UN 75 POLICY BRIEF NO. 3 | NOVEMBER 2019 UN Photo/CCOI Photo: Photo: Upgrading the Commission into an empowered Council RECOMMENDATION: Create a strong UN Peacebuilding Council to replace the current Peacebuilding Commission. Similar to the transformation of the Human Rights Commission into a Council in 2006, it is time for the UN Peacebuilding Commission to be upgraded into a Council with enhanced powers and responsibilities, and mandated to lead on policy development, coor- dination, resource mobilization, conflict prevention, and peacebuilding efforts not addressed directly by the Security Council.

Global Challenge Update: Over Since 2011, the UN Security Innovation Proposal: Facing dif- the past ten years, the world has Council’s permanent members ficulties in improving Security become less peaceful.1 Moreover, have cast thirteen vetoes to block Council representativeness and the gap between the most peace- action on the Syrian conflict. In effectiveness, an empowered ful and least peaceful countries contrast, the UN Peacebuilding Peacebuilding Council would al- has increased between 2008-2019 Commission has made some im- low a greater number of capable (see figure below). Violent conflict portant strides, including through UN Member States to contribute is the main driver of humanitarian innovating various engagements directly to the UN’s primary pur- needs, with projections showing with countries emerging from pose of maintaining international conflict and a flexible and stream- peace and security. By replacing that, in 2019 alone, nearly 132 mil- lined “integrated peacebuilding the all-but-defunct Trusteeship lion people will require humanitar- 2 strategy” instrument that aims to Council as one of the six major ian assistance. Moreover, the aver- better help host countries confront organs of the United Nations, the age economic cost of violence for deadly conflict. However, given upgraded Council could, in ef- the ten countries most affected by that it assumes only an advisory fect, lead on system-wide policy violence was, in 2019, equivalent to role to the Security Council and development and coordination ac- 35 percent of their GDP, while the General Assembly, the time has tivities for so-called “second and impact of violence on the global come—since the PBC’s creation at third-order conflicts” of limited economy reached U.S. $1.2 trillion the UN60 Summit in 2005—for an concern to the Security Council. in purchasing power.3 important makeover. Such an overhaul would enable it

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FIGURE 1: Trends in peace – 25 most and 25 least peaceful countries, 2008-2019 the new Peacebuilding Council could absorb all costs associated with the 1.15 current Peacebuilding Commission and Trusteeship Council, making it cost-effective in relation to the current 1.1 UN budget. LEAST PEACEFUL At the same time, the upcom- 1.05 ing 2020 review of the peace- building architecture could serve as an opportunity to garner po- 1.0 litical support in the run-up to UN75 for the even more ambitious MOST PEACEFUL 0.95 above proposed enhancements to

CHANGE IN GPI SCORE (2008=1) the Peacebuilding Commission. Member States and the UN 0.9 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019 Secretariat are planning consul- tations with relevant non-govern-

SOURCE: Institute for Economics and Peace, "Global Peace Index 2019", 27. mental entities to review progress June 2019. Accessed July 14, 2019. on the implementation of past peacebuilding architecture res- olutions. The Security Council to more effectively engender pre- in non- (and especially “post-”) is further planning to review the dictable and sustainable financing environments, mon- findings and recommendations for peacebuilding too. itoring as well as marshalling col- of the Secretary-General’s forth- Moreover, the enhanced lective action to avert the outbreak coming comprehensive report Peacebuilding Council should be o r r e c u r r e n c e o f d e a d l y c o n fl i c t . and related stakeholder consul- 4 entrusted with a conflict prevention Strategy for Reform on the tations. If the modalities set for mandate operationalized through Road to 2020 (UN75): Even with- the review process are inclusive a new “Peacebuilding Audit” tool, out the Charter reform required to of external stakeholders (i.e., civil modeled on the Human Rights replace the Trusteeship Council, an society groups, think tanks, aca- Council’s Universal Periodic immediate interim goal, in time for demia, etc.), then the ambition of Review (UPR) instrument for as- the September 2020 Leaders Summit Member States might be increased sessing the human rights records in New York, could be to expand the to consider the PBC’s upgrade of all UN Member States. This current Peacebuilding Commission’s into a Council with the author- would be consistent with current scope of operations to include pre- ities outlined above. These rec- efforts to track the ten targets and vention and mediation efforts. They ommended changes could be an- associated indicators of all coun- would represent initial steps to- nounced initially when the UN75 tries’ progress toward meeting ward establishing the Peacebuilding Political Declaration is adopted, their commitments to Sustainable Council as a principal UN organ— in September 2020 in New York, Development Goal 16 on “Peace, which would, undoubtedly, face initial and be further developed over Justice, and Strong Institutions”. At resistance in some quarters, especially the course of the 75th session of the same time, the upgraded PBC among P5 Member States who might the UN General Assembly (from would invest most of its time and view their authority as being chal- September 2020 until September resources in countries and regions lenged. From a budgetary perspective, 2021).

ENDNOTES 1. Institute for Economics and Peace, “Global Peace Index 2019". 2. June 2019. 2. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. “Global Humanitarian Overview 2019.” 2019, 5. 3. Ibidem, 3 and 58. 4. United Nations. General Assembly, Security Council. Follow-up to the report of the Secretary-General on peacebuilding and sustaining peace. A/RES/72/276- S/RES/2413. April 26, 2018, para. 4.