Mr President,
My delegation very much welcomes your
initiative for an open debate in the Security Council on the maintenance of peace and
security and post-conflict peacebuilding. The title of the debate reflects some of the
most important challenges facing this Council and the United Nations as a whole today.
We know that the absence of war is not
the same as a lasting peace. We know that a cease-fire is seldom the end of conflict, but
it should hopefully be the beginning of peace. We know from all too many situations how
difficult it is to sustain a peace which is kept but not truly built. And we know that
finding durable solutions to complex conflicts requires cooperation across institutional
boundaries, between organisations and States.
A long term and comprehensive perspective
is necessary to solve conflicts and consolidate peace. This perspective is evident in the
Secretary-General's report on "The causes of conflict and the promotion of durable
peace and sustainable development in Africa". It is clear that building lasting peace
will require solutions that encompass development, democracy, human rights, conflict
prevention and resolution, peacekeeping and humanitarian assistance. All these elements
are necessary in order to prevent war and to ensure human security. And they are all
directly relevant to the responsibility of the Security Council under the Charter.
The Secretary-General plays a crucial
role in the peacebuilding efforts of the UN. We welcome the importance which he has
attached to the establishment of post-conflict peace-building structures as one way of
helping countries recover from conflict. The UN office in Liberia, which I visited last
week, is the latest example of such a peace-building presence. We hope that the
Secretary-General will consider establishing a UN post-conflict presence also in other
situations.
Clearly, the Security Council has a
responsibility to ensure that its efforts to prevent conflict and promote peace are
followed by measures aimed at preventing the resurgence of conflict and the strengthening
of peace, stability and reconciliation. When possible, these long-term aims should be
taken into account already at an early stage of the Council's deliberations on a
particular crisis or conflict. The Council also has a responsibility to ensure that the
transition to the post-conflict phase is as smooth as possible, whether or not that
entails decisions to change a UN presence on the ground, or to end an operation mandated
by the Council.
The UN role in the peace process in
Guatemala is a particularly clear example of post-conflict peacebuilding in action, an
effort which involved the Security Council, the General Assembly as well as UN agencies.
It is also an example of the value of integrating a peacebuilding perspective in peace
agreements themselves.
The mandates of UN peacekeeping
operations must include the elements needed to help secure a lasting peace.
Multifunctional operations are playing an increasingly important role, as evidenced by the
successful efforts of MINURCA in the Central African Republic. We fully agree with the
Secretary-General that peacebuilding elements should be explicitly and clearly integrated
into the mandates of peacekeeping operations. We encourage the Secretary-General to pursue
this approach when making recommendations to the Council on new peacekeeping operations.
We hope that when planning for a possible peacekeeping operation in the Democratic
Republic of the Congo, such an integrated approach will be considered. That is a conflict
where there can be little doubt that a lasting solution will require comprehensive and
long-term efforts by the international community.
Even when post conflict peacebuilding
elements are not included in the original mandate of a peacekeeping operation,
recommendations concerning the transitional period and the post-conflict phase should be
included in the decision on the final drawdown of the operation. Multifunctional elements
with the aim of ensuring sustainable peace and security can of course also be added during
the conduct of an operation, for instance at the time of mandate extensions.
Post-conflict peacebuilding efforts may
include demobilisation, disarmament and reintegration into society of former combatants.
Special attention is often called for to address the plight of child soldiers. Other
important peacebuilding elements are the transformation of armed movements into civilian
parties and support for the restructuring of police and armed forces. Experience also
shows the importance of strengthening the judicial system, demining, reconciliation and
confidence building measures, as well as international support for elections.
We also attach particular importance to
efforts to deal with refugees and other displaced persons in the post-conflict phase. The
concentration of such groups in temporary settlements has obvious implications for the
stability of the host country or area, and the repatriation and return of refugees and
displaced persons is not always a smooth process.
I began by speaking of challenges. One of
the most difficult is perhaps that of ensuring coherence, coordination and dialogue
between the bodies of the UN system and other actors involved in post-conflict efforts. We
strongly welcome the continued development of the Strategic Framework that within the UN.
We firmly support the idea of the Strategic Framework as a tool enabling the UN to respond
to crisis situations in a comprehensive, coherent and effective manner.
From the perspective of the Security
Council, it is obviously important that there not be a vacuum in a transition between
operations mandated by the Council and other peacebuilding efforts. For example, we could
foresee cases where Council members and troop contributions would benefit from meeting
with the Secretariat, UN agencies and Bretton Woods institutions specifically to discuss a
transition from one kind of UN presence to another.
We have a responsibility not to close an
operation unless we have a clear view of the road ahead and know that what has been
invested to bring about peace will be followed up and maintained.
Mr President,
Today's open debate is proof in itself of
the importance of post-conflict peacebuilding in the work of the Security Council. I hope
that it will prove possible to follow-up today's discussion, both in decisions related to
specific conflicts before the Council and as a thematic issue of key importance. My
delegation would be prepared to work with other members of the Council on such a formal
follow-up.
Thank you, Mr President.
Permanent
Mission of Sweden to the United Nations