New York, 13 March 2018. This morning the Italian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Sebastiano Cardi participated in the informal meeting of the Peacebuilding Commission in its Country-specific configuration on Liberia. It was the first time Italy participated in a Country-specific configuration meeting of the Peacebuilding Commission since the start of its 2018 mandate as a member of this body. The meeting, chaired by Sweden, was attended by the Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed and the UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner.
“The case of Liberia confirms that the implementation of the peacebuilding and sustaining peace is a high priority issue”, affirmed Ambassador Cardi encouraging to further the reflection based on the Report on peacebuilding and sustaining peace presented by the Secretary-General last week.
“Coordination, coherence and national ownership must be the cornerstones of our action” he stated with reference to the need for an increasingly integrated action of the United Nations, along the lines identified by the Secretary-General in his reform of the peace and security and the development pillars, and for a strengthened coordination among international stakeholders which the Peacebuilding Commission can greatly contribute to.
Ambassador Cardi confirmed the support for Liberia and the role of the Peacebuilding Commission in accompanying its nationally owned process of stabilization. He underscored that also in this case “ the nexus between peace, security, socioeconomic development and human rights and the urgent need to put peoples’ rights and needs at the center”, in line with the 2030 Agenda, “must guide the United Nations’ action”.
