Peacebuilding continues to gain recognition in international and national spheres for the crucial role it plays in laying the foundations for sustainable peace.
In the last two decades, the United Nations has developed its peacebuilding architecture (PBA) in order to strengthen its responses to countries recovering from conflict. Within this larger context, 2015 will be a critical year for peacebuilding as member states undertake a comprehensive review of the UN PBA. Given the re-emergence of many conflicts in recent years, it will be vital to assess how the UNPBA can be strengthened in the future.
This is particularly significant in the African context. Africa is a priority for the UN, with nine out of 16 of its current missions located on the continent. African countries have also dominated the Peacebuilding Commission’s agenda of the UN, where a number of African countries feature on the Country-Specific Configurations. Ownership is seen as a vital element for the success and sustainability of peacebuilding activities, ensuring that processes are nationally driven. The voices of African states are therefore critical for the future of peacebuilding. This seminar fostered discussion on African perspectives on peacebuilding within the larger debate on the reform of the UN PBA.
