Statement by H.E. Ambassador Kimihiro ISHIKANE, Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations, Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) Ambassadorial Level Meeting on Institution-Building

2021/5/17
Mr. Chair,
 
Thank you for your leadership in organizing today’s meeting on the important topic of institution-building that Japan had underscored throughout last year’s Peacebuilding Architecture review. Let me also thank UNDP Administrator Mr. Achim Steiner, President of the High Authority for the Consolidation of Peace in Niger, Brigadier General Mahamadou Abou Tarka, Presidential Counsellor for Stabilization and Consolidation of Colombia, Mr. Emilio Archila, and Chief Executive Officer of India-based NGO Pratham, Dr. Rukmini Banerji for their informative briefings.
 
A society can be peaceful when the people have trust in their government and in each other. By building effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at the national, local and community levels, States can fulfill the needs of their people, ensure human security, address the root causes of grievances and foster trust in society. The empowerment and participation of women, youth, and vulnerable groups are crucial elements in this regard. Institutions that respond to wide-ranging needs of the people on the ground, from security and justice to basic service delivery, must be nationally and locally owned. They cannot be imposed from outside. Regional and international partners are there only to support.  
 
Today I would like to share two examples of Japan's support to locally owned institution-building efforts.
 
First, the “School for All” initiative, introduced by Dr. Banerji. The word “All” refers to the active engagement of everyone in a community—not only school administrators and teachers, but also parents, students, and other community members, who all engage in active dialogue and decision making processes to build, manage, and improve a school system together. Beyond the main objective of educating children and youth, this approach promotes mutual trust and a culture of peace in the community, and contributes to strengthening resilience to destabilizing influence from outside such as violent extremism. Having started in Niger in 2004, the School for All initiative has built or improved 53,000 schools in eight African countries in partnership with the World Bank, Pratham, J-PAL, and more.
 
Second example of Japan’s support to institution-building is in the criminal justice sector. Targeting seven francophone countries in West Africa and the Sahel, since 2013 Japan has organized training courses for police, prosecutors and judges to enhance their expertise on fair, efficient, and speedy criminal justice processes. The courses are designed to address prevalent problems in their countries such as unfair treatment, lack of accountability and impunity, thereby building more credible criminal justice institutions.
 
Let me conclude by making two proposals for our next steps.
 
First, we should continue to hold regular discussions on the topic of institution-building to promote mutual learning. I hear voices emphasizing the benefit of cross-regional exchanges of experience. Therefore, I propose to hold another meeting on institution-building later this year to share cases in the Asia-Pacific region, which we could not cover today.
 
Second, we should continue our efforts to strengthen partnerships. Today, we greatly benefitted from hearing the perspectives of UNDP, which is leading the United Nations’ efforts in the area of peacebuilding. We should hear more such perspectives from strategic partners including key United Nations agencies, funds and programmes, and the World Bank by inviting them to future meetings on institution-building.
 
I thank you.