UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 14 (UPI) -- The new U.N. Peacebuilding Commission expects to give $25 million each to Burundi and Sierra Leone in its first round of contributions.
During two days of country-specific meetings at U.N. World Headquarters in New York, the commission's members examined progress made so far by the two African countries in identifying gaps and priority areas for international support and in determining how best to marshal and distribute resources.
Meeting Wednesday on Sierra Leone, which is trying to recover from a decade-long civil war that only ended five years ago, the commission heard how vital it is that its work bring concrete results to help establish the kind of environment that generates confidence and encourages economic recovery.
The West African nation has identified tackling massive youth unemployment, offering support to justice and security sector reform and strengthening the democratic process as some of the priority areas where it can be helped by the Peacebuilding Commission.
The Commission agreed every effort should be made to deliver an initial contribution of $25 million by next month to Sierra Leone so it can begin tackling short-term priorities immediately.
Victor Angelo, the secretary-general's executive representative for Sierra Leone, said preparations for national elections next year were under way and the government was working with international partners to review its anti-corruption strategy. But he added youth unemployment and marginalization remained the biggest threat to stability.
