Peacebuilding success hinges on needed support, Annan tells Security Council

As the Security Council embarked today on a discussion of building durable peace in countries shattered by war, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said this goal can be reached only when key conditions - including adequate resources and trained personnel - are met.

Mr. Annan cited the examples of El Salvador, Guatemala, Mozambique, Namibia and East Timor as evidence that conflict-torn States can restore stability. At the same time, he cautioned against impractical approaches. "We need to be realistic about what is achievable and we must have a clear political strategy for success - based on a sophisticated understanding of the context," he said.

With the proper support, the UN's work "can succeed, and the promise of peace-building can be realized," he said at the outset of the meeting, which was convened on the initiative of Spain, Council President for the month of September, and chaired by its Foreign Minister, Miguel Ángel Moratinos. Foreign Ministers from 10 of the Council's 14 other members also took part in the session.

The Secretary-General called on the Council to sustain its attention to hotspots even after the media spotlight has left. "The bit-by-bit building of peace, from the ground up, may not grab headlines - but it must command your vigilant attention and your long-term commitment," he said, pointing to failed attempts at peace-building in Haiti and Liberia, where the UN has since returned in an effort to restore stability.

While peacekeeping funding needs are great, he pointed out that the money would be well spent. "UN peace operations an excellent investment," he said. Over the course of its entire nearly six-decade history, the UN has spent just over $30 billion on peacekeeping - a mere one-thirtieth of the global military expenditures last year alone.

Mr. Annan also underscored the need for adequate security of UN civilian staff. "Risk is an unavoidable part of our work, but there must be a reasonable balance between the risk to be undertaken and the substantive contribution that civilians are called upon to make," he said, appealing for support for new security measures he is slated to propose in the coming weeks.

For his part Said Djinnit, the African Union (AU) Commissioner for Peace and Security, noted that the Union had been called upon to respond quickly to conflict situations and emerging crises, particularly in Burundi and in Darfur, Sudan. He said the AU had deployed its operations in those areas in the expectation that the UN and other partners would provide the support needed.

Javier Solana, High Representative for the European Union's Common Foreign and Security Policy, said that civilian aspects of peace-building had taken on primary importance as objectives broadened to include the restoration of a legitimate government and defence of the rule of law. While rebuilding a State had political and security dimensions, it also required the establishment of institutions which could inspire confidence among the people concerned.

The Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Amre Moussa, said the complexity of present-day crisis management required drawing on the comparative advantage of different organizations. He stressed, however, that the Security Council itself must assume its duty in terms of the wider issue of maintaining international peace and security. Unfortunately, the Council had shown reluctance to deal with major issues such as the Arab-Israeli conflict and the situation of Palestine, as well as Israeli breaches of international law, he said.

Video of Council meeting [2hrs 48mins]