Taskforce on Women, Peace and Security

Peacebuilding Commission

The creation of a Peacebuilding Commission was proposed by Secretary-General Kofi Annan in his report "In larger freedom: towards development, security and human rights for all" (A/59/2005) of 21 March 2005.

At the 2005 World Summit held at United Nations Headquarters in New York from 14 to 16 September, world leaders agreed to his proposal and decided to establish a Peacebuilding Commission as an intergovernmental advisory body to help countries recovering from conflict make the transition from war to lasting peace. The main purpose of the Peacebuilding Commission is to bring together all relevant actors to marshal resources and to advise on and propose integrated strategies for post-conflict peacebuilding and recovery.

The Commission will be assisted by a standing Organizational Committee and a peacebuilding support office. The Secretary-General has also been requested to establish a multi-year standing Peacebuilding Fund for post-conflict peacebuilding. The members of the Peacebuilding Commission will work in close collaboration with the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, top providers of assessed contributions to UN budgets and top providers of military personnel and civilian police to United Nations missions, as well as International Financial Institutions. The exact structure and make-up is still to be finalized. The Peacebuilding Commission should begin its work no later than 31 December 2005. An annual report is to be submitted to the General Assembly.

In response to the establishment of the Commission, women Foreign Ministers of 14 countries wrote a letter to the Secretary-General and the President of the General Assembly emphasizing that a gender perspective must be integrated in the design and work of the Peacebuilding Commission.

More information is available in the Outcome Document of the 2005 World Summit and on the pages of Women in the peacebuilding process: Informal interactive debate of the Third Committee.