“People’s sense of safety and security is at an all-time low in almost every country, with six in seven people worldwide plagued by feelings of insecurity,” she stated.

She said that the world is facing the most violent conflicts since the Second World War. She also said that a quarter of the world’s population lives in war zones, which causes terrible suffering, makes poverty and food insecurity worse, and keeps millions from getting an education or medical care.

Fulfil “It is imposing severe constraints on people’s ability to fulfill their potential and contribute to society,” said the deputy UN chief.

Obstacles abound

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, conflict-affected countries were lagging on the UN development goals, with projections indicating that by 2030, more than 80 percent of the world’s extremely poor would live in fragile and conflict-affected countries.

“In other words, conflict and poverty are deeply intertwined.” “The pandemic has only aggravated this dire situation,” she pointed out.

In the meantime, the war in Ukraine has destroyed the lives of Ukrainians and worsened the world’s food, energy, and financial crises.

“As we approach the midway point of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, we see that our current progress is far off track,” she said.

Since the start of the pandemic, over 200 million more have fallen into poverty; an additional 820 million people are going hungry; the rights of women and girls are being further trampled on; the global financial system is failing developing countries; and economies are failing to serve their citizens.

These challenges “pose a threat to our peaceful coexistence,” she said.

Dangerous repercussions

“Lack of development drives grievances, corrodes institutions, and allows hostility to flourish,” she continued.

“The triple planetary crisis of biodiversity loss, climate change, and pollution doesn’t just threaten our environment.” “It also threatens to release destructive forces that tear our societies apart, weaken social cohesion, and spark instability,” Ms. Mohammed said, urging the Council to push for more sustainable development to keep peace now and in the future.

Women attend literacy courses at the local school in Umm al Khairat, East Darfur, Sudan—supporting inclusive, sustainable development.

Peace that lasts

Peace must be built on “a bedrock of inclusive, sustainable development.”

With prevention and peacebuilding at its core, she said that “the New Agenda for Peace will provide a unique opportunity to articulate a shared vision for how Member States can come together to address these challenges”.

It will identify national prevention and peacebuilding priorities and channel the international community’s support to nationally-owned violence reduction

Noting that “all Member States are exposed to risks,” she said, “all governments must be prepared to take measures that address grievances and prevent violence.”

She stressed the importance of inclusion, especially for the underrepresented, but also in every country’s social, economic, and political life, saying that it led to public support, more legitimacy, and stronger social resilience, all of which are risk factors that can lead to war.

“Human rights are pivotal in the New Agenda,”  said the deputy UN chief, adding that they are “not only right” but the wise thing to do.

Exclusion of women and the young

Meanwhile, women remain shut out of all levels of decision-making, and funding for their organizations declines—even as military spending grows.

To build and keep the peace, we need to “stop the erosion of women’s rights and ensure gender equality,” she said.

When she talked about young people, Ms. Mohammed reminded them of their role in promoting peace, security, and stability. She also pushed for regional and national frameworks that make it easy for young people to build peace.

She also pushed the Council to hold an annual debate on youth, peace, and security to connect with civil society groups led by young people and young people who work to build consensus.

The Peacebuilding Fund helps pay for activities in Haiti that try to stop political and election-related violence, especially against women.

Peacebuilding architecture

The senior UN official told the ambassadors that peacebuilding is essential and urged them to use the Peacebuilding Commission more effectively by putting “prevention and peacebuilding lenses” into its work.

Noting that peacebuilding investments would advance sustainable peace globally, Ms. Mohammed lauded the 2022 General Assembly resolution on Financing for peacebuilding as “essential” for constructing societal resilience.

And in spotlighting assessed contributions for the Peacebuilding Fund, she reminded that it remains “the UN’s leading instrument to invest in peacebuilding and prevention.”

“We cannot allow crises—of which there are many—to divert funding away from these core efforts,” she concluded.

Addressing multifaceted challenges

Muhammad Abdul Muhith, who is in charge of the Peacebuilding Commission, said that it was “imperative” for people, groups, and countries to be better able to deal with “challenges unique to our time.” He said this because more and more things make it hard to keep the peace.

He commended the UN’s Our Common Agenda report for echoing the need to “enhance support for national peacebuilding priorities and the importance of the full, equal, and meaningful participation of women and the inclusion of youth in peacebuilding processes.”

Mr. Muhith called for “adequate, predictable, and long-term funding for peacebuilding.”