By R Anil Kumar
Bengaluru. The United Nations Peacebuilding Fund on November 26, announced a major milestone, with the approval of more than $1 billion in support to global peacebuilding and conflict-prevention initiatives since 2020.
The multi-donor trust fund is the UN’s primary instrument for supporting countries worldwide who are emerging from – or at risk of – violent conflict. The fund sits alongside the Peacebuilding Commission and the Peacebuilding Support Office.
The announcement came as the Security Council and the General Assembly passed twin resolutions in support of the UN’s peacebuilding body, providing a blueprint to make it more impactful.
‘Quantum leap’
Making the $1 billion announcement at a press briefing in New York, Peacebuilding Support chief, Elizabeth Spehar, and the Chair of the fund’s Advisory Group, Macharia Kamau, said the funding milestone reflects the Secretary-General’s call for a “quantum leap” in financing.
Despite this achievement, the Fund faces a $500 million shortfall toward its $1.5 billion target for the 2020–2026 period, limiting its ability to meet growing demand for its crucial support services from Member States.
The Fund currently supports more than 50 countries, three-quarters of them in Africa.
Joint resolve
Earlier on Wednesday, the Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution in support of the UN’s overall peacebuilding efforts, with the General Assembly adopting the same text a short time later. The coordinated move approving the organization’s peacebuilding architecture first took place in 2005.
The resolution underscores the UN’s ongoing focus on preventing conflict and supporting lasting peace, stressing that real results come when development, human rights and peace and security, work hand in hand.
Ms. Spehar said the timing of the votes and the corresponding announcement of the $1 billion funding mark was “very significant”.
