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UN Peace Meeting Brings Together Range Of Players

Published: Thu 8 Nov 2007 10:20 AM
UN Peacebuilding meeting brings together range of players to explore
The United Nations Peacebuiding Commission has made important progress in its first year of operations but needs more support, concluded a meeting in Geneva of more than 150 representatives of governments, UN entities, regional organizations and civil society groups attending a conference in Geneva.
"Our Common Peacebuilding Challenge: the contribution of International Geneva," held on 6 November and hosted jointly by the UN Office at Geneva (UNOG) and the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, served to forge greater engagement between the UN Peacebuilding Commission and other key players.
In a news release, UNOG said participants agreed that the Commission's achievements during its first year were significant but that its continued impact would be determined by sustained political commitment from all Member States and allocation of adequate resources.
Opening the event, the Director-General of UNOG, Sergei A. Ordzhonikidze noted that peacebuilding required the international community to pool this know-how and work towards a shared vision, drawing on respective strengths.
The two countries currently under consideration by the Peacebuilding Commission, Burundi and Sierra Leone, both have identified "priority areas, such as employment creation, good governance, the rule of law, democracy consolidation and security sector reform - all areas where the international community in Geneva has strong, often field-based, expertise," Mr. Ordzhonikidze observed.
During the morning session, Ambassador Yukio Takasu of Japan, and Assistant Secretary-General Carolyn McAskie, Head of the Peacebuilding Support Office, provided their perspectives on the progress achieved by the Commission in the first year, and on the political, institutional and operational challenges they were facing.
The Geneva Centre for Security Policy also presented the findings and conclusions of its comprehensive survey of Geneva-based institutions involved in peacebuilding. Participants on another panel focused on the issue of transition from humanitarian assistance to longer-term development.
ENDS
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