Norway Supports Quantum Leap for the UN Secretary General’s Peacebuilding Fund

The UN Secretary General has called for a quantum leap of critical support to the UN Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) in light of current global conflict trends and the expected need for UN led transitions in the years to come.

- Norway sees the Peacebuilding Fund as the most important multilateral tool to advance and sustain peace for vulnerable communities. We wish to be a consistent and predictable partner for the UN in this crucial endeavour, which is why we are ready to make a five-year commitment, says Foreign Minister Eriksen Søreide.

The PBF allocates resources to promote peacebuilding activities in over 40 countries. It is risk-tolerant and highly catalytic. For every dollar invested through the PBF, the fund aims to generate a multiplying effect by attracting external funding to scale up activities and deliver peace dividends. The PBF has an impressive track record in the inclusion and promotion of women’s rights and women and youth participation in peacebuilding efforts. With up to 40 % of the annual budget allocated to promoting women and youths participation and inclusion in peacebuilding, in the previous phase of the program.

- We need to focus on women’s participation in all phases of our peace and security efforts. The PBF has taken this to heart and operationalized the practice in an admirable way, says Foreign Minister Eriksen Søreide.

In recent years conflicts have become increasingly regionalised, challenging already established working methods at the country level. The PBF is pioneering cross-border peacebuilding efforts in places like West Africa and the Sahel. The Covid-19 pandemic is global in nature and does not respect national borders, this puts an additional strain on already vulnerable communities in conflict areas. The PBF is responding by incorporating the combat against Covid-19 in its peacebuilding work.

- The threat of the Covid-19 pandemic needs a multilateral response, and we must use all the means at our disposal. The PBF has its role to play in preventing that the pandemic becomes a new driver of conflict, says Foreign Minister Eriksen Søreide.