Journalists press PBC leaders for evidence that peacebuilding prevents conflict; officials point to country cases and implementation benchmarks

Journalists at the opening Peacebuilding Week briefing pressed Peacebuilding Commission leaders and UN officials for concrete evidence that the UN’s peacebuilding architecture is preventing conflict and for specific benchmarks to track implementation of the 2025 Peacebuilding Architecture Review.

Ahmed Fetih of ATN News asked what the "strongest evidence" is that the UN architecture prevents conflict rather than merely responding after crises, and what benchmarks member states should use to judge whether the review moves from agreed language to implementation. Ambassador Omar Hilale said the PBC has shifted toward prevention: "countries are coming without being in conflict, but because they have symptoms of crisis or tension," and they seek the PBC's and the Peacebuilding Fund's political accompaniment and resource mobilization.

Elizabeth Spehar highlighted examples where UN support has helped countries develop national prevention strategies and long‑term interventions; she pointed to Mauritania, Sao Tome and Principe and Papua New Guinea as cases where national authorities have pursued prevention measures with UN support and said the PBF has invested over time in those efforts. "It is the dog that didn't bark," she said, arguing that prevention's success is not always visible because it averts crises.

Spehar and other panelists acknowledged the difficulty of demonstrating prevention with hard metrics and said the Secretariat is investing in impact assessments and evaluations. Panelists identified practical benchmarks for judging PBAR implementation over the coming years: more countries approaching the PBC and PBF to request prevention support; clearly documented success stories and case studies; joint projects and financing frameworks with international financial institutions; routine, structured engagement between the PBC and the Security Council on transitions from peacekeeping to peacebuilding; and national prevention strategies adopted and implemented by member states.

On financing and obstacles, Spehar said all four factors—funding, political will, coordination and trust—are critical. She noted that official development assistance has fallen in many cases and that the UN is exploring innovative financing and deeper partnerships with IFIs and private partners to mobilize predictable resources for prevention and sustained peacebuilding.

Panelists said further evidence and benchmarks will be showcased during Peacebuilding Week events, including a spotlight session on The Gambia later in the week that organizers described as an independent study on the effect of long‑term transitional justice and peacebuilding investments.