AFRICAN GROUP STATEMENT BY H.E. MR. MOHAMED DABO AT THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY ON PEACEBUILDING

  Delivered by H.E. Mohamed Dabo

Permanent Representative of Guinea to the United Nations

2nd September 2025

Mr. President,

Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates,

I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the African Group.

We convey our sincere appreciation to the President of the General Assembly for convening this important meeting dedicated to the consideration of the report of the Peacebuilding Commission on its eighteenth session (A/79/774), Peacebuilding and sustaining peace (A/79/552) and the report of the Secretary-General on the Peacebuilding Fund (A/79/790).

At the outset, I wish to congratulate Germany, Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC), for its outstanding leadership demonstrated during its 2025 tenure. I also extend my gratitude to Ambassador Sérgio França Danese, Permanent Representative of Brazil, for his exemplary chairmanship of the PBC in 2024.

Mr. President,

The Commission serves as a unique platform for countries to exchange challenges, share experiences, and highlight best practices in peacebuilding and sustaining peace. The lessons brought to the PBC are of universal relevance, as both developed and developing countries have valuable experiences to share for the common good.

The African Group commends the achievements of the Peacebuilding Commission during its eighteenth session, particularly the increasing number of countries engaging with its work.

The eighteenth session of the Commission was further characterized by broader and more frequent engagements, aimed at advancing concrete actions in support of countries working with the PBC.

In this regard, the African Group reiterates its call for countries wishing to engage with the PBC to do so on a fully voluntary and nationally owned basis, in support of their peacebuilding and sustaining peace strategies.

The African Group welcomes the continued engagement of the Peacebuilding Commission’s Country-Specific Configurations in the Central African Republic, Guinea-Bissau, and Liberia, and encourages the Chairs of these configurations to continue their leadership in facilitating inclusive dialogue, mobilizing support, and monitoring progress, thereby contributing to lasting peace and stability in their respective countries.

The African Group believes that investing in conflict prevention is a cost-effective approach that saves lives, addresses root causes of conflict, stabilizes economies and reduces the need for costly military interventions. Furthermore, the African Group calls on the Commission to support Member States seeking assistance in building national capacities to develop and implement nationally owned strategies for prevention and peacebuilding, addressing underlying root causes to ensure sustainable peace.

We also commend the Peacebuilding Commission and the Peacebuilding Fund for prioritizing women, peace and security in their work.

Mr. President, Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates,

This year marks the fourth Peacebuilding Architecture Review (PBAR), an important milestone to assess progress made and identify areas for improvement. We take pride in Africa’s common position on this review, under the leadership of Egypt, the AU Champion on Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development (PCRD), with the valuable support of the AU Permanent Observer Mission to the United Nations.

The Peacebuilding Fund continues to provide critical support for activities that prevent and respond to conflict situations. The African Group underscores the need to strengthen peacebuilding financing in a comprehensive manner, in line with the full implementation of General Assembly resolutions on financing for peacebuilding. In this regard, we support the proposal to increase assessed contributions to $100 million annually, in order to enhance the predictability and sustainability of resources. We also encourage closer linkages between the PBF and the PBC, with a view to ensuring strong political support for the Fund’s efforts, while continuing to explore innovative financing mechanisms.

In this context, we also propose exploring the possibility of launching an annual financing forum for peacebuilding.

Furthermore, the African Group strongly supports strengthening the capacities of the Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO) to better assist the PBC. This should be done by taking into account the actual needs of the Office, in order to enable it to fully discharge its mandate.

The Group encourages the Peacebuilding Commission to establish a detailed and predictable annual programme of work that is aligned with the priorities of the General Assembly, the Security Council, and the Economic and Social Council, while remaining responsive to its country-specific, regional and thematic mandates.

Mr. President,

The African Group remains firmly committed to advancing the work of the Peacebuilding Commission and to enhancing its impact in support of sustaining peace.

Thank you for your attention.