In 1992, Boutros Boutros-Ghali argued that, in the case of an inter-state war, post-conflict peace-building should be operationalised in the form of concrete cooperative projects linking countries through mutually beneficial activities which contribute not only to economic and social development but also enhance confidence vis-à-vis each other: "I have in mind, for example, projects that bring States together to develop agriculture, improve transportation or utilize resources such as water or electricity that they need to share or joint programmes through which barriers between nations are brought down by means of freer travel, cultural exchange and mutually beneficial youth and educational projects. Reducing hostile perceptions through educational exchanges and curriculum reform may be essential to fore-stall a re-emergence of cultural and national tensions which could spark renewed hostilities" (Boutros Boutros-Ghali, op.cit., An Agenda for Peace, UN Doc. A/47/277 - S/24111, 17 June 1992, para.56).

All of these measures are necessary in order to prevent a recurrence of a crisis or a conflict. The concrete project examples mentioned by the Secretary-General clearly indicated that a full engagement and attention of all components of the United Nations system are a conditio sine qua non in order to implement the concept of post-conflict peace-building in a successful way. Besides the Security Council, other principal organs such as the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) must take over responsibility as well as the UN funds and programmes such as UNICEF, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Food Programme (WFP), and the UN Specialized Agencies such as UNESCO, the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO) and - last not least - the Bretton Woods institutions such as the World Bank and its affiliates.

Kofi Annan, continued to operationalize the concept of post-conflict peace-building. In his report on "Renewing the United Nations: A Programme for Reform" of 14 July, 1997, he informed the member states that he has designated the Department of Political Affairs to serve as the UN focal point for post-conflict peace-building - "that is, the mechanism for ensuring that United Nations efforts in countries that are emerging from crises are fully integrated and faithfully reflect the mission objectives specified by the Security Council and the Secretary-General." (Kofi Annan, Renewing the United Nations: A Programme for Reform, UN Doc. A/51/950, 14 July 1997, para.66).

In the same report, Kofi Annan referred to the UN Charter which provides that the UN should draw in its work on a decentralized system of Specialized Agencies. He stated that, according to the Charter, the authority of the UN over their policies and activities is limited to making recommendations for their coordination and postulated that, "if the objectives of the UN are to be fully realized, a much greater degree of concerted will and coordinated action is required among the system as a whole" (Kofi Annan, op.cit., para.86).

On 20 December 2005, the Security Council and the General Assembly adopted similar concurrent resolutions establishing a new UN Peace-building Commission. This committee will marshal resources at the disposal of the international community to advise and propose integrated strategies for post-conflict recovery, and will promote coordination among all actors involved in assisting the recovery of a country both from within and outside the UN system (Resolution 1645 (2005) adopted by the Security Council at its 5 335 meeting on 20 December 2005; Resolution adopted by the General Assembly: 60/180. The Peacebuilding Commission - 66th plenary meeting, 20 December 2005).  With the introduction of such an organization, Kofi Annan and others stated that an institutional gap had been bridged. It is hoped that the newly founded Commission will improve coordination within the UN system, develop best practices and ensure predictable funding. Of course, there is no doubt that the establishment of the Commission fullfils a key outcome of the 2005 World Summit which committed the UN Member States to creating it by the end of 2005.

But it should be kept in mind that the "institutional gap" cannot substitute the functional gap which is related to the multi-dimensional concept of peace-building and its problems of operationalization. So far, no provisions on peace-keeping operations can be found in the UN Charter. After the failures of intra- and inter-administrative mechanisms within the UN Secretariat and through the UN System's Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB) as reflected in the mixed results of post-conflict peace-building over the last 15 years, an intergovernmental body assisted by the proposed small Peace-building Support Office (with staffing being funded from existing, already tight resources from the Secretariat) signals a new, but modest start. It is the beginning of another attempt to implement the complex concept of peace-building by bringing all relevant actors on board, including the Bretton Woods institutions (World Bank and International Monetary Fund).

In the past, the major weakness has been the lack of financial resources. A standing Peace-building Fund will be established and funded through voluntary contributions. However, the amount of 250 Mio. US dollars as mentioned in the recommendations of the High-level Panel can only serve as a kind of "seed money" in order to address critical funding gaps during the early stages of the recovery process. And it should also be kept in mind that Kofi Annan's proposal of selecting members from the major donors to the standing Peace-building Fund "got lost" during the negotiations.

The fact that the international financial institutions are several times explicitly mentioned in the resolution indicates the necessity to include them as important partners in the peace-building process. To what extent they actually are willing to get involved in concrete peace-building operations within those negotiations remains, however, an open question. This is also the case of other Specialized Agencies as well as Special Funds and Programmes which have to consult their own autonomous decision-making bodies.

Given the commitments of the Member States it can only be hoped that the newly established Peace-building Commission will function efficiently and in an effective way. In other words, the founding of the Commission was a necessary step in the right direction, but it is not a sufficient one. Because without the willingness of the UN Member States to agree upon some major revisions of the Charter which would also bring the "UN family" more closely together under one roof (= "system-wide coherence") post-conflict peace-building  measures will, unfortunately, remain half-hearted, completely under-financed and thus unsuccessful.

Mr. Klaus Hufner is a former University Professor (Freie Universität Berlin), an Honorary President of WFUNA, a Member of the Executive Committee of the German Commission for UNESCO, a Senior Research Fellow of the Global Policy Forum, and Chairman of the Advisory Board of UNESCO-CEPES. For more, click here>>