Mr President,

I want to thank the Presidency for organizing this timely and important debate, and today’s briefers for their valuable insights.

The relevance of peace and security as a prerequisite for sustainable development is abundantly clear.

Germany has consistently been a strong proponent and active supporter of the UN Peacebuilding and Sustaining Peace Agenda. We are one of the largest bilateral and multilateral development cooperation partners worldwide. Addressing the root causes of conflict by reducing poverty and inequality is one of the central pillars of Germany’s global commitment for peace & development. One current and important example is the strategy “Shaping the Future with Africa”.

Allow me to make three suggestions for concrete steps to more effectively address the interconnected nature of development and sustaining peace:

First, we need to strengthen and mainstream existing approaches to address root causes of conflict:

Closely interlinking our humanitarian, development and peace efforts is key to being more effective and efficient on the ground – this is what we call the “Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus”. Germany fully supports this approach.

Germany is also fully convinced of the value of the Peacebuilding Fund and therefore its biggest donor. The PBF’s projects are - and can be – interlinked with structural development approaches, making them a valuable tool to further local and regional peace and conflict prevention, and also lasting development.

One example: UNDP’s Regional Stabilization Facility in Lake Chad Region has a strong track-record as an effective mechanism to help consolidate and expand legitimate state presence in unstable but key strategic areas. Through targeted civil-military joint action combining security, governance, infrastructure and livelihoods, the facility contributes to a more stable and peaceful region and stronger resilience against violent extremism. Germany actively supports this bridge towards sustainable development pathways.

Second, we need to mobilize and generate more funding and investments for the UN’s Peacebuilding and Sustaining Peace agenda:

In the New Agenda for Peace, the Secretary-General has rightfully underscored the importance of adequate financing for tackling peacebuilding challenges. We strongly encourage all Member States to agree on the introduction of assessed contributions to meet conflict-affected countries’ rising requirements for support by the PBF.

Yet, even if adequately and sustainably funded, the PBF alone will not even come close to filling the immense gaps in peace financing and investment that many partners, in particular least developed countries, are exposed to. Germany is therefore actively exploring innovative initiatives: Together with PBSO and the UN Capital Development Fund, we have just launched the Investing for Peace (I4P) initiative. This initiative is aiming to set up a blended finance mechanism to enable peace-positive investments in fragile and conflict-affected contexts.

Third, we should establish the Peacebuilding Commission as the central UN forum to coordinate and streamline efforts in this field:

As an active supporter and current Vice-Chair, Germany welcomes the Secretary General’s suggestion to enhance the Commission’s role in addressing issues that lie between peace and development. Formalizing the PBC‘s relationship with IFIs and RDBs and further strengthening its cooperation with ECOSOC would be important steps towards operationalizing and strengthening its impact.

Through a strengthening of its advisory role, the PBC could also provide more systematic advice to the Security Council on the issues in front of us.

Mr President,

Let my conclude by stressing that, as one of the co-facilitators of the Summit of the Future process, I am carefully listening to fellow member states’ ideas on today’s topic. I hope that, in September 2024, we can agree on a bold and pragmatic Pact for the Future, and ask for your constructive cooperation in the months to come.

Thank you.