Decision Making

The Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) is based on a two-tier decision-making process, involving a central allocation of funding to the countries eligible for PBF support and, at the country level, a joint review by the Government and the United Nations to disburse funds against agreed-upon priorities.

Eligibility
Any country under consideration by the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) will, in principle, be eligible to receive support from the Peacebuilding Fund (PBF), following a formal declaration by the Commission. Furthermore, the United Nations Secretary-General may also declare a country in similar circumstances but not currently on the agenda of the PBC as eligible for PBF funding.

Strategic Allocation of Funds
Against the backdrop of the discussions in the Peacebuilding Commission, the Government and the UN jointly conduct a country level analysis of critical gaps in the peacebuilding effort and draw up a national priority plan to record this assessment. The priority plan is accompanied by short project concept notes to illustrate how the priorities identified could be operationalized through concrete projects.

The priority plan is then reviewed by the Head of the Peacebuilding Support Office at UN Headquarters in New York in consultation with the Senior Policy Group, comprised of senior officials from various part of the UN systems. This review helps to ensure that the plan reflects the discussions in the Peacebuilding Commission and does not duplicate any other ongoing or planned activities.

Once the priority plan has been formally endorsed at UN Headquarters, the Head of the Peacebuilding Support Office determines the overall funding envelope for the country on the basis of available balances and an indicative costing of the priority plan. A country envelope is the amount of funding made available for a given country within which projects can be approved.

Country-Level Decision-Making
A PBF Steering Committee, co-chaired by the Government and the United Nations, reviews and approves projects to be funded by the Peacebuilding Fund, using the priority plan as its main reference. The Steering Committee is modelled on existing coordination mechanisms and includes representatives from the Government, UN Country Team, donors and civil society. All projects are approved at country level and do not require any further review by UN Headquarters.

Once the Steering Committee at country level approves a project, this serves as the payment instruction for the Fund Manager (Administrative Agent), UNDP’s Multi-Donor Trust Fund (MDTF) Office, to process the transfer. To receive PBF funds, UN entities are required to conclude a Memorandum of Understanding with the Administrative Agent.

Timeframe
The priority plan has an initial timeframe of one year, given its focus on immediate peacebuilding challenges and its catalytic function in seeking to attract longer term financial support. This one year period can be extended while the priority plan itself can also be amended to take account of new priorities.