Ban urges ramped up support to meet Peacebuilding Fund’s financial challenges

UNITED NATIONS. KAZINFORM Ban urges ramped up support to meet Peacebuilding Fund's financial challenges The United Nations system is being pushed to its limits by an unprecedented number of conflicts and economic crises globally, as well as by climate change and inequalities, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Sep 21, calling on the international community to help keep the Organization's Peacebuilding Fund from falling into a dangerous financial position.

"Without the Peacebuilding Fund, we will be forced to stand by as we witness the preventable loss of countless lives and the extinguishing of hope for millions more," the UN chief told participants at a pledging conference for the Fund, entitled "Invest in Sustaining Peace."

At Sep 21 event, twenty-six member states pledged $151 Million to the UN Peacebuilding Fund, to cover the years 2017-2019.

Established in 2006 at the request of the UN General Assembly and Security Council, the Peacebuilding Fund concentrates on post-conflict peacebuilding initiatives, currently supporting more than 120 projects in 25 countries. Since its creation to the end of 2015, the Fund has allocated $623 million to 33 countries to help prevent relapse into conflict and to sustain peace.

At the event - which was co-organized by the Permanent Missions of Kenya, Mexico, the Netherlands, the Republic of Korea, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sweden and the United Kingdom - the Secretary-General lamented that the Fund faces "enormous challenges," because after a long decline, the number of violent conflicts is rising.

"Although there are fewer wars between States, conflicts are taking place within countries, often with international involvement and involving non-state actors. These trends are pushing the UN system to its limits," Mr. Ban said.

"We are failing to live up to the noble call that opens the UN Charter, "To save succeeding generations from the scourge of war," he added, the UN News Centre reported.

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