SWEDEN TO CHAIR BURUNDI CONFIGURATION OF PEACEBUILDING COMMISSION

The Peacebuilding Commission’s Organizational Committee on Thursday unanimously elected Sweden to chair its Burundi country-specific configuration.  Succeeding Norway, which had assumed that responsibility since 2006, Sweden would continue to lead the Commission’s efforts to sustain international attention and focus on the implementation of priorities identified by the Peacebuilding Commission and the Government of Burundi in the June 2007 strategic framework for peacebuilding.

Welcoming the decision, Yukio Takasu, the Permanent Representative of Japan and Chairperson of the Peacebuilding Commission, commended Sweden’s commitment to the Peacebuilding Commission and the people of Burundi.  Thanking Norway for its exemplary dedication to the Commission, Mr. Takasu said that Sweden’s chairmanship of the Commission’s Burundi configuration would provide continuity in the Commission’s work.

Expressing his appreciation for the Commission’s continued support to his country, Augustin Nsanze, the Permanent Representative of Burundi, underlined his conviction that Sweden’s chairmanship of the Burundi configuration would bring renewed commitment from the international community to support the country’s national peacebuilding efforts.

Anders Lidén, the Permanent Representative of Sweden, noted that his country had recently joined the Peacebuilding Commission and was keen on bringing to that membership an active role in support of the goals and objectives of the Commission.  An expression of interest in assuming the responsibility of chairing the Burundi configuration followed requests from the Permanent Missions of Burundi and Norway, and consultations with the Chairperson of the Peacebuilding Commission.

In addition to the Burundi country-specific configuration, the Peacebuilding Commission has three other country-specific configurations for the Central African Republic, Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone.

For more information about the Peacebuilding Commission, visit www.un.org/peace/peacebuilding.

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For information media • not an official record