05.02.10 Establishing the Future State of the Peacebuilding Commission
Perspectives on Africa
NUPI Working Paper | 26 pages.
This Working Paper is one of nine essays that examine the possible future role of the UN’s peacebuilding architecture. They were written as part of a project co-organized by the Centre for International Policy Studies at the University of Ottawa and the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs. All of the contributors to the project were asked to identify realistic but ambitious “stretch targets” for the Peacebuilding Commission and its associated bodies over the next five to ten years. The resulting Working Papers, including this one, seek to stimulate fresh thinking about the UN’s role in peacebuilding.
The paper discusses the strategic role of the Peacebuilding Commission as a vital component in the attainment of the new peacebuilding vision and architecture and examines its potential implications for sustainable peace in Africa.
The Future of the Peacebuilding Architecture Project
>> Summary
The paper discusses the strategic role of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) as a vital component in the attainment of the new peacebuilding vision and architecture and examines its potential implications for sustainable peace in Africa.Furthermore, it examines the various dimensions of peace building strategies by evaluating what has been achieved so far. In reviewing the PBC’s peace-building approaches, analysis is undertaken to identify
specific gaps in the current methods of operation. Consequently, an analysis of the expected strategic changes that should reflect the future outlook of the PBC’s engagement in Africa is developed that categorizes the potential strategic changes that should occur in the future. Three main areas are identified as being crucial in attaining both the objectives of the PBC and visioning its future, namely:(a) a need for regionally integrated dimensions of peace building; (b) understanding and appreciating the context of international politics in peace building; and (c) having a nuanced and differentiated grasp of the potential transformative impact of peace building in Africa. These are the critical dimensions of the PBC’s future outlook in Africa.
However, in working towards attaining the envisioned future, critical care must be taken to:
- Neutralize the potential tensions that may ensue between regional and national ownership of peace-building programs;
- Distinguish the possible sources of strategic outcomes between regional and national impacts and its likely implications for capacity building, resource mobilization and impact sustainability; and
- Engage Africa’s regional and continental institutions in identifying and defining response mechanisms.
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