Statement by H.E. Ambassador SHINO Mitsuko, Deputy Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations, at the PBC Ambassadorial-level meeting 2025 Review of the Peacebuilding Architecture: The Gambia’s experience in peacebuilding and sustaining peace
2024/6/21

(as delivered)
I thank the Chair for convening this meeting. I also thank Minister Mamadou Tangara and Minister Cho Tae-yul for sharing their stories with historical success, and the valuable, inspiring insights. I also thank ASG Spehar, summarizing the lessons learned from this successful model towards the UN Peacebuilding Architecture (PBA) review.
As we heard from Minister Tangara, Six years ago, at the Peacebuilding Commission(PBC), The Gambia expressed its determination to improve the quality of life of its people, showing its ownership. Since then, it has achieved its goal, while successfully preventing escalation of the situation, and preserving peacebuilding gains. We welcome the united support by regional partners including the AU and ECOWAS. Japan has also supported the country, through projects together with IOM and ILO to enhance capacities of the Gambian authorities and promote youth employment.
Japan welcomes today’s meeting to learn how the PBA has supported The Gambia as a strong advocator for greater utilization and strengthening of the PBC and the broader PBA. I would like to highlight two points from today’s discussion.
First, the PBC can be utilized to discuss how to mobilize and coordinate coherent international support, in transition and other settings. After the Security Council meeting on The Gambia in 2016, the PBC convened not only its members but also other countries and groups, as well as the World Bank, and African Development Bank, to share and raise awareness, and discuss tangible plans to support the nation. I reiterate that any Member State can request a PBC meeting to utilize this convening power.
Second, the Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) should continue delivering its swift, flexible, and multi-agency support, in synergy with the PBC meetings. We commend the PBF’s support to The Gambia in transitional justice and participation of women and youth, in cooperation with UNDP, OHCHR, UNICEF, UNFPA, and more.
We hope more of those sorts of effective projects will be presented in PBC meetings.
Mr. Chair,
One of the takeaways from the Asia-Pacific regional consultation organized by the Republic of Korea last month was the growing recognition of the need to enhance the relationship between the PBC and the Security Council. During its current term as an elected member of the Security Council, Japan has organized two Open Debates and one Arria Formula meeting on promoting nationally-led efforts in conflict prevention, addressing emerging threats and risk multipliers including through institution building, and realizing comprehensive approaches to achieve sustaining peace. As an informal coordinator between the PBC and the Security Council this year, Japan will continue our efforts to enhance collaboration between the two bodies.
Under the Minister Cho’s leadership as the PBC chair in 2017, the PBC made efforts to strengthen the partnership between the UN and World Bank in fragile and conflict affected situations. The PBC can serve as a platform to deepen the understanding of the work of International Financial Institutions (IFIs) and seeks the best ways to collaborate to bring about greater impact on subject countries and their peoples. I hope to see more engagements of the IFIs with the PBC.
Japan hereby reaffirms its commitment to PBAR, to promote conflict prevention, peacebuilding and sustaining peace.