17 November 2017: UNGA President Miroslav Lajcak will convene a High Level Meeting on efforts and opportunities to strengthen the UN’s work on peacebuilding and sustaining peace. Announcing the event in a letter to UN Member States, Lajcak also presents a roadmap for raising awareness about peacebuilding and sustaining peace.

The concept of sustaining peace is defined in the resolutions concurrently adopted by the UNGA (70/262) and UN Security Council (2282 (2016)) in April 2016, on the review of the UN’s peacebuilding architecture. ‘Sustaining peace’ emphasizes the need to address the root causes of conflict, such as climate change and the illicit trade in natural resources, as well as for sufficient development financing. The approach stresses the need for long-term efforts to prevent conflict and prevent the recurrence of violence after wars, including through inclusiveness, and emphasizes a cross-sectoral strategy.

The President’s priorities for the 72nd session include strengthening links to human rights and sustainable development.

The HLM will convene from 24-25 April 2018. According to the Roadmap for Sustaining Peace, the President’s priorities for his Office’s preparations are:

• Outreach, including to provide a platform for the exchange of information on how to effectively approach peacebuilding from a comprehensive perspective;
• Supporting the UN’s work, including through regular exchanges with senior leadership about measures to ensure the UN is delivering as one;
• Focusing on experiences and good practices, including ensuring that informing New York-based discussions are based on the experiences of peacebuilders in the field, and by promoting the participation of women and youth in peacebuilding and sustaining peace;
• Making a strong financial case for peacebuilding and sustaining peace, by providing UN Member States with the chance to consider ways to improve the UN’s capacity in sustaining peace, and by raising awareness about the need for greater resources; and
• Strengthening links to human rights and sustainable development, including by promoting understanding of how sustaining peace can be useful for implementing the SDGs, and vice versa, and by promoting a coherent approach to sustaining peace across all three pillars of the UN.

Lajcak elaborated on each priority at a retreat on 16 November 2017, organized by the UN Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO) and the Dag Hammarskjold Foundation.

Also during the 72nd session, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will issue a report to the Assembly on efforts to implement the 2016 Resolutions. [UNGA President’s Letter and Roadmap] [Statement to Retreat] [Format of HLM]