Security Council Open Debate on Peacebuilding and Sustaining Peace: The New Agenda for Peace – Addressing Global, Regional and National Aspects of Conflict Prevention

  • Home
  • Recources
  • Security Council Open Debate on Peacebuilding and Sustaining Peace: The New Agenda for Peace – Addressing Global, Regional and National Aspects of Conflict Prevention
g7plus

Security Council Open Debate on Peacebuilding and Sustaining Peace: The New Agenda for Peace – Addressing Global, Regional and National Aspects of Conflict Prevention

August 21, 2024

Mr. President, Ambassadors and distinguished delegates,

Thank you for the opportunity to share reflections and recommendations on behalf of the group of seven plus (g7+), the only intergovernmental organization dedicated to representing and supporting countries and people from across the regions that are affected by conflict and facing vulnerabilities. We are united by a vision of pursuing peace, resilience and stability founded on national ownership through collective advocacy and peer learning. The g7+ is currently chaired by Sierra Leone with its headquarters in Dili, Timor-Leste

Allow us to share three reflections based on g7+ collective experiences and the aspirations of our citizens concerning sustaining peace and preventing conflict:
First, we recognize—consistent with the UN and World Bank Pathways to Peace report—the profound impact —societal grievances play in sowing seeds of conflict and instability, especially in countries confronted with years of socio-economic challengessuch as inequalities, and injustices. Often unhealed, these grievances are usually inherited from previous conflicts, entrenching inter-generational divisions that have become the bedrock for successive violence.

Therefore, we see a decisive role for reconciliation, national truth-finding and inclusive dialogues for peace. g7+ member countries like Timor-Leste and Sierra Leone and other countries like Rwanda, and South Africa, to a name few, have successfully followed such a trajectory. We are fully aware that such an approach, could be undermined by two factors:
One, external support for the pursuit of peacemaking and peacebuilding is often not context specific. To ensure this support is tailored to diverse contexts and avoids one-size fits all approaches we have been in partnership talks with the PBC and PBSO to identify a list of good practices that draw on decades of experience among our member countries. We invite Council members to partner with us to the same ends.
Two, we encourage all member states to unequivocally support national inclusive peacemaking, peacebuilding and reconciliation, and at the same time know when to show mutual restraint to allow these activities to take place without external interference. Experience from my own country Afghanistan is a vivid example of how efforts to foster national consensus for peace have often been thwarted by regional and global powers, creating an environment of distrust. In the current climate of intensified geopolitical tensions, the Security Council must remember that its charter-based mandate demands team-mindedness and rejects geopolitical self-interests. It, therefore, must find a way to foster a norm of collective restraint to prevent proxy wars or frozen conflicts.

Our second reflection is that every society and country have institutions, capacities and the potential for conflict prevention to ensure its social and national cohesion as well as its sovereignty. International efforts too often bypass these institutions and local capacities and instead of strengthening existing national and local systems, deliver aid through external processes and piecemeal projects. This approach undercutsthe ability of countries to build cohesion, invest in statebuilding activities, and deliver inclusive social and economic services for their populations. However well-intended these efforts might be—they do not always help to overcome the conditions of grievances and instability that fuel future conflict.

Lastly, we cannot overstate the importance of international laws and regulations that are meant to protect the basic rights of the people of the UN to obtain peace,
dignity, freedom and prosperity. We see no clear pathway to sustainable peace or conflict prevention without respect and consideration for these shared rules and
norms. Multilateral cooperation is indispensable to respect these tenets and treaties. Since increasing geopolitical and geoeconomic fragmentation hinders the realization of these norms, we see an urgent need for inclusive multilateralism. This includes making reforms within the UN, especially, the Security Council and the General Assembly, to ensure greater voice and inclusivity for the non-western world and Africa in particular. Reflections and inspiration on the reforms and
future of the UN can be sought in new research and publications such as “Liberating the United Nations” by esteemed colleagues such Hans Von Sponeck and Prof.
Richard Falk.

Mr. President, Excellencies, the challenges we face are immense, but so too is our collective potential. Let us commit to a future where peace is not just a possibility but a shared reality, achieved through cooperation, respect for international norms, and the genuine inclusion of all voices I thank you all.

Download Resource