They shared their experiences during an event this week at the UN headquarters to mark 20 years of the Peace Building Commission (PBC).
The intergovernmental council body supports emerging countries of conflicts in fields such as governance, justice, reconciliation, construction of institutions and sustainable development.
Pain and promise
“The history of Liberia is pain, but also of promise,” said Johnson-Sirleaf in a video message.
“A nation once kneeling by a prolonged conflict is now a testimony to what is possible when the national will is equal by international solidarity.”
In August 2003, the Liberian government, two rebel groups and several political parties signed a peace agreement in Accra, Ghana, after 14 years of civil war.
Build a new Liberia
“Knowing that Liberia could not come back to what it was, we had to build a new nation based on new structures of governance of inclusion, transparency, justice and hope,” said the former president and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.
Critical institutions such as the central bank, the judiciary, the anti-corruption commission and even civil society organizations were to be restructured or built from zero. And women played a central role in peace efforts by leading advocacy, mediation and community reconstruction.
“Above all, too, the way from Liberia to Peace could not be walked alone,” she said.
Johnson-Sirleaf stressed the essential role played by the international community through the UN and its mission of peacekeeping Unmilregional Cerceas Bloc, the African Union, the European Union and other entities.
“A work in progress”
She also expressed her gratitude to multilateral and bilateral partners – including PBC – whose technical, financial and moral support has thrown the foundations of peace which enjoyed today.
“The peace of Liberia remains a work in progress,” she said. “We are still faced with challenges – economic fragility, bottlenecks of governance and aspirations of a young population of the population. But we have also traveled a long way. ”
PBC has supported peacebuilding efforts in more than 30 countries and regions, for example by supporting the democratic transition in Gambia and collaborating with Timor Leste to advance stability.
His “intervention and determination at a critical moment is not only manifestly historic, but serves as a cardinal reference point for preventive diplomacy and international solidarity,” said Gambia Minister Mamadou Tangara.
Increased conflicts
Rosemary Dicarlo, under-secretary general of the United Nations for political affairs and peacebuilding, pointed out that the event took place at a time when conflicts become more and more numerous, more prolonged and more complex, and as negotiated regulations become even more difficult to achieve.
“In this context, the role of the Peace Consolidation Commission remains critical and more necessary than ever,” she said.
It underlined the Pact for the Avenue by the UN Member States last September, which recognizes the central role of civil society, women and young people, and the value of the United Nations partnerships with regional organizations and international financial institutions.
“Above all, the pact has decided to strengthen the peace’s consolidation committee,” she said. “Our task is to translate this ambition into practical progress.”
Still relevant today
Dicarlo said that the PBC “should be equipped, strengthened and empowered to help the Member States interested in developing and implementing national strategies for prevention and strengthening peace”.
It should also have more systematic and robust links to other United Nations bodies and processes, such as the Security Council and engage more deeply with regional organizations, international financial institutions and other key partners.
“The Commission is no longer a new institution, but its relevance and its potential are not reduced at a time of increasing need. We must equip it to invest to fully deliver its mandate. ”
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