CIAO DATE: 06/2014
May 2014
Center on International Cooperation
There is a broad agreement that the United Nations’ “Peacebuilding Architecture” (PBA) has failed to live up to the high hopes that existed when the 2005 World Summit agreed to establish the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) and its related entities, the Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO) and the Peacebuilding Fund. This short paper explores why this is the case, and the options currently on the table to revitalize the PBA. In this context, we briefly review the initial logic and expectations of the PBA, and sketch out the factors that have affected the PBA’s impact both positively and negatively. We then assess the state of the debate, the options, and the political capital and pathways leading into a planned 2015 review of the PBA by the General Assembly and the Security Council.
Resource link: The United Nations "Peacebuilding Architecture": Past, Present and Future [PDF] - 845K