Taking risks to invest in peace
The Peacebuilding Commission is also helping countries develop their own national prevention and peacebuilding strategies.
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The Peacebuilding Commission is also helping countries develop their own national prevention and peacebuilding strategies.
For two decades, the Peacebuilding Commission and the Peacebuilding Fund have helped communities emerge from the darkness of war. That spirit of healing and of hope could not be more vital today.
Across the globe, we are witnessing more conflicts than at any point since the Second World War. Geopolitical tensions are rising. Inequalities are deepening. Climate shocks are intensifying. And new technologies are racing ahead without guardrails. All this makes the patient and steady work of peacebuilding more critical than ever.
Your task is to imagine a new generation of peace efforts fit to meet the realities of today.
The Commission’s work over the past 20 years points the way forward. In Colombia, you helped ground peacebuilding in local realities and engage more women and youth. In the Sahel, you convened across borders to advance the UN Integrated Strategy. In the Central African Republic, you supported the first local elections in 30 years — and continue to work with MINUSCA to protect peacekeeping gains that have been obtained.
And in Liberia, you helped bridge the gap from the departure of the UN peacekeeping mission to a nationally owned strategy, rallying stakeholders behind a comprehensive peacebuilding plan. And I could go on and on and on.
Through it all, the Commission has never been alone. The Peacebuilding Fund has acted as a catalytic financing instrument — engaging early and taking risks to invest in peace. The Fund has helped more than 70 countries across the globe, backing people and institutions to forge sustainable peace.
One of the strengths of this Commission — alongside the Fund and the Peacebuilding and Peace Support Office — is its ability to bring together actors across politics, finance and development. Such coordination is what turns commitments into real change on the ground.
For countless people, this means services restored;
Livelihoods rebuilt;
Justice strengthened;
And trust renewed.
In line with the Pact for the Future, the Commission is also helping countries develop their own national prevention and peacebuilding strategies — from Mauritania to São Tomé and Príncipe.
I encourage more States to make use of this platform. It is a place to share progress, seek support, and align international partners behind national priorities.
Last year, Member States unanimously adopted the Peacebuilding Architecture Review resolutions. These measures provide a roadmap to build on the work of the Commission.
They called for: More engagement with outside partners, from civil society to regional organizations.
Deeper synergies with ECOSOC and the General Assembly.
An enhanced advisory role to the Security Council.
Stronger partnership with international financial institutions and the private sector.
And greater assistance for mission transitions, as the UN’s footprint changes and peace operations draw down.
Thanks to your support, the introduction of assessed contributions has placed the Peacebuilding Fund on steadier footing — a true vote of confidence in its mission. But it still relies on voluntary contributions to invest at the speed and scale peacebuilding demands. I urge all Member States to continue to stand behind it. With your backing, our peacebuilding architecture can advance prevention and recovery efforts around the world — and help keep many more people safe.
(UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the Annual Session of the Peacebuilding Commission in New York on 25 June 2026.)
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