The General Assembly, acting concurrently with the Security Council, in a historic resolution adopted on 20 December 2005, decided to establish the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission to help post-conflict countries manage the difficult transition from war to peace.

The United Nations has been engaged in peacebuilding activities for years, so why another body and how does this fit with ongoing UN reforms?

The United Nations has played a vital role in mediating peace agreements and assisting in their implementation, helping to reduce the level of conflict in several regions. However, some accords have failed to take hold, such as in Angola in 1993 and Rwanda in 1994, and roughly half of all countries that emerge from conflict lapse back into violence within five years. To prevent this, peace agreements must be implemented in a sustained manner. Yet, to date, no part of the UN system has been directly responsible for helping countries make the transition from war to lasting peace. The Peacebuilding Commission will help fill this gap by facilitating an institutional and systematic connection between peacekeeping and post-conflict operations and the international network of assistance and donor mobilization.

The aim of the UN reforms is to make the Organization more effective in dealing with today's threats and challenges. By improving coordination and reducing duplication of efforts among the many actors who become involved in a country experiencing or coming out of conflict, the Commission will improve overall efficiency and reduce the likelihood of a costly relapse into conflict. Its primary aim is to strengthen a country's own capacity to recover after conflict and reduce the long-term necessity for recurring peacekeeping operations.

What are the functions of the Peacebuilding Commission?

The Commission will marshal resources at the disposal of the international community to advise and propose integrated strategies for post-conflict recovery, focusing attention on reconstruction, institution-building and sustainable development in countries emerging from conflict. It will bring together the broad capacities and experience of the United Nations in conflict prevention, mediation, peacekeeping, respect for human rights, the rule of law, humanitarian assistance, reconstruction and long-term development.

The Commission specifically will: propose integrated strategies for post-conflict peacebuilding and recovery; help to ensure predictable financing for early recovery activities and sustained financial investment over the medium- to long-term period; extend the international community's period of attention to post-conflict recovery; and develop best practices on issues that require extensive collaboration among political, military, humanitarian and development actors.

The Commission will also fill a huge gap in the UN system and bring together for the first time all major actors to discuss and decide on a long-term peacebuilding strategy. This means that money will be better spent and there will be a real link between immediate post-conflict efforts on the one hand and long-term recovery and development efforts on the other. The Commission's work also requires it to be flexible in its working methods to ensure active participation of all stakeholders. This could include the use of videoconferencing and the holding of meetings outside of UN Headquarters. It is estimated that the Commission will take up 4 to 5 cases a year.

Who will be on the Commission and how often will they meet?

The Peacebuilding Commission will include an Organizational Committee and country-specific committees.

The Organizational Committee will be made up of 31 member countries: 7 from the Security Council, including the permanent members; 7 from the Economic and Social Council, giving particular consideration to countries with post-conflict recovery experience; 5 out of the top 10 financial contributors to the UN budget, including voluntary contributions to UN agencies and programmes, as well as the Peacebuilding Fund; 5 out of the top 10 providers of military personnel and civilian police to UN missions; and 7 members to be elected by the General Assembly to redress remaining geographical imbalances and will include countries with post-conflict experience. The Committee will meet at regular intervals, to be decided once it has been established.

But the real work of the Commission will be in its country-specific committees, where participation will be tailored to each case involving country representatives and all relevant contributors, such as regional organizations and international financial institutions. Their meetings will likely be held more regularly, in particular during the early stages of a country's post-conflict recovery.

How will the Commission enforce or ensure its recommendations?

The Commission is an intergovernmental advisory body, and because of the diversity and relevance of all those participating, which include the Security Council, top troop contributors and financial donors, and key institutional players, its power will come from the quality of its advice and the weight carried by its membership. While there is no specific enforcement mechanism, it will be looked to as the primary body for disseminating advice on rebuilding and reconstruction. Its diverse membership lends it the necessary legitimacy to carry out this work. All United Nations and other actors are encouraged to take action on the Commission's recommendations and advice.

How will the Commission decide which countries to address?

Requests for the Commission's advice can be made by the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council and the Secretary-General, as well as any Member State (about its own situation). However, Article 12 of the UN Charter applies-this means that the Assembly or the Economic or Social Council cannot take action on any situation the Security Council is dealing with. The Commission is likely to deal only with countries emerging from conflict, following the establishment of a peace accord and a cessation of violence. One of its goals is to ensure that international attention is paid to countries emerging from conflict, even if peacekeepers are no longer active.

A country can request advice directly from the Commission, but it cannot prevent the Security Council from asking for advice about its situation. In all cases, it remains up to the Organizational Committee to decide whether the Commission would take up the request. The Commission aims to work closely with national and transnational authorities involved, recognizing the importance of national ownership of the peacebuilding process.

What role can post-conflict countries, as well as regional and non-governmental organizations, play?

Many countries with turbulent pasts that have since emerged as stable societies and with experience of post-conflict recovery have an important role to play in the Commission, which aims to have these countries included as members at all times, as their knowledge and lessons learned will be of great benefit to the Commission.

All regional actors and institutions that have a hand in reconstruction will be invited to participate in Commission sessions, particularly in country-specific meetings. The Commission is also encouraged to consult with civil society, non-governmental organizations, including women's groups, and the private sector engaged in peacebuilding activities, as appropriate.

Why are troop-contributing countries on the Commission?

The countries contributing significant numbers of troops to UN peacekeeping operations have seen from the ground the challenges to building a sustainable peace and have become intimately familiar with the post-conflict countries in which they serve. They know first-hand the work that remains to be done to ensure stability and security, which are requirements for successful development, reconstruction and democracy and full enjoyment of human rights. Countries where peacekeeping missions have been deployed are likely candidates for support from the Commission.

Where could the Commission have made a difference with regard to peacebuilding, peacekeeping and nation-building?

The Commission deals with post-conflict peacebuilding, which is all that is needed to help a country move from war to peace. Peacekeeping is a type of operation organized around a military deployment; and a peacekeeping operation can be a central part of a peacebuilding effort. Nation-building means different things to different people and is not a term used by the United Nations. It normally refers to a longer historical process, which includes the building up of a national identity.

There is an oft-quoted saying that half the countries that sign peace agreements after major conflicts fall back into conflict within five years. The Commission should help ensure that countries are strengthened and supported sufficiently to endure the very difficult post-conflict years when the economy, the rule of law and institutions of governance can be extremely weak. For example, the United Nations is undertaking its fifth peace intervention in Haiti, where peace and security have deteriorated after international support has been withdrawn too early in the past. Cambodia, following the 1992-1993 peacekeeping operation, took a very long time to reach stability, and despite large peacekeeping missions in Liberia and Somalia in the 1990s, both countries collapsed in their wake as international attention turned elsewhere.

What UN body does the Commission report to?

The Peacebuilding Commission is an advisory subsidiary organ of the General Assembly and the Security Council-the first of its kind-but the Assembly will have overall responsibility to review its work through debating its annual report. It will have an important role in giving advice to the Security Council on the planning and commencement of peacebuilding activities and will work with the Economic and Social Council to ensure that the international community and donors maintain interest in a post-conflict country even after it has dropped from the headlines. Its advice is public and will be available to Member States and all relevant bodies and actors, including international financial institutions.