Ed Heartney
Counselor for Economic and Social Affairs
New York, New York
July 24, 2023
AS DELIVERED
The United States extends its thanks to Secretary-General Guterres for prioritizing UN peacebuilding within the UN system, including in the Our Common Agenda initiative as part of the New Agenda for Peace.
UN peacebuilding work supports the enhanced alignment of humanitarian, peace, and development efforts to bolster complementarity and increase the impact of donor funding.
We look forward to further strengthening UN peacebuilding efforts, including as part of the New Agenda for Peace and the related Summit of the Future. The Peacebuilding Commission can play an important role in advancing the outcomes of these key initiatives.
Over the past year, we have welcomed the Commission’s growing scope and work. From expanding its country and region-wide lenses to convening more thematic engagements, to fulfilling its important advisory role to the UN Security Council and other UN organs, we value the critical contributions the Commission is making to prevent conflict and sustain peace.
The Commission’s attention to institution-building, transitional justice and the rule of law, electoral processes, displacement, climate change, socioeconomic development, and partnerships for peacebuilding create opportunities to reflect on how best we can support these core elements for lasting peace.
We also thank the Secretary-General for his report on the Peacebuilding Fund. The United States supports using assessed funding for peacebuilding, and we look forward to actively engaging in the Fifth Committee in the fall to bridge differences on how peacebuilding funding could be assessed and administered.
Before closing, I want to reaffirm that the United States will also work closely over the next decade with the UN as a strategic partner as we implement the U.S. Strategy to Prevent Conflict and Promote Stability. We look forward to coordinating with local, national, and regional partners to promote inclusive and sustainable peace, including through diplomacy and development. Our efforts under this Strategy align with priority windows identified by the Peacebuilding Fund, particularly the importance of regional approaches and fostering inclusion.
In closing, the United States looks forward to continuing its support for UN peacebuilding efforts. We would especially like to thank Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Elizabeth Spehar and her team in the Peacebuilding Support Office for its steady management of both the Commission and the Fund, which help make their work possible.
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