39 countries pledge $ 439 million for peace support fund

NEW YORK, (ST)_ Thirty-nine countries pledged Tuesday, January 26, according to the United Nations (UN), to pay 439 million dollars (361 million euros) over five years to a UN fund intended to consolidate peace in states shaken by conflicts, an amount that remains far from the expected 1.5 billion.

During a videoconference, “Member states reaffirmed the importance of investing in peace”, said a UN statement. “Including the funds received in 2020, 39 Member States have disbursed or have committed to disburse more than $ 439 million for the benefit of the fund for the period 2020-2024”, the statement added.

According to Marc-André Franche, who heads the Peace building Fund created in 2006, “The five-year goal is to reach $ 1.5 billion”.

Over the past three years, it has funded operations in 51 countries (Sahel, Central Asia, Central America, Balkans) for a total amount of $ 356 million. Thirty-four countries have contributed to the fund in the last cycle, but 60% of the sums paid came from only three countries, Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom, according to Marc-André Franche.

The video conference on Tuesday was chaired by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, President of Sierra Leone Julius Maada Bio, Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, and Canadian and German foreign ministers Marc Garneau and Heiko Maas . The latter announced that Germany would contribute at least 50 million euros to the fund over the next two years.

Source: Agencies