The ACCORD Burundi office will be hosting a consultative workshop on the United Nation’s Peace Building Commission (UNPBC) with a selection of civil society organisations (CSO’s) in Bujumbura, Burundi on 22 July 2006. The PBC is the first body in the UN’s 60 year history to focus on peace-building and conflict prevention, and was established to address a critical gap within the United Nations and the global system
by providing a co-ordinated and integrated approach to post-conflict peace-building and facilitate dialogue amongst key actors.
The hosting of the meeting arises out of a global response initiated by the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC), a global conflict prevention civil society partnership working with the UN, regional organizations and governments. Through various regional partners, consultations are currently being held to seek a greater role for CSO’s, as the mandate of the PBC does not explicitly mention a role for civil society. In Burundi, this process is of particular significance, as the UNPBC Organizational Committee is likely to select Burundi as one of the first country case studies for the commission. With Burundi being a potential case study, it is crucial that that the expertise and experience of local CSO’s working in Burundi be incorporated in the work of the UNPBC.
ACCORD serves as the regional secretariat for GPPAC in southern Africa, and collaborates with GPPAC Africa partners: West African Network of Peacebuilders in West Africa and Nairobi Peace Initiative – Africa in East Africa to implement the Global and All Africa Agenda for GPPAC.
The draft agenda for the workshop is available here. The meeting will be held at the Hotel Safari Gate in Bujumbura from 08h00-17h30 on 22 July 2006.
For further information on the United Nations Peace Building Commission, please visit www.reformtheun.org. General questions related to developments around the PBC, and GPPAC’s activities may be directed to Nicole Deller at deller@wfm.org.
