Statement by H.E. Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa, President of the United Nations General Assembly at the Launch of the Peacebuilding Fund

11 October 2006 – Secretary-General, Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen, It gives me great pleasure to be among you today to launch the Peacebuilding Fund.

This occasion marks an important step forward in strengthening the response of this Organization to post-conflict situations around the world. During the 2005 World Summit, world leaders set out a new peacebuilding framework with the establishment of the Peacebuilding Commission and the Peacebuilding Fund. I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to Secretary-General Kofi Annan for his tireless efforts in launching this Fund.

II would also like to thank all Member States who were involved in the process leading to the establishment of the Fund; their cooperation and spirit of compromise is indeed commendable. Allow me on this occasion to thank Sweden for taking a leading role in facilitating the discussions.

This Fund aims to support peacebuilding initiatives that directly contribute to post-conflict stabilization including implementing peace agreements and preventing recurrence of conflicts.

Furthermore, this Fund will help strengthen the capacity of governments or transitional authorities to assume early ownership of the recovery and peacebuilding processes which are imperative for sustaining peace.

This fund will also allow for immediate assistance for countries emerging from conflict to lay the groundwork for their national peacebuilding efforts until sustainable support from the international community is secured.

According to Resolution 60/287, the General Assembly plays an important role in providing overall policy guidance on the use of the Fund to maximize its impact and improve its functioning. I therefore invite all Member States to carefully review the annual report that the Secretary-General will issue in due course.

Let me conclude by thanking all those Member States who have already pledged their contributions towards this new Fund. It is very encouraging to see that so many of you support this important initiative. It is but a testament of the true solidarity in the international community and an expression of our strong commitment to help build and maintain peace for the peoples in countries emerging from conflicts. Thank you.