Financing for Peacebuilding: Statement During UN Peacebuilding Commission Annual Session

Thank you, Chair and Madame Moderator. I recognise and welcome the presence of the President of the General Assembly, Amb. Shahid, USG DiCarlo, and the representatives of the African Development Bank, World Bank and the private sector. Thank you all for your insights on this important topic.

In the recent past, despite the challenges brought about by the pandemic, Kenya continues to support investment in the peacebuilding agenda, and conflict prevention and resolution efforts, through contributions to multilateral peace funds including the AU Peace Fund and IGAD.

The Peacebuilding Fund has also proved to be an important component of the bridge between the norms of peace and the practical mitigation measures against conflict, from the DRC to the Solomon Islands, from Albania to Colombia. However, the PBF is just one component of the funding substructure needed for effective commitments and peacebuilding partnerships. The 2016 and 2020 General Assembly and Security Council resolutions on peacebuilding and sustaining peace, and the just-tabled Secretary-General's report on Our Common Agenda, all speak to the need and urgency for adequate, predictable and sustained resources for peacebuilding. Therefore, there is need for non-politicised discussions about all options for peacebuilding, be it voluntary, assessed funding or innovative financing.

We note that one purpose of this morning's discussions is to make concrete and substantive suggestions that will form part of the PBC's contribution to the upcoming General Assembly high-level meeting on financing. In this regard, I would like to highlight three areas that we believe should go hand in hand with this conversation.

First, on sustainability: as external funds are being injected into fragile contexts, not to mention the volatility of Foreign Direct Investments, we also need to remain seized of the important building blocks needed to ensure that national and transitional governments can attract domestic and international investment, build resilience and ensure sustainability.

Second, on regional partnerships: how can international financial institutions better partner with regional financial institutions for targeted, context-specific and coordinated projects that safeguard communal, national and regional ownership and agency when it comes to financing for peacebuilding? How can we move from externally earmarked funding to targeted funding informed by national and regional contexts?

Third, on South-South cooperation: there are no small actors, and no penny too little, when it comes to human, financial and technical investments in peacebuilding. What framework is needed to ensure meaningful partnership with the UN Fund for South-South Cooperation in developing countries, especially where the conflict-and-development linkage is most pressing?

I thank you.