Madam President,

Excellencies,

Distinguished delegates,

Let me begin by conveying my sincere appreciation to you for convening this important debate, and for giving me the opportunity to address the General Assembly.

It is a privilege to speak in my former capacity as Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission during its nineteenth session in 2025. I extend my sincere appreciation to the delegations who served as Vice-Chairs in 2025 - Brazil, Japan, Morocco, and Poland - and to all members of the Commission for their strong partnership and commitment. I also wish to thank the United Nations Peacebuilding and Peace Support Office for its tireless and indispensable support throughout the year.

2025 was a consequential year for the Peacebuilding Commission. It coincided with the 2025 review of the United Nations peacebuilding architecture, providing an important opportunity not only to reflect, but to strengthen the way we deliver peacebuilding support across the system.

Against this backdrop, the Commission delivered a dynamic programme of work. It convened meetings across country-specific, regional, and thematic tracks, deepening engagement on situations where sustained international attention is critical to build peace and prevent a relapse into conflict.

Furthermore, the Commission supported peacebuilding priorities in countries such as the Central African Republic, Mauritania, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Chad, Colombia, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, focusing on issues ranging from electoral processes and transitional justice to social cohesion, inclusive governance, peaceful border settlements and post-conflict recovery.

This included field visits, such as the one to Colombia in August 2025, which was conducted with a view to assessing progress in the implementation of the 2016 Peace Agreement and broader national peacebuilding priorities and to provide political accompaniment. Through engagements with national authorities, civil society, former combatants, and members of the diplomatic corps, the delegation gained a deeper, context-specific understanding of outstanding implementation achievements and challenges and identified ways in which the PBC can further support Colombia’s peacebuilding efforts as well as creating means to learn from the capacities built by Colombian entities and civil society in this regard.

One of the key achievements of 2025 was the strengthening of the Commission’s advisory role. The Commission provided substantive written advice to the Security Council on critical issues, including adaptability in peace operations, local electoral processes, and women, peace and security. It also increased its engagement with the General Assembly and ECOSOC, demonstrating its growing role as a bridge across the United Nations system.

Relations with the African Union remained a priority during the last session. In November 2025, the Commission visited Addis Ababa to participate in the eighth annual joint consultative meeting with the African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC), marking a significant milestone in advancing UN–AU cooperation on peacebuilding. The meeting provided a platform for strategic dialogue on shared priorities for building and sustaining peace in Africa. Through these consultations, both bodies strengthened mutual understanding of their respective roles and comparative advantages, while identifying practical avenues for closer coordination, including enhanced information-sharing and more coherent support to countries on their agendas.

Equally important was the Commission’s progress in enhancing its convening role. In 2025, it brought together a wide range of actors - Member States, regional organizations, international financial institutions, civil society, and local peacebuilders - around shared peacebuilding priorities. The expansion of partnerships, including strengthened collaboration with international financial institutions, enabled more coherent and integrated responses to complex challenges.

Another significant achievement was the Commission’s engagement with women peacebuilders across its meetings, reflecting a firm commitment to advancing the women, peace and security agenda, at the eve of the 25^th anniversary of Security Council Resolution 1325 last year, and ensuring that women’s leadership and perspectives remain central to peace efforts. The Commission also discussed its gender strategy and youth action plan, and I am pleased to report that women peacebuilders participated in more than 63 per cent of the Commission’s Ambassadorial-level meetings.

The Commission also made important strides in strengthening its working methods, enhancing flexibility, improving follow-up, and ensuring greater accountability for results. It increasingly demonstrated its added value as a platform for sustained political accompaniment and for mobilizing support for nationally-owned peacebuilding priorities.

Germany remains firmly committed to supporting peacebuilding and to strengthening the peacebuilding architecture. As we look ahead, our collective task is clear: to translate the outcomes of the Review into concrete action, and to ensure that the Peacebuilding Commission is fully equipped to deliver on its mandate.

And let us always keep in mind, that the value of our activities here in New York – convening, advising, accompanying, and coordinating – is measured by concrete peacebuilding outcomes at the country level.

Allow me to conclude by extending my best wishes to the current Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission, His Excellency Mr. Omar Hilale, the Permanent Representative of Morocco. I look forward to continuing our close partnership with him, with all members of the Commission, and with the United Nations Peacebuilding and Peace Support Office.

Together, we have the opportunity, and the responsibility, to ensure that the promise of sustaining peace becomes a reality for all.

Thank you.