NEW YORK, May 20 (UPI) -- The U.N. Peacebuilding Commission could play an important role in the organization's peace efforts, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said Tuesday.
The sophomore program "could ultimately play an important role in the U.N. peace-building by helping to marshal the necessary resources (quickly) and subsequently ensure that peace-building is sustainable," Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said when discussing post-conflict reconciliation efforts in New York.
He said peace-building can be successful if personnel can reach people soon after a conflict ends.
"If we can find better ways of improving people's lives in the 'golden hour' after a conflict ends or as territory begins to be stabilized in a conflict, we can dramatically improve the efficiency and success of later stabilization and reconstruction efforts," Khalilzad said.
He said a report indicated three "gaps" hamper the commission's ability for stabilization and building sustainable peace: strong leadership on the ground, an inability to rapidly deploy skilled civilians quickly and the need for flexible funding rapidly.
"We must resolve to develop the kind of peace-building capacities that are required to fulfill our mandate to advance international peace and security and to improve the prospects for success in post-conflict situations," Khalilzad said.
