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STORY: UN / PEACEBUILDING COMMISSION GUTERRES
TRT: 03:51
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 30 JANUARY 2025, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE – NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, United Nations headquarters
30 JANUARY 2025, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, Peacebuilding Commission meeting
3. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“Excellencies, our world is in trouble. We are spreading conflicts and widening geopolitical divisions, and we face a deepening climate crisis and widening inequalities. We are confronting the proliferation of weapons and the spread of disinformation, all of these and more makes the work of the Peace Building Commission more critical than ever. I want to salute the commission for its vital advisory role to the Security Council, including in the context of UN mission transitions. I also recognize your important convening role within the UN and beyond, engaging civil society, the private sector, international and regional organizations and financial institutions. Now we have the chance to consolidate and expand that work. The Pact for the Future charts a course to reforming international cooperation, including by prioritizing prevention, mediation and peace building. It seeks to break silos by advancing coordination with regional organizations, developing innovative approaches and fostering the full participation of women, youth and marginalized groups in peace processes, and, fundamentally, the Pact calls for strengthening the Peace Building Commission. This year's review of the peace building architecture offers an opportunity to further advance these efforts and strengthen the role of the PBC, namely, in its relationship with the Security Council. My recent report on Peacebuilding and Sustaining Peace, lays out concrete suggestions around the inflection points where the Commission can help catalyze national efforts. This includes working to fully empower the commission to mobilize political and financial support for nationally owned pest building and prevention strategies. As the review unfolds, I encourage the commission to draw in its rich experience to guide the liberations at the General Assembly and Security Council with actionable recommendations towards strengthening the peace building architecture and transforming people's lives. Excellencies, this brings me to a vital issue, financing. The General Assembly's approval of assessed contributions to the peace building fund marks an important step, but it is still a far cry from the Quantum Leap of 500 million per year that is needed. As many member states have highlighted, voluntary contributions remain paramount, and I encourage countries to provide additional support to the funds given the urgent and expanding needs for peace building support. I trust that the review of the peace building architecture will further examine how to ensure the predictability, adequacy and sustainability of the funds, including by exploring innovative financing mechanisms, public, private partnerships and blended funding models. Excellencies, we must never waver in our commitment to pursue, achieve and sustain peace and the peace building architecture consisting of the Peace Building Commission, the peace building support office and the peace building fund. Working together with UN country teams are essential tools to help translate aspirations into reality. I look forward to continuing work with you and to strengthen our peace building architecture and help build the world of peace and prosperity for all, largely thanks to your precious intervention. Thank you very much.”
4. Wide shot, Peacebuilding Commission meeting
UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for bolstered UN peacebuilding efforts in response to escalating global crises. "Our world is in trouble," he warned, stressing the urgency of addressing conflicts, geopolitical tensions, and the worsening climate emergency.
Speaking at a meeting of the UN Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) in New York City today (30 Jan), Guterres highlighted the increasing relevance of the commission’s work, stating, "We are spreading conflicts and widening geopolitical divisions, and we face a deepening climate crisis and widening inequalities." He underscored the need to confront disinformation, the proliferation of weapons, and other destabilizing factors, urging international cooperation to address these challenges.
Guterres commended the PBC’s role in advising the UN Security Council and engaging with civil society, financial institutions, and regional organizations. He called for a broader approach to peacebuilding, pointing to "the chance to consolidate and expand that work" through the UN’s Pact for the Future, which prioritizes prevention, mediation, and strengthening international coordination.
This year’s review of the UN’s peacebuilding architecture, Guterres said, presents an opportunity to reinforce the PBC’s influence, particularly in its relationship with the Security Council. "My recent report on Peacebuilding and Sustaining Peace lays out concrete suggestions around the inflection points where the Commission can help catalyze national efforts," he noted, urging member states to provide greater financial and political backing.
On funding, Guterres acknowledged progress through the General Assembly’s approval of assessed contributions to the Peacebuilding Fund but stressed that "it is still a far cry from the quantum leap of 500 million per year that is needed." While voluntary contributions remain essential, he encouraged the exploration of "innovative financing mechanisms, public-private partnerships, and blended funding models."
Concluding his address, the UN chief reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to peace, stating, "We must never waver in our commitment to pursue, achieve, and sustain peace," and called for strengthened peacebuilding efforts to transform aspirations into tangible results.
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