As delivered Statement by H.E. Mr Peter Thomson, President of the 71st Session of the General Assembly, at Building Sustainable Peace for All: Synergies between the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Sustaining Peace 1 April 2017 Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen I would like to begin by thanking the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Egyptian […]
Statement by H.E. Peter Thomson, President of the 71st Session of the UN General Assembly, at the Annual high-level panel discussion on human rights mainstreaming: The contribution of human rights to peacebuilding through the enhancement of dialogue and international cooperation for the promotion of human rights 27 February 2017 Your Excellency, the President of the Human Rights […]
As delivered Closing Remarks of H.E. Peter Thomson, President of the 71st Session of the UN General Assembly, at High Level Dialogue on Building Sustainable Peace for All: Synergies between the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Sustaining Peace 25 January Honorable Ministers and High-level Dignitaries, Excellencies, Ladies & gentlemen I would like to thank […]
As delivered Statement by the Peter Thomson, President of the UN General Assembly, at Opening of High Level Dialogue on Building Sustainable Peace for All: Synergies between the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Sustaining Peace 24 January 2017 Honorable Ministers and High-level Dignitaries, Secretary-General, Excellencies, Ladies & Gentlemen Thank you everyone for attending […]
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the concept of Sustaining Peace, as outlined in Security Council resolution 2282 (2016) and General Assembly resolution 701262, are complementary and mutually reinforcing. Sustainable development underpins sustainable peace and more peaceful and inclusive societies create an environment conducive to sustainable development. Sustainable peace is both an enabler and an outcome of sustainable development.
Both the 2030 Agenda and Sustaining Peace seek to advance core principles of the UN Charter and have wide-ranging implications for how Member States, the UN system and other actors advance sustainable development, human rights and collective peace and security in today’s complex and interconnected world. Moreover, by recognizing that sustainable peace could only be achieved when all segments of society are empowered and included, Member States have ensured that Sustaining Peace is in line with the people-centered foundation of the 2030 Agenda.
In recognition of the fundamental interlinkages between the 2030 Agenda and Sustaining Peace, the President of the General Assembly will convene a high-level dialogue entitled “Building Sustainable Peace for All: Synergies between the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustaining Peace Agenda” on 24 January 2017 at UN Headquarters in New York, with the participation of the President of the Security Council, the President of the Economic and Social Council, and the Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission.
9 – 10AM
H.E. Mr Peter Thomson, President of the General Assembly
H.E. Mr António Guterres, UN Secretary-General
H.E. Ms Margot Elisabeth Wallström, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sweden and President of the Security Council
H.E. Mr Frederick Musiiwa Makamure Shava, President of the Economic and Social Council
Ms Julienne Lusenge, SOFEPADI/Fonds pour les femmes congolaises, NGO, Democratic Republic of Congo
H.E. Mr Miroslav Lajčák, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Slovakia
Video message from H.E. Mr Samura M. W. Kamara, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sierra Leone
H.E. Mr Agio Pereira, Minister of State and of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Timor Leste
H.E. Mr Rafael Pardo, High Counselor for Post-Conflict, Human Rights and Security, Colombia
Mr. Jesus Dureza, Presidential Adviser for the Peace Process of the Republic of the Philippines
Message from H.M. King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein of Jordan delivered by H.E. Dr. Sima Sami Bahous; Permanent Representative of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
H.E. Mr Valentin Rybakov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Belarus
H.E. Mr Yerzhan Ashikbayev, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Kakhstan
H.E. Mr Jean-Marie Le Guen, Minister of State for Development and Francophonie, France
H.E. Ms Pascale Baeriswyl, State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Switzerland
H.E. Ms Tone Sokgen, State Secretary, Norway
H.E. Ms Sujata Mehta, Secretary (West) Ministry of External Affairs, India
H.E. Mr Paul Teesalu,Acting Undersecretary for Political Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Estonia
MODERATOR
Ms Elizabeth Cousens, UN Foundation
PANELLISTS
H.E. Mr Macharia Kamau, Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission
Mr Ján Kubiš, Special Representative of the Secretary General for Iraq
Mr Peter Wallensteen, Professor of Peace and Conflict Research, Uppsala University and University of Notre Dame; Senior Research Fellow, the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation, Uppsala
Ms Joy Onyesoh, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), NGO, Nigeria
H.E. Mr Juan José Gómez Camacho, Permanent Representative of Mexico and Chair of the Group of Friends of Sustaining Peace
MODERATOR
Mr Graeme Simpson, Director of InterPeace USA
PANELLISTS
Ms Visaka Dharmadasa, Sri Lanka, Chair, Association of War Affected Women
Ms Hajer Sharief, Libya, Youth Advocate and member of the UN Advisory Group for the Progress Study on UNSCR 2250 on Youth, Peace and Security
Mr Henk-Jan Brinkman, Peace Building Support Office, UN Secretariat
Dr. Punam Yadav, Centre for Women, Peace and Security, London School of Economics
4.10 – 4.25PM: PANELISTS ADDRESS NEW QUESTIONS ON THE THEME, TO BE POSED BY THE MODERATOR (3 minutes each)
4.25 – 5:05PM: 2ND ROUND INTERACTIVE DISCUSSION WITH THE AUDIENCE
Chair’s remarks to close the workshop
MODERATOR
Mr Manish Bapna, World Resources Institute
PANELLIST
