Conflict Prevention and Peace-Building:

Reinforcing the Key Role of the United Nations

 

 

 Senator Sogor Csaba

   Romanian IPU Group

 

 

 

Mr. President,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

To begin with, let me take this opportunity to stress that the Romanian IPU Group is deeply committed to an ever enhanced cooperation between the IPU and the United Nations. We welcome the relevant resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 20 October, and are looking forward to its implementation. In the same line and in relation to our topic, I would like to express our satisfaction with the fact that the Secretary General’s Progress report on the prevention of armed conflict includes substantial references to the role of parliamentarians and the IPU.

 

I would also like to thank the key-note speakers for their very interesting presentations. We are fully supportive of the new Peacebuilding Commission, an innovative body, expected to take a fresh, more effective approach in UN peacebuilding, as a means to live up to the decisions of the 2005 World Summit.

 

With your permission, I will focus briefly on the following aspects:

 

-        according to Security Council Resolution 1361 (2005), the setting up of the Commission is an important opportunity for cooperation and close contact with regional and sub-regional organizations in post-conflict peacebuilding and recovery. In this connection, we would like to know what mechanisms are envisaged at the level of the PBC to ensure an adequate involvement of regional and sub-regional organizations in peacebuilding processes.

 

-        at the same time, given the fact that the establishment of this new body provides a unique opportunity to integrate from the very beginning a gender dimension in its mandate and work, it would be important to know what has been done to this end, having in mind in particular Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000). 

 

Having regard to the general purpose of our debate, which is expected to result in concrete proposals of parliamentary action in support to UN conflict prevention efforts, let me highlight two priority areas outlined in the Secretary General’s Report, where the IPU and its member parliaments could contribute significantly with their unique expertise and resources.

 

The first one is the promotion of sound constitutions providing the tools to manage and resolve disputes peacefully. We believe that the UN should benefit from the experience acquired by IPU and its member parliaments in the field of constitutional affairs, including through the setting up of a mechanism of cooperation between the IPU and the proposed UN rule-of-law capacity.  

 

The second one is the holding of regular and participatory elections and, in connection to this, the need to strengthen UN electoral assistance for Member States to conduct credible elections. In this area also an enhanced partnership with the IPU - as outstanding promoter of democratic electoral processes - would be most beneficial.