Egypt concluded its chairmanship of the 15th session of the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission, which lasted for a year amid international appreciation for the success of the Egyptian role to achieve peace.
Chaired by Osama Abdel Khalek, the Permanent Representative of Egypt to the UN, the commission issued an annual report of its activities.
Egypt was hailed for its success in leading the commission and implementing an ambitious agenda to meet the needs of countries and regions which have conflicts.
The country’s wisdom and professionalism were also praised, which contributed to the committee’s issuance of 66 decisions in 2021.
Member states also expressed their deep appreciation to Mohamed Idris, the former permanent representative of Egypt to the UN, for his valuable contribution in chairing the committee.
They also hailed Abdel Khalek for completing the presidency with the same seriousness.
Abdel Khalek reviewed the progress made in implementing the priorities of the commission, which were announced when Egypt assumed the presidency in February 2021.
He explained that the volume of work accomplished, according to what was stated in the commission’s report shows that Egypt achieved all the proposals that it put forth since 2021, which includes strengthening ties with the UN Economic and Social Council in order to maximise the contribution of the UN system in mobilising the necessary support and meeting the needs of conflict-affected countries in accordance with the principles of national leadership.
The statement also highlighted Egypt’s keenness to enhance ways to finance peacebuilding, which remains the biggest challenge facing the UN peacebuilding architecture.
Furthermore, Abdel Khalek called on member states to fulfil their obligations and seriously consider proposals for financing peacebuilding activities from the UN’s budget, especially since being satisfied with voluntary contributions undermines the ability of the organisation to maintain peace gains.
It is worth noting that Egypt was elected to be Vice President of the committee for 2022 after it was supported by fellow African states.
