Consolidating the Peace?
Views from Sierra Leone and Burundi on the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission
ActionAid, CAFOD and CARE International | 2007
Topic: Friedensentwicklung
Country: Sierra Leone, Burundi
It is often said that winning the peace is at least as hard as winning the war. The creation
of the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) is in itself a recognition that there
are fundamental gaps in the international community’s engagement in post-conflict
contexts.The Peacebuilding Commission’s official mandate and objectives relate to
mobilising political attention, additional resources and coordination for consolidating peace
in war-torn societies. As such, the PBC is a concept that is long overdue. Published to
coincide with the Peacebuilding Commission’s own first annual report to the General
Assembly in June 2007, this shadow report assesses the first year of the PBC’s work in its
first two focus countries: Sierra Leone and Burundi. It shows that the PBC’s impact has
been largely positive and well received, but that important challenges remain.
The PBC’s relationship with the focus-country governments has important political and
operational implications. Conflict, particularly civil conflict, often results from struggles
rooted in governance issues – leaving post-conflict governance a heavy legacy. In other
words, governance is usually both part of the solution and part of the problem. For this
reason, our study finds that particular emphasis should be placed on the Strategic
Peacebuilding Framework (SPBF) between the PBC and the focus government, as a political
instrument to facilitate commitment, consensus and action on tackling those governancerelated
challenges and obstacles. This is particularly relevant for countries in late postconflict
/ early development periods, such as Sierra Leone.
This report emphasises the importance of a more political approach to the PBC’s work in
certain contexts, reflecting a partnership between the international community and the
focus-country government. To ensure effective implementation and follow-up, the
Strategic Peacebuilding Framework needs to include clear benchmarks, backed up by
appropriate monitoring and accountability mechanisms. In most cases, the SPBF should be
the primary entry-point for PBC engagement, with potential PBF or additional resources as
an incentive.
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