Improving the impact of the UN Peacebuilding Commission

Since the UN was founded in 1945, its main goal has been to maintain peace and security in the world. 

To help achieve lasting peace after conflict, the UN established the Peacebuilding Architecture (PBA) in 2005. Its main goal is to prevent conflict and help countries emerging from conflict avoid falling back into violence.

The PBA consists of three components:

• The Peacebuilding Commission (PBC), which provides advice and support for peace processes.
• The Peacebuilding Fund (PBF), which finances peacebuilding initiatives.
• The Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO), which supports the PBC and serves as a knowledge hub for peacebuilding within the UN system.

The Peacebuilding Architecture undergoes a review every five years, with the upcoming 20-year review scheduled for 2025. 

A team of researchers from NUPI have contributed recommendations for this review in their report.

Lacks impact and relevance

Cedric de Coning, senior researcher at NUPI, presented the findings of the report at a recent expert meeting in New York, where proposals for enhancing the effectiveness of the UN Peacebuilding Commission were discussed. 

According to the NUPI researchers, one of the main challenges facing the Peacebuilding Architecture is that the Peacebuilding Commission – the body providing advice and support to peace processes – lacks impact and relevance.

“The work of the UN Peacebuilding Commission is not visible and tangible enough. The advice it provides to the United Nations Security Council and other parts of the UN system does not contain new information or analysis that adds value to the work of these bodies or agencies," says de Coning.

He explains that they have therefore proposed four specific measures to enhance the effectiveness of the commission.

Measures for a more effective commission

De Coning emphasises that the commission should adopt a clearer and more strategic role amid increasing conflicts and geopolitical tensions.

He says that the Peacebuilding Commission should help establish a common understanding of what peacebuilding is and how countries can work together to support peace efforts in different places. 

The NUPI researchers propose four measures to strengthen the Peacebuilding Commission:

1. Maintain a strategic focus on conflict prevention and lasting peace by addressing underlying causes of conflicts.
2. Improve the quality of information and analysis produced by the Peacebuilding Architecture.
3. Strengthen collaboration between the UN and other key actors, such as the African Union and organisations working on peace and development.
4. Promote learning and adaptation within the UN system, actively utilising experiences from different countries to improve efforts.

“If the commission succeeds in these efforts, it can clearly emerge as a focal point in international peacebuilding,” says de Coning.

Increasing relevance

Jenny Lorentzen, senior researcher at NUPI, notes that the current security policy climate makes it difficult for the UN to respond to many global conflicts.

“The UN Security Council has been unable to act in several situations, especially where major powers disagree or exercise vetoes – as seen in Gaza and Ukraine,” she says. 

Lorentzen highlights the growing importance of other UN bodies capable of responding when the Security Council is deadlocked.

“The Peacebuilding Commission can play a more significant role, particularly in conflict prevention and follow-up in countries overlooked by the Security Council,” says Lorentzen.

She highlights Mali as an example. After a decade of UN presence, the UN withdrew its forces from the country in 2023 at the request of the government that came to power through a coup in 2021 and wished to manage security independently.

Lorentzen notes that after the UN withdrew from Mali, the country has mostly been ignored by the Security Council, making it especially important to have ways to keep track of the situation. 

She also highlights the unique qualities of the commission: 

“It's less politicised and less stigmatising, while simultaneously capable of providing more sustained support and stabilisation to fragile states,” she says.

Reference:

de Coning et al. Improving the impact of the UN Peacebuilding Commission and enhancing the synergy of the Peacebuilding Architecture. Input Paper for the 2025 (Twenty-year) Review of the UN Peacebuilding Architecture, Report 10 / 2024, Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, 2024.

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