Statement on behalf of Denmark at the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission (PBC)

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Mr. chair, Ms. Spehar, Mr. van Trotsenburg, excellencies,

By 2030, more than half of the world’s extreme poor could live in countries affected by fragility, conflict, and violence. The multiplicity of crises has put our multilateral system at a crossroads. Reform is needed if our institutions are to remain fit for purpose in a changing global environment.

As a donor, both to the UN Peacebuilding Fund and to the World Bank’s State and Peacebuilding Trust Fund, Denmark commends the results achieved, and encourages systematic implementation of the lessons we have learned.

Following up on the findings in the World Bank’s “Defueling Conflict” report from last year, I would like to draw your attention to three pathways for improved financing for peacebuilding.

First, the current increase in violent conflicts calls for increased and coordinated investments in conflict prevention and peacebuilding. It is crucial that we ensure adequate, predictable and sustained peacebuilding financing. This includes prioritising multi-annual commitments as well as alignment of funding streams. In order to fully deliver together,
- we need climate and conflict sensitive programming based on extensive data from the accumulated experience from a variety of fragile and conflict-affected contexts; and
- we need truly systematized and joint planning, programming, and reporting. This means pooling our ressources and experiences, including better integration of local knowledge to expand the reach to affected populations.

Second, there is enormous untapped potential in broadening and diversifying the financing base for peacebuilding. We should support new innovative financing models in collaboration with Development Finance Institutions, the private sector, impact investors, and philanthropists, building on lessons learned from blended finance approaches. The ongoing reform process in the World Bank Group should bring mobilization of private capital and domestic revenues into the core of its strategy.

Third, the inclusion of women in institutional, economic and peacebuilding processes comes with significant peace dividends. We must actively explore avenues to fund women peacebuilders and their local civil society organisations in fragile and conflict-affected settings. The World Bank Group and donors should move beyond mandates and statements of intent to translating all our visions into programming, operations and action.

Excellencies,   

Can we agree on a few actions to make sure we hold each other to account and that this collaboration will indeed be strengthened – not merely in words but by action? I encourage the chair to lead us to come up with a few pragmatic action points.

Thank you.