The UN Peacebuilding Commission will marshal resources at the disposal of the international community to advise and propose integrated strategies for post-conflict recovery, focusing attention on reconstruction, institution building and sustainable development, in countries emerging from conflict.

If one analyses the framework for peace-building in Burundi, there seems to be fairly little attention for local governments. Is that the result of rational decision-making? Or are local governments just not part of the mindset yet? In what way can the peace-building framework become relevant for or include local governments?

The Sierra Leone Peacebuilding Cooperation Framework has more attention for local governments. One of the priority areas, consolidation of democracy and good governance, indicates that efforts are needed to strengthen institutions of local governance and ensure effective decentralization. One of the commitments of the Government of Sierra Leone is to consolidate democratic governance by strengthening amongst others local governance institutions.

The session will address questions such as:
- How can local governments in the countries help their central governments to live up to the commitments that were agreed upon in the frameworks?
- Does local government involvement have concrete peace impact on the development of the countries?
- If local governments can, or actually do play a positive role in peace-building processes, how can their involvement in future peace-building frameworks be ensured from the start?
- How can local governments from outside Burundi and Sierra Leone contribute to the implementation of the Peacebuilding Cooperation Frameworks?
- How can the UCLG Committee on City Diplomacy contribute to the efforts of the Peacebuilding Commission in Burundi and Sierra Leone?
- How can the Committee ensure commitment of the Peacebuilding Commission in the implementation of the “The Hague Agenda on City Diplomacy”?

 

Moderator
Barryl Biekman, senior policy advisor International Cooperation and Business in the Community at the Department of International Affairs of the City of the Hague

Speakers
Jane Knight, Councillor at Warwick District Council, United Kingdom

 

Antoine Ntwari, Member of the Senate, Chair of the Permanent Committee on Administrative Issues and Decentralisation

 

Pierre Mupira, Vice Minister in charge of Community Development (Burundi)

Umaru B. Wurie, Ministry of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation (Sierra Leone)

 

Herbert A. George Williams, Mayor of Freetown, Sierra Leone

PBC Sierra Leone Cooperation Framework

PBC Burundi Cooperation Framework