Statement by H.E. Ambassador YAMAZAKI Kazuyuki, Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations, at the Peacebuilding Commission Ambassadorial-level meeting with the 8th Advisory Group of the PBF
2025/1/15

(As delivered)
Thank you, Mr. Chair, for convening this meeting as an opportunity to discuss with the Eighth PBF Advisory Group.
This meeting is timely ahead of 2025 Peacebuilding Architecture Review (PBAR), to explore how the PBF can support sustaining peace.
I am pleased to announce that Japan has decided to apportion an additional 3.86 million USD to PBF, on top of the more than 67 million USD Japan has contributed since the PBF’s establishment in 2006. One of the reasons why we continue voluntary funding is because we recognize PBF’s unique agility, flexibility and catalytic characters to involve various entities. These are crucial to comprehensive and timely support to address context-specific root causes and to establish resilience.
Taking this opportunity, allow me make three suggestions on how the PBF and the PBC can work collaboratively to create synergy and enhance the impact of their efforts, while respecting national ownership. These suggestions are in line with the latest report of the Secretary-General on peace building and sustaining peace, submitted last year. In the regard, we appreciate the inclusion in the report of the input to be submitted.
First, creating a clear incentive for Member States to utilize both the PBC and the PBF. For example, when a country calls for a PBC meeting to present national peacebuilding and prevention priorities, strategies, challenges and necessary support ahead of its application to the PBF, its application should be favorably considered during the selection process for PBF projects.
Such a system will encourage national ownership, embody the country’s political will and initiative, and provide for concrete follow-up to PBC meetings. From donors’ perspective, a clear list of the country’s plans and needed support should be useful to elaborate consideration of funding.
Second, building an institutional knowledge hub where all related entities can easily access both recommendations raised at the PBC meetings and lessons-learned from PBF projects as part of the whole PBA. It can be an online database or a one-touch webpage dedicated to topics either thematic like prevention, or country specific, possibly within the Impact Hub. Such knowledge can be utilized for developing further PBF projects worldwide, as well as in drafting PBC advice requested by the Security Council and other UN entities.
Third, promoting collaboration with International Financial Institutions (IFIs). I believe this is possible both through aligning the vision of the UN and the IFIs at a PBC meeting, as well as through project-based collaboration on the ground including with the PBF. The aligned vision and complemental strategy will serve as the foundation for developing collaborative projects. By leveraging the PBC’s bridging role and the PBF’s catalytic role, we can promote complementarity with IFIs to enhance collective contributions to preventing conflicts and sustaining peacebuilding in fragile settings.
Japan has submitted recommendations for the PBAR, in the form of a summary of the informal consultations we organized, on strengthening the relationship between the Security Council and the PBC. As we move toward the PBAR this year, any action-oriented requests and recommendations are welcome, including by the Advisory Group, to maximize the effect of the PBF and achieve better coherence between the PBF and the PBC. Japan remains committed to contributing to update the mandates and structure of PBA.
I thank you.