Statement by the Delegation of Brazil at the Security Council meeting on Peacebuilding and Sustaining Peace - July 27th, 2022

I shall now make a statement in my
capacity as the representative of Brazil

I would like to thank my dear colleague Ambassador Osama Abdelkhalek for the comprehensive overview of the work of the Peacebuilding Commission in 2021. Before the pandemic, the presentation of the annual report of the PBC to the Council was a common practice, which we are happy to resume and expect will continue.

I also wish to thank Mr Monwar Hossain for the very informative briefing on the PBC`s Programme of Work for 2022. As I highlighted in one of our meetings earlier this month, these opportunities of exchange between the Council and the PBC are very much welcome, and those could, in fact, happen more often.

Finally, my very warm thanks to Ambassador Rabab Fatima for her support and leadership in the PBC in the first half of 2022 and her contribution to bring the collaboration between the two organs to the top of our agenda.

In addition to the input on West Africa and the Sahel recently shared with the Council, the presentation of the annual report of the Commission for 2021 has provided several examples of significant contributions the PBC can make, by playing its advisory, bridging and convening roles.

The PBC is well suited to work as a platform to promote greater coordination among relevant partners of a particular country at risk of lapsing or relapsing into conflict. Additionally, it can mobilize regional organizations and International Financial Institutions (IFIs) and foster South-South and triangular cooperation arrangements in support of national peacebuilding initiatives. The Commission can also support the implementation of peacebuilding activities by peacekeeping operations and help mobilize political support to promote reconciliation, the Women Peace and Security agenda, institution building and other nationally defined peacebuilding priorities. However, there is more the PBC could do.

As Brazil and others pointed out a number of times, the Commission is a "teenager" in the UN family. The relations of the Commission with ECOSOC, the General Assembly and particularly the Security Council remain yet to be fully explored. This matter has a priority status for most of the PBC members, and this is the reason why the relationship of the PBC with other bodies was included in its 2022 programme of work. It is our hope that the Council will share that sense of priority and constructively engage in this exercise.

We are thankful to the delegation of Kenya in its role of informal coordinator of PBC-Security Council relations for the efforts directed to encourage debate and action on ways to improve the coherence of agendas, the timeliness and the quality of the advice the Commission provides to the Council. The circulation of Secretary-General`s advanced reports to Security Council members among the membership of the PBC was a good first step in that sense.

Nevertheless, the next steps should turn into a more meaningful collaboration between the two bodies, such as:

(i) consultations on issues relating to peacebuilding and sustaining peace ahead of the formation, review, drawdown and transition of peacekeeping operations and special political missions, with a clear timeline for that;

(ii) regular submission of written advice by the Peacebuilding Commission on issues on the agenda of both bodies;

(iii) submission of advice on how peacebuilding planning and strategies could concretely address the needs of children affected by conflict, especially in areas that require long-term commitments, like the reintegration of children formerly associated with armed groups;

(iv) further alignment of the Council and the PBC work programmes;

(v) greater interaction between the Commission and the Council penholders; and

(vi) enhancing the Council working methods regarding the interaction with the PBC.

Without proper peacebuilding-oriented inputs, the Security Council will not make significant progress in conflict prevention, which is a key element in long-term peace promotion, and in the preparation for successful transitions.

The road to achieve durable peace requires comprehensive approaches that could benefit significantly from the support and unique perspective of the Peacebuilding Commission.

We look forward to maintaining this issue as a standing item on our agenda and we remain committed to making the Peacebuilding Commission a more effective and permanent partner for the Security Council. For this to happen, however, this Council must begin to view the Commission as an indispensable ally, and not a competitor.  

I now resume my functions as President of the Council.