Ms Adriana Dinu, Executive Coordinator, UNDP Global Environmental Finance
DISCUSSION LEADERS FROM THE FLOOR
H.E. Mr Abdallah Wafy, Permanent Representative of Niger (Regreeening Africa initiative)
H.E. Mr Macharia Kamau, Permanent Representative of Kenya (tbc)
Discussion including contributions from Civil Society
DISCUSSION LEADERS FROM THE FLOOR
H.E. Mr Yerzhan Ashikbayev, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Kazakhstan (tbc)
Mr Ádám Zoltán Kovács, Deputy Secretary of State for International Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary
H.E. Ms. Ina H. Krisnamurthi, Deputy Permanent Representative of Indonesia
Discussion including contributions from Civil Society
DISCUSSION LEADERS FROM THE FLOOR
H.E. Ms Maria Helena Lopes de Jesus Pires, Permanent Representative of Timor Leste
H.E. Mr Charles Thembani Ntwaagae, Permanent Representative of Botswana
Ms Karla Basselier, Head of Public Affairs, Antwerp World Diamond Centre
Discussion including contributions from Civil Society
MODERATOR
Mr Youssef Mahmoud, International Peace Institute
Interactive discussion on key issues arising from the workshops
CHAIR
Ms Sarah Cliffe, Director, Center for International Cooperation, NYU
Mr Graeme Simpson, Director of InterPeace USA
Mr Manish Bapna, World Resources Institute
Mr Youssef Mahmoud, International Peace Institute
H.E. Mr Macharia Kamau, Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission
H.E. Mr Peter Thomson, President of the General Assembly
Hosted by the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea, incoming Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission (invitations to issue)
The overarching objective of the event is to discuss the mutually reinforcing linkages between Sustaining Peace and the 2030 Agenda, including at country level and ways in which to leverage them optimally in an integrated framework that can assist Member States, United Nations bodies and entities, civil society and other stakeholders to coordinate and enhance their efforts in implementing the SDGs and achieving sustainable peace.
The concrete objectives of the meeting are to:
This one-day meeting will consist of an opening segment, a segment with contributions from high-level speakers, an interactive discussion with experts in this area, a plenary debate, three afternoon workshops and a closing segment.
In order to focus in on areas of specific relevance to both sustaining peace and sustainable development, three workshops will be held in parallel from 3.00-5.15pm.
The Workshops will focus on the following themes:
Each workshop will be held as an interactive panel discussion, with three – five panelists of known leaders on these themes. They will be chaired by a prominent figure on issues relating to the theme, and a Q&A session will follow interventions from the panelists.
The three workshops are organized in partnership with the UN Peacebuilding Support Office, UN Women, the World Resources Institute and the International Peace Institute.
Member States will be invited to participate at the level they deem appropriate, taking into account the participants in the opening and the high-level segment. Ambassadors, observers, UN entities, civil society and other stakeholders are also invited with participation from those operating at country level encouraged.
The workshops will be open to Member States and accredited civil society representatives. There will be a moderated expert panel as well as an open discussion. UN entities working to advance to sustainable development and peace will also be joining the debate. Participants will have an opportunity to engage from the floor to share their experience or pose questions to the panelists.
UN Non-Governmental Liaison Service (UN-NGLS) is facilitating a process to identify two civil society speakers (one for the opening session and one for the panel discussion), and other civil society attendees wishing to be considered as observers for this event.
Application is closed
UN-NGLS facilitated a civil society Selection Committee for the evaluation and short-listing of candidates for the speaking roles, to be presented to OPGA for their consideration. The Committee ensured regional and gender balance, and diversity of age and expertise in the overall set of candidates. The President of the General Assembly made the final selection of the speakers for this event.
Application for the Civil Society Selection Committee is closed
21 December 2016 – Apply for civil society Selection Committee
27 December 2016 – Apply for civil society speaking roles
17 January 2017 – Apply to attend the event as an observer
All applications received to speak at the event, or attend as an observer can be viewed here
A summary of discussions in each Workshop will be presented by the workshop chairs in the plenary at 5.30PM. These summaries will feed into the overall summary of the High Level Dialogue as a whole and towards preparations for the High-Level meeting on “Peacebuilding and Sustaining Peace”, which will be convened during the 72nd session of the GA.
Updated programme and concept notes for workshops
Media Advisory Media Stakeout by H.E. Peter Thomson, President of the U.N. General Assembly, following the High-Level Segment of the Dialogue on “Building Sustainable Peace for All: Synergies between the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustaining Peace Agenda”, on 24 January 2017 UNITED NATIONS, New York, 23 January 2017 — Media are invited […]
Op-Ed Building Sustainable Peace for All by H.E. Peter Thomson, President of the UN General Assembly In the aftermath of World War II, with the colossal loss of life and destruction weighing upon them, fifty world leaders bound by a shared commitment to peace, came together in San Francisco and pledged themselves to a common […]
MEDIA ADVISORY High-level dialogue on “Building Sustainable Peace for All: Synergies between the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustaining Peace Agenda” UNITED NATIONS, New York, 19 January 2017 — The emergence of increasingly complex and intractable armed conflicts around the world, humanitarian crises arising from massive population displacement and the harmful impact of […]
