Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield
US Representative to the United Nations
New York, New York
21 August 2024
AS DELIVERED
Thank you, Mr President. As you have heard from all our contributions this morning, we greatly appreciate your convening today’s open debate on peacebuilding and the new agenda. I would also like to thank ASG Spehar, Commissioner Adeoye and our two civil society speakers, Ms Samai and Mr Descardes, for their very informative briefings.
Every week this Council meets to discuss efforts to end the world’s worst conflicts. But far less often we discuss efforts to prevent conflicts from happening in the first place. And that is why this debate is so welcome – and so important.
Today, around two billion people live in conflict zones. Two billion people. That is a quarter of humanity. Only today we heard from Mr Descardes that more than 4,000 people have died in Haiti alone. Our task must be to prevent even one more person from having to experience the hell of war.
The good news is that we know how to create conditions that promote peace. We also know what effective conflict prevention looks like. Now we just need to put these strategies into action, especially in the countries most vulnerable to conflict. And today I’m going to outline five ways we can do that.
First, we must go beyond words and invest in prevention. Prevention requires long-term, comprehensive and inclusive approaches; it requires political will, effective partnerships, sustainable resources and national ownership. Developing national prevention strategies has been proven to help address root causes of conflict and strengthen national infrastructures for peace. And as the Secretary-General’s new peace agenda makes clear, conflict prevention saves lives and ensures development success.
None of these tasks are easy. But when diverse stakeholders, including women and young people, are at the table, peace is possible. And with broad input and support, prevention strategies can strengthen state institutions, promote the rule of law, strengthen civil society and increase tolerance and social cohesion. And as we heard today from Ms Spehar, who reminded us, these efforts must also put people at the centre.
Second, peace, development and humanitarian efforts are interdependent and mutually reinforcing. And the humanitarian-development-peace nexus approach recognises the importance of complementary and coordinated efforts. Since its launch in 2004, the joint UNDP-DPPA programme on building national capacities for conflict prevention has served as a model programme for cross-pillar cooperation. We must continue to build on this work.
Third, Member States should continue to learn from each other on conflict prevention, including national prevention strategies.
I would particularly like to acknowledge Sierra Leone’s engagement in the United Nations peace architecture over the years and take the opportunity to learn from its successes in peacebuilding. Sierra Leone has made significant progress in rebuilding and strengthening post-war institutions and addressing some of the immediate needs of its people and war victims, including through the creation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Peacebuilding Fund support to Sierra Leone has included a strong focus on land conflicts, the vulnerability of border communities and border areas, and the empowerment and participation of women and youth.
Another example of this valuable work is the UN Peacebuilding Commission. The Commission, chaired this year by Brazil and last year by Croatia, continues to serve as an important forum for the exchange of peacebuilding experiences, as recent discussions with Liberia, Colombia, Kenya, Guatemala, Norway and Timor-Leste have clearly demonstrated.
Fourth, to be effective, conflict prevention and peacebuilding must be inclusive. When women, young people and other underrepresented people can participate fully, equally and meaningfully in political and public life, policies and implementation are more likely to reflect the needs of the whole of society and produce lasting and sustainable results for all, as we heard from Ms Samai, who described Sierra Leone’s success.
Fifth, the ‘Summit of the Future’ next month and the subsequent review of the peacebuilding architecture in 2025 are excellent examples of strengthening peace efforts, including in the areas of conflict prevention and mediation.
The Summit is an opportunity for Member States to recommit to the UN Charter and to undertake important reforms to make this institution more representative and more effective. The negotiations on the Future Compact have already built on key recommendations of the New Agenda for Peace and have been marked by strong and committed cross-regional support for strengthening the tools available to the United Nations to maintain peace.
For the architecture review, we should build on previous review processes and enhance the advisory, mediating and convening role of the Peacebuilding Commission to broaden its influence and promote more consistent dialogue with regional organizations and financial institutions. And we should seek even more ambitious and structured cooperation between the Peacebuilding Commission and the main UN bodies.
In parallel, the United States remains committed to United Nations conflict prevention and peacebuilding efforts through our 10-year plans in four priority countries – Haiti, Libya, Mozambique, and Papua New Guinea – and in the West African coastal region, while we work to implement the U.S. Strategy to Prevent Conflict and Promote Stability. This strategy – as well as the U.S. Strategy and National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security – complements United Nations efforts.
Dear colleagues, all too often one has the feeling that war is inevitable. Especially in countries where there is great insecurity and inequality. But I refuse to accept this inevitability. Because I know that conflict prevention measures work. I have seen them in action.
But I also know that this work requires investment and persistence. That it requires all members of society to be at the table. That it requires the support of this very Council.
For its part, the United States will continue to support UN initiatives to promote comprehensive conflict prevention, mediation, and peace efforts. And I call on each individual member state to do exactly the same.
Thank you very much, Mr President.
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