Giving the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) a More Prominent Role at the UN Peace and Security Architecture
Global catastrophic risk mitigated
Unknown risks
Risk multiplier managed
Conflict or political violence
Institutions that lack inclusivity or accountability
Poverty and inequality
Implementation timeframe
Short term
Being the only UN body with a cross-pillar coordination mandate, the PBC must be given a more prominent role in the UN peace and security architecture. In the past few years, there has been growing consensus that the UN should seek to address the root causes of crises, instead of reacting to them. To keep the process moving, it is necessary to 1) enhance the PBC’s capacities to host discussions about cross-cutting issues, such as the WPS and YPS agendas; 2) strengthen the PBC’s advisory role to the Security Council, particularly with regards to peacebuilding elements of missions' mandates, as well as during reconfigurations, drawdowns, and transitions; 3) bolster the PBC’s advisory role to the Economic and Social Council, with a view to promote greater coherence amongst development and peacebuilding actors in the field.
Implementation strategy

Enhance the PBC’s capacities to host discussions about cross-cutting issues. The PBC is more suitable for hosting in-depth discussions on the WPS, YPS and other cross-cutting agendas. Grass-roots initiatives, progress, lessons learned, challenges would receive more attention at the PBC than currently at the UNSC.
1) Redirect UNSC’s briefers to the PBC.
2)Strengthen relations with ECOSOC.
3)Encourage countries to request PBC’s advise.

Strengthen the PBC’s advisory role to the Security Council. This is particularly important when peacebuilding elements of missions' mandates are at stake, as well as during reconfigurations, drawdowns, and transitions.
1)Expand PBC's participation in the negotiation of PKO and SPM mandates by excluding “upon request/requests for advice/at its request” in the 2020 PBA Review.
2)Alternatively, UNSC’s members should regularly request PBC advise by strengthening OP 8 UNGA 70/262 and UNSC 2282(2016).
3)Enhance the meetings between PBC and UNSC’s Committees, Working Groups and Ad Hoc Bodies.

Bolster the PBC’s advisory role to ECOSOC. This will promote greater coherence among development and peacebuilding actors in the headquarters and the field.
1)Increase the dialogues between the PBC and the ECOSOC by promoting joint meetings.
2)Increase the cooperation between PBC and ECOSOC by using the Commission as a platform to bring attention to certain economic and social issues, particularly economic drivers and risks to peace.
3) Enhance dialogue between ECOSOC and the Chairpersons of the Commission’s country-specific configurations.

See complete implementation strategy in the attachment.

Political will exists to realise this proposal

The process of strengthening the PBC is already happening. There is political will among not only members of the PBC but also the Security Council. Moreover, the timing is now, as the 2020 Review of the PBCA kicked off.

What if political will does not exist yet

Permanent Council members have traditionally viewed the strengthening of the PBC with suspicion, pointing to the risk of "encroachment" of Council issues by the Commission. Nevertheless, the historical trend of these reform processes that take place every 5 years has been one of increasing strength.

Mitigating unknown risks

By increasing PBC’s coherence across the three UN pillars and with all relevant partners.

Alleviating poverty and inequality

The proposal was designed taking into account the risks for the poor and inequalities within and across countries. According to the UN-WB Report, Pathways for Peace (2018), preventing conflict is critical to ending extreme poverty not only for promoting shared prosperity but also because violent conflict perpetuates poverty.

Enhancing inclusivity and accountability in national and global governance

Moving some discussions from the Security Council to the Peacebuilding Commission will contribute to employing peaceful and development tools to promote peace objectives. Moreover, the peace and security debate will be more inclusive and more national governments will be accountable.

Reducing conflict and political violence

Taking preventive action and addressing possible root causes of conflict before the outbreak of violence is considerably cheaper for the international community than intervening during or after violence occurs (UN and WB, Pathways for Peace: Inclusive Approaches to Preventing Violent Conflict, 2018)

Additional information

html linked in the pdf.

Files attached

PBC proposal Feb092020.pdf

Other ideas you might be interested in
Published by Cristina Petcu Unknown risks
Create a strong UN Peacebuilding Council to replace the current Peacebuilding Commission
Similar to the transformation of the Human Rights Commission into a Council, it is time for the UN Peacebuilding Commission to be upgraded into a Council with enhanced powers and responsibilities; and mandated to lead on policy development, coordinat...
Published by Richard Alexander Shirres Climate change, Eco-system collapse, Unknown risks
Scheme to accredit 'UN Global Eco-Steward Champions' status to active citizens
Contribution to global governance - Purpose: To expand and develop advocacy of the UN’s work in relation to global ecological stewardship and raise awareness of this crucial but lesser appreciated role of the UN and, thereby, advance support for the...
Published by Richard Maxheim The threat from new and emerging technology
UN sovereignty in Affairs of Mankind
A more effective UN needs its own sovereignty. This can be created if member states surrender certain parts of their national sovereignty. The sovereignty of the UN should be limited to affairs of mankind. For this, the affairs of mankind would have...
Published by Arthur Lyon Dahl Climate change, Eco-system collapse, Pandemics and anti-microbial resistance, The threat from new and emerging technology, Unknown risks
Governance, Science and the Climate Crisis
For climate and other catastrophic risks, science is the foundation for public education, policy-making and action, requiring strengthening formal science-policy inputs to UN and government decision-making, while building public support for action as...
Published by Arthur Lyon Dahl Climate change, Eco-system collapse, Pandemics and anti-microbial resistance, Weapons of Mass Destruction, The threat from new and emerging technology, Unknown risks
Global Governance and the Emergence of Global Institutions for the 21st Century
Our book "Global Governance and the Emergence of Global Institutions for the 21st Century" will initiate wide dialogue on the future of global governance, presenting a package of core UN reforms to modernize the current global governance system to re...