Mr. President, Distinguished Members of the Council,

It is an honor to brief you today in my capacity as Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission. I welcome this opportunity to reflect on how the PBC has supported United Nations peace operations and to highlight best practices that demonstrate the added value of a peacebuilding perspective throughout the peace continuum.

Over the years, the PBC has provided a unique platform for supporting nationally-led and owned peacebuilding projects, building consensus, mobilizing resources, and sustaining political attention on countries emerging from conflict.

By convening a wide range of stakeholders – including regional organizations, International Financial Institutions (IFIs) and regional development banks – alongside UN entities, the PBC has sought to gather sustained political and financial support to host states throughout the implementation and drawdown of peacekeeping and special political missions. In contexts such as Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Burundi, the Commission has facilitated close coordination between peacekeeping operations, UN Country Teams, international financial institutions, and regional actors. These experiences illustrate how the PBC can help bridge the political, security, and development dimensions of peacebuilding, ensuring that transitions from mission settings to longer-term UN engagement are inclusive, nationally owned, and sustainable.

The PBC’s work has also demonstrated the importance of accompanying peace operations with peacebuilding assistance. For example, in the Central African Republic, the Commission has worked on peacebuilding priorities of the country, helping to ensure that security responses are complemented by institution-building, reconciliation, and development strategies. The PBC has also served as a platform for coherence, linking peacekeeping to broader regional strategies and coordination efforts. In the DRC, the PBF has contributed to the transition, following MONUSCO’s withdrawal from Kasai and Tanganyika, through projects investing in reconciliation and stabilization efforts. In line with their relevant strategies and action plans, both the PBC and the PBF put a particular emphasis on the inclusion of women and young people.

Allow me to emphasize three good practices that we encourage stakeholders to uphold:

1. National Ownership and Inclusivity: Supporting nationally-led and owned peacebuilding process through engaging with all relevant stakeholders to ensure that peace operations are anchored in national priorities and that national actors are equipped to undertake responsibilities following a mission’s departure.

2. Partnerships and Coherence: Promoting coordination between the Security Council, the General Assembly, ECOSOC, and regional organizations to strengthen UN’s peacebuilding response.

3. Sustained Attention and Resources: Keeping situations on the international agenda after the transition of a mission, to avoid relapse into conflict. Where appropriate and based on the consent of the country concerned, the PBC stands ready to offer its contribution to sustained efforts beyond the life cycle of a mission.

Integrating a peacebuilding perspective aims at ensuring that hard-won gains of Peace Operations can be preserved, while also addressing root causes and drivers of conflict through inclusive governance, socio-economic resilience, transitional justice and reconciliation.

As the Council considers the future of UN peace operations, the PBC stands ready to contribute its political accompaniment, convening power and advisory role. By aligning peacebuilding efforts based on the principle of national ownership and leadership, we can make peace operations not only more agile and tailored, but also more sustainable, effective and impactful.