Check against delivery

Mr President, Excellencies, 

I am delivering this statement on behalf of the European Union and its Member States

The Candidate Countries North Macedonia^*, Montenegro^*, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina^* and Georgia, as well as Armenia and San Marino align themselves with this statement.

We would like to thank Guyana for organizing this open debate on one of the most pressing challenges of our time – the intricate nexus between poverty and insecurity. 

The EU recognizes the complex and mutually reinforcing relationship between poverty, underdevelopment, and conflict. Poverty can lead to instability. In its many forms, poverty is more than a lack of income; it is a lack of opportunities, choices and a voice. Root causes of violence often lie in structural exclusion, weak institutions, and limited access to livelihoods. Security and development are two sides of the same coin.

Having recognized this link, we need to take an integrated approach to peace and development across the peace continuum – from prevention to post-conflict recovery and sustaining peace. 

To effectively tackle this poverty-insecurity nexus, the EU and its Member States have taken comprehensive and coordinated approaches, focusing on sustainable development as a means to build lasting peace and security. 

As champions of multilateralism, we are strongly committed to Agenda 2030 and its Sustainable Development Goals. We look forward to the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development to collectively define the way forward to bridge the gap towards achieving the SDGs by mobilizing all sources and actors. The EU and its Member States we are the largest Official Development Assistance (ODA) donor worldwide, providing 42% of global ODA in 2022 and 2023, or well over €90 billion a year. 

Conflict sensitivity is a key principle guiding EU engagement. 

One concrete example of where we need to take a comprehensive peace-development-humanitarian nexus approach is Haiti. At the government’s request, the EU together with the UN, the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank jointly conducted a Rapid Crisis Impact Assessment. This comprehensive approach forms the basis of our action which requires security measures as much as it requires development cooperation. 

The Security Council needs to integrate a peacebuilding perspective into the planning and financing of peace operations, and peacebuilding should be better embedded in UNSC mandates and considered for mandate renewals – particularly in transition contexts, in line with UNSC Resolution 2594 unanimously adopted in 2021. It is essential to ensure continuity between peacekeeping and peacebuilding through efforts to integrate and align the two dimensions in support of peace. 

In order to strengthen the peacebuilding perspective of the Security Council, more regular interactions and collaborations between the PBC and the UNSC are needed. This includes better coordination between the presidencies of the two bodies to improve alignment between their respective sessions to ensure the relevance of the PBC advice and stronger attention to peacebuilding in peace operations. 

We have seen successful cases of the PBC playing a role in countries after a peace operation has left or while it is still ongoing. Countries like Liberia, Sierra Leone and Colombia have all benefited from the political attention in the PBC and financing from the Peacebuilding Fund in their efforts to build and sustain peace. Building peace will require creating livelihoods, building accountable institutions, protecting human rights and ensuring that no one is left behind, all in line with the goals of the 2030 Agenda. 

In closing, Mr President, let me assure you of the European Union’s continued commitment to work for development and peace with national, regional and global partners. 

Thank you 

* North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.