ZE07101207 - 2007-10-12
Permalink: http://www.zenit.org/article-20741?l=english

Holy See Glad U.N. Peace Group Exists

Hopes for Results in Burundi and Sierra Leone

NEW YORK, OCT. 12, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Though the U.N. Peacebuilding Commission is still in a stage of growth, the Holy See welcomes the existence of the group, which aims to establish peace in countries recovering from conflict.

Archbishop Celestino Migliore, the Holy See's permanent observer to the United Nations, said this Wednesday at an address before the 62nd U.N. General Assembly, when he spoke about the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) at the end of its inaugural year.

He said: "My delegation believes that the best guarantee against conflict is the individual and collective enjoyment of durable peace. To achieve this in a post-conflict country, it is necessary to recognize the special needs of that country, so it can be assisted accordingly in laying the foundation of a sustainable peace.

"The Holy See therefore warmly welcomed the creation of the PBC, as a response to the need for greater coherence and coordination of international peacebuilding efforts in post-conflict situations."

Archbishop Migliore said, though, that the success of the mission will be measured based on the results it obtains in its first two countries, Burundi and Sierra Leone.

"The PBC's emphasis on strong national ownership and responsibility gives us reason to hope for success in those first two focus countries, as well as in other post-conflict states that will be considered in the future," he said.

"My delegation is aware of the continuing debates on what the PBC should be, on its relation with peacekeeping operations and on its procedures and methods," the archbishop continued. "While this is part of the commission’s growth process, these debates should not distract nor derail it from its mandate of making a difference in the lives of peoples and countries, lest it become just another debating forum."

Archbishop Migliore confirmed the Holy See's "continuing interest in the work of the PBC," and said he encourages it "in the pursuit of its challenging task of helping rebuild individual lives and entire countries ravaged by war."

"It shall have fully achieved this task," he added, "when development, peace and security, and human rights will finally be interlinked and mutually reinforcing in a country which knew the devastations of armed conflict."