Strengthening South Africa's peacebuilding efforts at the UN
South Africa is poised to play a leading role in ensuring more equitable and efficient UN peacebuilding processes.
Published on 18 September 2014 in
ISS Today
By
There are high expectations for South Africa at the United Nations (UN), and the country now has a number of opportunities to strengthen its peacebuilding engagements with the organisation, as shown in a recently launched research paper by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS).
In particular, South Africa should use the review of the UN peacebuilding architecture (PBA) in 2015 to play a leading role in ensuring more equitable and efficient UN peacebuilding processes. South Africa has often cited the need for reform of the UN Security Council (UNSC) in terms of representation in decision-making. However, as such reforms are unlikely to happen in the near future, South Africa is better positioned to place its emphasis on reform of the PBA.
Within the UN, South Africa is mostly known for its non-permanent membership on the UNSC and its leading mediation and peacekeeping roles in particular conflicts, such as in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Although not as well known, South Africa has also supported peacebuilding at the UN, and in particular the UN’s PBA. The UN PBA is made up of three organs: the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC), the Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO) and the Peacebuilding Fund (PBF).
ISS research in New York has shown that South Africa is valued as an important partner  |
The PBC is an intergovernmental body that functions through an organisational committee, country-specific configurations (Sierra Leone, Burundi, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia and the Central African Republic) and the Working Group on Lessons Learned. Its activities are supported by the PBSO.
South Africa has participated in all of the Peacebuilding Commission’s country-specific configurations, has served as a co-facilitator of the peacebuilding review in 2010 and, most recently, was elected to the commission’s organisational committee by the UN General Assembly in 2013 for a period of two years.
While this looks good on paper, the PBC has been criticised as being ineffective since its inception. The organisation has suffered from a number of operational issues, which have limited its impact and stymied South Africa’s previous efforts. In 2010 South Africa, Ireland and Mexico facilitated a review of the PBC as an attempt to improve operational aspects of the commission, but there has been limited follow-up of these recommendations.
The 2015 review of the PBA now provides an excellent opportunity for South Africa to provide substantial input into the functioning of the PBC, and to ensure that provisions are made for recommendations to be implemented. The review is led by the member states on the PBC and is expected to provide a platform for discussion on new ways to enhance the effectiveness of the PBA. While the scope of the review remains uncertain, conversations are underway to begin to delineate these issues.
In addition to providing input, South Africa can ensure that African positions on peacebuilding are adequately represented in the debate. South Africa considers itself to be a strong proponent of an African agenda, and within the UN it has already championed an African perspective; for example in supporting UNSC resolution 2033, which outlines principles for strengthening cooperation between the African Union (AU) and the UN.
 South Africa can play the role of broker for African states struggling to widen their sphere of influence |
Yet it can do more to represent not only South African views, but also those of smaller African states that struggle to have their voices heard in UN circles, due to capacity or structural constraints. South Africa is head of the African caucus and is in a prime position to drive this process forward. As such, South Africa can play the role of broker or facilitator for African states struggling to widen their sphere of influence at the UN.
South Africa is not only poised to promote an African standpoint within UN peacebuilding circles, but also to actively contribute to peacebuilding discussions as an important partner that has been directly involved in, and carried out, relevant activities in the past. ISS research in New York has shown that South Africa is valued as an important partner that can assist UN peacebuilding efforts. South Africa has gone through its own transition and is therefore perceived to have experiences that can be shared with other countries.
In addition, South Africa has already been engaged in peacebuilding activities throughout the African continent on a bilateral and trilateral basis, and is involved innovative South-South cooperation activities under the remit of the India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) fund.
Observers have praised the IBSA fund for its significant impact and for taking on unique and riskier projects that often avoided by traditional donors, such as a feeding scheme in South Sudan prisons. Such projects can be used as models to complement traditional peacebuilding activities and South Africa can draw on these experiences to provide different viewpoints on peacebuilding at the UN.
South Africa can and should widen its sphere of influence at the UN, but will have to consider a number of questions. For instance, how can it strategically ensure that its views are represented and implemented, both within the PBA and also more generally across the UN? How can it facilitate and ensure that the views of smaller African states are heard in the review? How can it bring in its own peacebuilding experiences (both internal and external) in a meaningful way, and are there models which can be used in the future?
Its numerous experiences can be imparted among stakeholders and institutions, and it already plays a vocal role in promoting African standpoints and in strengthening linkages between the UN and the AU. Given these advantages, if South Africa were to drive the next PBA review it would provide a way of meaningfully contributing to reform of the UN’s peacebuilding architecture. However, UN PBA reform will only occur if there is strong participation in the review process. Moreover, attention needs to be paid to the implementation of recommendations.
Amanda Lucey, Senior Researcher, Conflict Management and Peacebuilding Division, ISS Pretoria
