Calling for more diplomacy, dialogue and mediation to head off conflicts before they break out, United Nations officials urged a gathering of world leaders on Tuesday to help strengthen a new approach to sustaining peace, which aims to put prevention at the heart of the UN’s work.
It is expected to be the largest gathering of Heads of State and Government and Ministers at UN Headquarters since the General Debate in September 2017, and a “key legacy” event for Mr. Lajčák’s presidency, as his spokesman put it.
The meeting will be held in line with “twin” resolutions in 2016 of the General Assembly and the Security Council on the review of the United Nations peacebuilding architecture. These resolutions renew the UN’s commitment to conflict prevention as embodied in the UN Charter.
By Miroslav Lajčák
16 April 2018
When the United Nations was created, its founders envisioned a different kind of world.
A world in which disputes were resolved in meeting rooms and not battlefields. A world in which wars were stopped before they broke out. A world that didn’t wait for lives to be lost before springing into action.
8 Mar 2018 - The President of the General Assembly briefed the Peacebuilding Commission on the preparations for the High-level meeting on peacebuilding and sustaining peace scheduled for 24-25 April 2018.
The video of this informal meeting is available at UN Web TV
The imbalance between spending on conflict, and spending on peace, must be tackled head-on, Secretary-General António Guterres said Monday, urging the United Nations to rally all international actors “for our efforts across the peace continuum – from prevention, conflict resolution and peacekeeping to peacebuilding and sustainable long-term development.”
