UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon declared Guinea-Bissau eligible to receive assistance from the Peacebuilding Fund in March 2008. Since then, Guinea-Bissau has received funding under two tranches: an initial allocation of $ 6 million approved in April 2008 and, in July 2011, a second tranche amounting to $16.8 million.
Under the first tranche of $6 million, PBF financed the following:
- To foster Security Sector reform (SSR), the refurbishment of 2 prisons (1 in Mansoa and 1 in Bafata) and the rehabilitation of 2 military barracks (1 in Gabu and 1 in Quebo);
- A feasibility study was conducted for the design of dedicated training courses addressed to the police and the military, based on a human rights based-approach and including a special focus on women;
- In an effort to deliver peace dividends through job creation, support for vocational training courses for 500 young people in the area of micro-credit/financing and project development to help youth improve their job skills. Approximately 400 youth have already been trained and 132 benefited from 66 loans;
- In the area of political dialogue and reconciliation, a critical project on electoral assistance was successfully implemented;
- A Secretariat was established to support the local Joint Steering Committee (JSC), which provides technical advice and background information on projects.
All projects funded under the first tranche are being closed.
A second Peacebuilding Priority Plan was submitted by the Joint Steering Committee and approved in July 2011.
Building upon the first phase, the second round of funding will focus on supporting the implementation of the ECOWAS Roadmap on SSR, including the setting up of an ad hoc Pension Fund for the members of the Defense and Security forces; strengthening civilian power and the rule of law; fostering political dialogue and national reconciliation. The PBF will also continue supporting the delivery of peace dividends through the development of youth employment opportunities in strategic sectors targeting particularly at-risk youth groups.
Quarterly reports for each project are available on the MPTF-O Gateway site
