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I thank the Deputy Secretary General Jan Eliasson and the Chair of the Peace Building Commission, Ambassador Antonio de Aguiar Patriota for their comprehensive briefings. We commend the Chilean presidency of the Security Council for organizing this briefing and welcome the adoption of the PRST. This exchange of views on post-conflict peacebuilding is very timely as we embark on the Review of the UN Peacebuilding Architecture. We have seen some successes in recent years, such as the conclusion of a peace operation in Sierra Leone in March 2014. Such successes however remain an exception rather than a rule.

Countries continue to face multiple challenges as they emerge out of conflict. Repeating cycles of violence and relapse into conflict threaten a reversal of peace and development efforts in various parts of the world. The youngest member state of the UN, South Sudan, has seen its progress stalled by the eruption of violence over a year ago. In the CAR, the current fragile signals of improvement should be carefully watched and actively supported, if we don't want to see yet another repetition of the cycle of violence and coups.

The disturbing fragility of the situation in Yemen, Somalia and elsewhere demands improved coherence and synergy of efforts by the various actors on the ground. Even where success has been clear, as in Sierra Leone, unexpected developments, such as the unprecedented Ebola outbreak, threaten to undermine peace- building gains. Ebola’s overall impact on peace building and development in this country and in Guinea and Liberia, as well as its wider regional implications are yet to be seen.

Relevant UN bodies and the entire UN system can and should do better in many areas, by ensuring across-the-board delivering as one and developing effective transition and exit strategies, ensuring solid coherence between peace keeping, peace-building and post-conflict development, including through continuous analysis, sharing of expertise and lessons learned, stronger synergies and coherence, and constant adjustment of responses.

We welcome the upcoming Review of the UN Peacebuilding Architecture, which we see as an opportunity to come up with concrete recommendations on its functioning, resources and modes of engagement. We urge in this process to establish positive synergies between the review of the UN peacekeeping operations and special political missions, undertaken by the Secretary General, and the High-level Review by the Council to assess progress in implementing Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security. We believe that, while distinct in nature and scope, those reviews cannot be conducted in isolation, and that their outcomes should be mutually supportive and reinforcing.

Mr. President,

National institution building is key to successful transition from conflict to a lasting peace. Strengthening the resilience of states, building legitimate, accountable and effective institutions and consolidating the rule of law is a long-term endeavour, which requires both national leadership and ownership and sustained international attention and support. Inter alia, it calls for holistic approaches and identification of specific destabilizing factors, such as a lack of accountability, corruption, as well as unaddressed grievances and disputes, including those regarding property, land ownership, and access to vital resources.

Furthermore, the illicit flows and accumulation of weapons can quickly wipe out years of institution - building, as political actors would be tempted to achieve their objectives through violence and force. For a peaceful dialogue to be sustained,  the UN must ensure cohesiveness of its efforts, including through disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programmes and assistance in security sector reform that not only create a safer and more conducive environment for institution-building, but also offer incentives to former combatants to become a part of the peaceful solution.

At the same time, as former combatants get reintegrated, it is essential that they are properly vetted and retrained, and that their former victims do not feel threatened by their new roles in the community. If that is not ensured, their reintegration will undercut trust in the institutions and in justice itself, with the inevitable negative consequences for building a lasting peace.

Inclusivity is another crucial aspect of sustainable peacebuilding. In particular, women and youth can and must play an active role both in conflict resolution and in the peacebuilding efforts that follow. When peacebuilding efforts are based on inclusive societal consultations, where credible, viable mechanisms for effective and broad public participation exist and no group or segment of the society excluded or marginalised, this generates legitimacy and trust in the state and its institutions.

Conversely, the absence of such inclusivity threatens peace and reconciliation processes and the stability of the state itself. In the case of Iraq for example we may recall that this Council had urged the previous government repeatedly to ensure inclusivity and address the lingering grievances among the various groups of the society. The consequences of such failure stand as a stark warning to all states transitioning out of conflict.

Furthermore, success of transition from conflict to sustained development demands that the issues of justice and accountability be most seriously addressed. Failure to ensure justice and put an end to impunity can sabotage post-conflict peace building efforts and eventually rekindle the conflict itself. 

Lithuania highly values the contribution of the PBC, the Peacebuilding Fund and the Peacebuilding Support Office in building durable peace in a number of countries coming out of conflict. We encourage a further strengthening of the links between the PBC and the Security Council aimed at ensuring a seamless transition from peacekeeping to sustainable and durable development and peace. In this respect, periodic stocktaking briefings and interactive exchanges can be very useful in the work of both bodies. We believe that PBC can also have a useful role when the Council is considering mandate renewals and in transitions of UN missions.

Furthermore, PBC should draw the Council’s attention to emerging threats in the countries on its agenda. PBC should also remain actively engaged in support of the political dialogue and other preparatory processes, in light of the upcoming elections in countries on the PBC agenda. We would welcome a more proactive dialogue of the PBC with relevant regional and sub-regional organizations.

Partnerships between the PBC and the international financial institutions and private sector entities are also important. We believe that work in that direction should be further pursued in order to mobilize resources, identify financing gaps, ensure coherent responses and avoid duplications.

Mr. President,

Peacebuilding is a long and painstaking multi-stakeholder process. The upcoming Review of the Peacebuilding Architecture provides us with an opportunity to revisit our approaches, identify continuing and emerging challenges and broader systemic gaps, in order to adjust our collective responses and realize the full peace building potential of the UN.

I thank you.