the rotation of regional groupings. The terms of PBC members and chairs were extended accordingly.
An additional challenge in the elections process was created by the fact that he original terms of PBC members and chairs were staggered, based partly on the terms of membership of their appointing body (e.g. Security Council and ECOSOC). This aspect of the complexity was removed from PBC elections when the General Assembly, Security Council and ECOSOC recently agreed to align their elections of PBC members.
Member States finally came to agreement on the elections in December 2008 and January 2009, and the following Member States were elected to the Organizational Committee for 2009-2010:
- Security Council (7 Representatives): All five permanent members (China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, United States) as well as Burkina Faso and Mexico.
- ECOSOC (7 Representatives): Elected from each regional group, giving “due consideration to countries that have experienced post-conflict recovery”:
- Africa: Algeria (will be replaced by Egypt in 2010), Guinea-Bissau, Morocco
- Asia: Republic of Korea
- Eastern Europe: Poland
- Latin America and Caribbean: El Salvador (will be replaced by Brazil in 2010),
- Western Europe and Others: Luxembourg
- Financial Contributors (5 Representatives): Elected by and from the ten highest financial contributors to the UN budgets, including voluntary contributions to UN agencies and programs and the Peacebuilding Fund: Canada, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands and Sweden.
- Troop Contributors (5 Representatives): Elected by and from among the ten top providers of military personnel and civilian police to UN missions: Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Nigeria and Pakistan.
- Geographic and topical representation: General Assembly elected seven additional members to redress geographical imbalance, and to include countries with post-conflict experience: Benin, Chile, Georgia, Jamaica, South Africa, Thailand and Uruguay.
Bureau Members and Chairs of CSMs
At its first organizational meeting of 2009 – on 7 January – the PBC’s Organizational Committee elected a chairperson and vice-chairperson for a term of one year (beginning on 1 January 2009) and confirmed the heads of its four country-specific configurations. The chair of the Sierra Leone configuration was elected by the OC at its third meeting on 25 March 2009.
The elected Bureau members are:
- Chair: Heraldo Muñoz of Chile
- Vice-Chair: Park In-kook of the Republic of Korea
- CSM Chairs:
- Burundi: Anders Lidén of Sweden
- Central African Republic: Jan Grauls of Belgium
- Guinea-Bissau: Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti of Brazil
- Sierra Leone: John McNee of Canada
The OC also elected Ambassador Carmen María Gallardo Hernández of El Salvador as Chair of its Working Group on Lessons Learned.
Next Steps
- An informal country-specific meeting on Sierra Leone is scheduled for 29 April.
- A draft report on the PBF TOR will be issued for consideration by the General Assembly in the forthcoming weeks.
- The formal adoption of the Strategic Framework of the CAR configuration will take place in April 2009.
Resources
WFM-Institute for Global Policy’s resource website on UN peacebuilding
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