Mr. Secretary-General,
Distinguished co-chairs,
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would like to thank the Secretary-General, the co-chairs and the organisers of today’s much needed replenishment conference for the Peacebuilding Fund. The exponential growth in demand for the Peacebuilding Fund’s projects, especially in the recent years, is a clear testament to the high quality of support that the Fund offers. I am grateful for the opportunity to make a few remarks on behalf of the Estonian government.
First, I would like to stress the importance of the holistic approach to peacebuilding. We very much appreciate the Secretary-General’s emphasis and the UN Peacebuilding Commission’s strategic focus on conflict prevention. Estonia continues to advocate for further attention to the prevention aspect of the conflict cycle – we strongly believe that early focus on enhancing the resilience of communities can prevent the outbreak of conflict in the first place, as well as relapses into violence.
In addition to the post-conflict recovery, it is important that the entire UN system takes a more cohesive and preventive approach towards supporting the long-term and sustainable peace gains. That includes actively addressing the root causes of instability such as underdevelopment, effects of climate change, poverty, lack of education opportunities to name just a few. Moreover, acknowledging that there are clear linkages between security, respect for human rights and accountability is the first step towards building trust in the societies.
Second, consciously and continuously working towards achieving women’s full, equal and meaningful participation in the peacebuilding processes is the key to long-lasting peace and stability. Clear political will and focus on the implementation of the plans are essential in this context. Implementation in turn requires strategic and long-term funding both from national and international actors. Estonia has decided to support the activities of Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund in 2021.
In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it is especially important to ensure that women and youth that often bear the brunt of the pandemic’s burden have a clear voice. Women need to be equally represented in all COVID-19 response planning and decision-making processes.
Third, international peacebuilding initiatives alone will amount to very little without the political will and a strong sense of ownership from governments and local communities. The Peacebuilding Fund can serve as a starting point for many local initiatives, but the lasting results will only be achieved with clear support and cooperation from the local political actors.
Finally, the question of financing of the international peacebuilding initiatives and specifically the Peacebuilding Fund, is of critical importance. We welcome the longer term planning approach adopted by the Fund in the strategy for the years 2020-2024. The essential part of implementing the strategy is an adequate and predictable financing.
Estonia from its part has been making un-earmarked contributions to the Peacebuilding Fund in the amount of 75 000 euros each year for the past eight years. I assure you that we will continue with our national contributions to the Fund at the same level in the future. Estonia has also been contributing to the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs since 2017.
I would like to reiterate Estonia’s full support to the work of the Peacebuilding Fund. Their role in helping to create favourable conditions for local organisations who in return can take up the long term role in sustaining peace is invaluable.
Thank you.