Rabat: Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates Nasser Bourita outlined, on Thursday in New York, the key principles promoted by Morocco during its 2026 presidency of the UN Peacebuilding Commission (PBC), at a high-level meeting of the Commission devoted to 'National ownership in practice: Strengthening inclusive state institutions.'
According to Agence Marocaine De Presse, The meeting was attended by UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed, Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea James Marape, Cabinet Secretary of the Republic of Kenya Musalia Mudavadi, and African Development Bank Vice President Marie-Laure Akin-Olugbade, as well as several deputy prime ministers and ministers.
In his address, Bourita called for strengthening national ownership in peacebuilding through inclusive institutions and international partnerships that respond to States' priorities. He stressed that, twenty years after its establishment, the PBC is at an important stage in its evolution, particularly in light of the Pact for the Future and the 2025 review of the Peacebuilding Architecture.
The minister noted that lasting peace cannot be built on behalf of the States and societies concerned, pointing out that Morocco has called for national ownership to be made a concrete principle based on sovereignty, shared responsibility and the strengthening of national capacities.
Such ownership should be political, institutional and financial, he added, with legitimate and inclusive institutions capable of responding to the needs of populations.
Bourita said that this approach is part of Morocco's vision of the 'Peace-Security-Development-Governance' nexus, in line with the Kingdom's commitment to conflict prevention, mediation, peacekeeping and peacebuilding, as well as post-conflict reconstruction.
In the same vein, Bourita proposed institutionalizing the PBC's outreach activities through sessions held in the countries concerned, as well as developing a National Ownership Assessment to jointly identify the capacities needed for sustainable peacebuilding.
He also advocated greater predictability in funding and stronger partnerships with international financial institutions and development banks, in order to better align peace, investment and development around national priorities.
He further stressed that the added value of the PBC lies in its ability to build bridges between peace and development, between States and the multilateral system, and between national priorities and international resources.
The minister concluded that the ambition should be not only to do more peacebuilding, but to do it better. In his capacity as President of the PBC, he reaffirmed his commitment to contributing to the implementation of the 2025 review and to strengthening the Commission in the service of peace that is genuinely national, inclusive and sustainable.
The Peacebuilding Commission was jointly established in 2005 by the Security Council and the General Assembly as a new intergovernmental advisory body of the United Nations. It supports peacebuilding efforts in countries emerging from conflict and aims to develop integrated strategies for post-conflict peacebuilding and recovery, bring together all relevant stakeholders, and mobilize resources.