Proposed strategic framework for 2016-2017 – Part two: biennial programme plan – Program 2 Political Affairs (excerpts)

Proposed strategic framework for the period 2016-2017

Part two: biennial programme plan

Programme 2 Political affairs

* Reissued for technical reasons on 3 April 2014.

** A/69/50.

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Overall orientation

2.1 The overall objective of programme 2 is to maintain international peace and security by assisting Member States, at their request, and other international and regional organizations to resolve potentially violent disputes or conflict peacefully, in accordance with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and the resolutions emanating from the General Assembly and the Security Council. This objective is achieved by preventing violent conflicts from arising through preventive diplomacy and peacemaking, through expansion of the Organization's range of partnerships with other international, regional and subregional organizations. The direction of the programme is provided in the pertinent resolutions of the Assembly and the mandates of the Council, which has the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. Within the Secretariat, substantive responsibility for the programme is vested in the Department of Political Affairs.

2.2 The strategy is designed around 10 subprogrammes. The activities to be implemented relate to early warning; preventive diplomacy; peacemaking and post-conflict peacebuilding; electoral assistance; partnership with regional organizations including through the United Nations Office to the African Union and other special political missions; implementation of the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy; the provision of substantive support to policymaking organs, such as the Security Council and its subsidiary bodies, the Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, and the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People; and the role of the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process.

2.3 The Department of Political Affairs will continue to strive to reinforce the capacity of Member States, the international community and regional organizations for preventive diplomacy, good offices and non-military measures to prevent potentially violent disputes from escalating into conflicts, as well as to resolve violent conflicts that have erupted, while fully respecting the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of Member States and the principle of non-intervention in matters that are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of any State, as well as respecting the principle of consent, which is an essential element for the success of such efforts. The Department will also endeavour to enhance its capacity with regard to the political aspects of peacebuilding, as approved by the relevant intergovernmental bodies.

2.4 Special attention will also be given to further incorporating a gender perspective across all dimensions of the programme, in accordance with relevant resolutions of the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council and the General Assembly.

2.5 The Peacebuilding Support Office will continue to support the work of the Peacebuilding Commission, manage the Peacebuilding Fund and foster collaboration among United Nations system entities to promote the coherence of peacebuilding efforts. The Office will support the work of the Commission by preparing analytical background documents and briefing notes to facilitate and guide its engagement and its interaction with the United Nations system and other stakeholders. The Office will also promote collaboration among United Nations system entities to ensure enhanced support for the work of the Peacebuilding

2.6 The United Nations Register of Damage Caused by the Construction of the Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory was established by the General Assembly to serve as a record, in documentary form, of the damage caused to natural and legal persons by the construction of the Wall by Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including in and around East Jerusalem. The Register of Damage is a subsidiary organ of the General Assembly under the administrative authority of the Secretary-General.

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Subprogramme 5 Question of Palestine

Objective of the Organization: To enable the Palestinian people to exercise their inalienable rights through a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the question of Palestine

Expected accomplishments of the Secretariat Indicators of achievement

Strategy

2.13 Substantive responsibility for implementing subprogramme 5 is vested in the Division for Palestinian Rights. The Division provides substantive and secretariat support to the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, established by the General Assembly, in its deliberations and the implementation of its annual programmes of work, which focus on promoting anegotiated comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the question of Palestine in all its aspects in accordance with international legitimacy, including the full and effective implementation of the Israeli-Palestinian agreements. Assistance will also be provided to the Committee in mobilizing international support and assistance for the Palestinian people, including capacity-building, such as an annual training programme for staff of the Government of Palestine. Under the auspices of the Committee, thematic international meetings and conferences will be convened to increase awareness of the various aspects of the question of Palestine and to promote dialogue among the parties concerned, including Governments, intergovernmental organizations, entities of the United Nations system and civil society organizations, and concerted action in support of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. In addition, and for the same purposes, under the guidance of the Committee, informational materials and resources on the question of Palestine will be developed and updated, including publications, the United Nations website and the United Nations Information System on the Question of Palestine.

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Subprogramme 7

Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process

Objective of the Organization: To advance the Middle East peace process towards a comprehensive, just and lasting peace

Expected accomplishments of the Secretariat Indicators of achievement

Strategy

2.15 The Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process will continue to provide good offices and other forms of diplomatic engagement in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Israel and the region to promote conflict resolution and prevention, taking into account gender perspectives. The Office will act as a focal point for the United Nations to encourage the parties and the international community to make progress towards a two-State solution. The Office will expand its range of interlocutors, including in the region, to include stakeholders able to provide further insight into potential resolutions of the legitimate concerns of the parties.

2.16 The Office will enhance the roles of the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, and continue to support integration of the work of the United Nations agencies in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. It will further guide the international community and United Nations agencies in the coordination, mobilization, management and allocation of development and humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people. This response should increasingly focus on the development and reform of Palestinian institutions to ensure that they can provide direct, equitable and sustainable assistance to the Palestinian people. Such a focus requires increased coordination within the international community and tools for greater alignment with Palestinian priorities and systems.

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