UNITED NATIONS, April 24 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday called for coherence of international efforts in support of national governments and their people in building and sustaining peace.
"The scale and nature of the challenge we face calls for closer strategic and operational partnerships between all key stakeholders, based on what are the national priorities and the national policies," he told a high-level event of the General Assembly on peacebuilding and sustaining peace.
These key stakeholders include governments, the United Nations, other international, regional and sub-regional organizations, international financial institutions, civil society, women's groups, youth organizations and the private sector, said Guterres.
Sustaining peace will only be realized through committed, inclusive national ownership that considers the needs of the most marginalized, including women, young people, minorities and people with disabilities, he said.
Above all, sustainable and inclusive development, deeply rooted in respect for all human rights -- economic, social, cultural, civil and political -- is the world's best preventive tool against violent conflict and instability, he said. "Sustainable development is an end in itself. But it also makes a critical contribution to preventing conflict."
Investing in sustained peace means investing in basic services, bringing humanitarian and development agencies together, building effective and accountable institutions, protecting human rights, promoting social cohesion and diversity and moving to sustainable energy, he said.
Quality education and decent jobs and training for young people are fundamental, he added.
"We need a holistic approach which prioritizes prevention and addresses the root causes of conflict by integrating peace, sustainable development and human rights."
Guterres pledged UN support for member states in this regard. "I am determined to prepare the United Nations for the world of tomorrow."
But he said financing is an essential aspect in peacebuilding. "If no progress is made in financing peacebuilding activities, the efforts we have already made to save lives, stabilize the situation in countries in crisis, alleviate suffering and protect vulnerable people run the risk of being futile."
Over the last decade, the international community has allocated 233 billion U.S. dollars on humanitarian response, peacekeeping and refugee reception, he said. "We need to invest much more in prevention because it is efficient and economical, and most importantly, saves lives."
The Peacebuilding Fund has shown its ability to support national partners, to support the transition to peace and stability, to enhance coherence by distributing resources through more than 25 UN agencies, governments and other partners, and to align its objectives with those of the international financial institutions and other actors with a remarkable multiplier effect, he said.
The fund can intervene rapidly to an emerging crisis. It plays a catalytic role and can mobilize funds from other donors. It funds projects in which no one else is willing to invest, and promotes diversity and inclusion as many of its programs support women and youth, said the UN chief.
He asked again to increase the fund to half a billion dollars a year.
Guterres said the world is going backward in some fundamental ways despite the many benefits of globalization.
More countries are experiencing violent conflict than at any time in nearly three decades. Record numbers of civilians are being killed or injured by explosive weapons in urban areas. Record numbers of people are on the move, displaced by violence, war and persecution. There are horrific violations of human rights, and rising nationalism, racism and xenophobia, he said.
Inequalities are increasing -- whole regions, countries and communities can find themselves isolated from progress and left behind by growth. Women and girls face discrimination of all kinds, he added.
"These are all indications that we need greater unity and courage to ease the fears of the people we serve, to set the world on track to a better future, and to lay the foundations of sustainable peace and development."
