Peacebuilding Commission

Organizational Committee

1^st Meeting (PM)

ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITTEE DISCUSSES PLANS FOR COUNTRY-SPECIFIC

MEETINGS BY UNITED NATIONS PEACEBUILDING COMMISSION

 

The Organizational Committee of the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission met this afternoon to discuss modalities for the country-specific meetings on Sierra Leone and Burundi to be held on 12 and 13 October, respectively.

The notion of a Peacebuilding Commission was first proposed in 2004 by United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s High-Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change.  The Commission was formally established on 20 December 2005.  It will aim to shore up peace agreements, and help prevent war-ravaged countries from lapsing back into deadly conflict.

The 31 members of the Commission serve for renewable terms of two years.  Seven are selected by the Security Council; seven are elected by the Economic and Social Council; five are top providers of assessed contributions to United Nations budgets and of voluntary contributions to United Nations funds, programmes and agencies, including a standing peacebuilding fund; five are top providers of military personnel and civilian police to United Nations missions; and seven are elected by the General Assembly.

The Commission’s membership, which is the same as for its Organizational Committee, consists of Angola, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Burundi, Chile, China, Croatia, Denmark, Egypt, El Salvador, Fiji, France, Germany, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, India, Indonesia, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Poland, Russian Federation, Sri Lanka, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania and United States.

* *** *

For information media • not an official record