The Shura Council participated in the 10th briefing session for parliamentarians on UN Operations, which was virtually organised by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) under the theme: ‘The UN Peacebuilding Commission: from underdog to key player for global peace’.
HE the Shura Council Deputy Speaker and Member of Office of IPU Standing Committee on UN Affairs, Dr Hamda bint Hassan al-Sulaiti, represented the Shura Council in the session. The session discussed the role of the UN Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) that was established in 2005, in backing efforts of achieving enduring peace through providing counselling to the UN bodies and assisting conflict-stricken countries.
In her remarks during the session, HE Dr al-Sulaiti underscored the pivotal role played by PBC in preventing the flare-up of armed conflicts as a core pillar of achieving a safer world, stressing that addressing the root causes of conflicts, such as human rights violations, poverty and social marginalisation requires reinforcing the PBC’s corporate capabilities, surging the PBC’s allocated resources, enhancing co-operation with regional and international organisations, as well as engaging local communities in peace-building processes through supporting local initiatives and promoting community dialogue.
HE the Deputy Speaker noted that focusing on prevention and early intervention through establishing early warning systems and a rigorous analysis of situations is imperative, with an emphasis on enhancing transparency and accountability in PBC’s operations to ensure the intended goals are achieved.
She called for reforming civil peacekeeping missions as a more effective tool for achieving peace, stressing the importance of co-ordinated efforts among official and non-official parties to avoid any potential contradictions.
HE Dr al-Sulaiti emphasised that such all-encompassing steps represent the foundation for advancing the PBC’s role to be effective in achieving global peace. In addition, the participants discussed the challenges facing peace-building operations amid the intricacies of global conflicts due to climate change, as well as emerging geopolitical and technological advancements.
The session highlighted the pressing need to foster the PBC’s role through proposed reforms that encompassed the expansion of PBC’s mandate, elevate funding and boost co-operation with regional and global parties.
