Ministry Statements & Speeches:
Thank you Madam Chair.
I would like to begin by thanking the organisers, in particular the UN Peacebuilding Support Office for convening this important event.
New Zealand associates itself with the comments already made by Fiji on behalf of the Pacific Islands Forum.
New Zealand is a strong supporter of peacebuilding efforts. We recognise that there is a pivotal financing gap. We support the Good Peacebuilding Financing Initiative.
New Zealand, for its part, supports peacebuilding efforts primarily through multi-year contributions to the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) and the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (UNDPPA).
I am pleased to announce that New Zealand will be renewing our commitment to the UN Peacebuilding Fund, in recognition of the importance of sustainable and flexible financing for peacebuilding causes. New Zealand will contribute NZ$3 million per year to the UN Peacebuilding Fund for the next three years.
This reflects our confidence in the valuable work the Peacebuilding Fund is undertaking, New Zealand’s unwavering commitment to peace and an acknowledgment of the importance of multi-year support to ensure sustainability.
To ensure sustainable peacebuilding financing New Zealand is open to considering the full range of possible funding options.
However it is important that we focus on outcomes, not just the quantum of financing. It is essential that peacebuilding initiatives remain demand-driven and anchored in countries’ own needs and priorities. We know that effective peacebuilding needs to be “locally led, regionally coordinated, nationally enabled and internationally funded”.
New Zealand’s experience in supporting peacebuilding initiatives in our region, confirms that these are most effective and sustainable when they are locally owned and responsive to local priorities. One-size-fits-all models do not work effectively.
New Zealand is a strong advocate for embedding gender equality in all aspects of peacebuilding work and to bring the voices of women to the fore. We welcome advice that a significant proportion of the Peacebuilding Fund’s investments have supported gender equality and women’s empowerment, but more can and should be done.
Thank you Chair.