Malaysia Proposes Three Priorities To Strengthen Global Peacebuilding
By V.Sankara
NEW YORK, Sept 25 (Bernama) -- Malaysia has proposed three key priorities to strengthen peacebuilding efforts: ensuring national ownership and inclusivity, translating the work of the Peacebuilding Commission into coordinated action, and strengthening national capacity and human capital.
Foreign Minister Seri Mohamad Hasan said peacebuilding must be a continuous process that builds and sustains peaceful and inclusive societies, resilient communities and stable economies.
Mohamad is currently in New York from Sept 23 to 27 to lead Malaysia’s delegation to the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
“Peacebuilding must not wait until a conflict breaks out nor until it is over,” he said in his intervention at the Peacebuilding Commission Ministerial Meeting at the United Nations headquarters here on Thursday.
Mohamad said Malaysia’s commitment, including through the 2025 Peacebuilding Architecture Review (PBAR) resolution, must translate into tangible improvements in people’s lives.
“In this regard, Malaysia wishes to emphasise three points,” he said.
On the first point, Mohamad said peacebuilding efforts must be nationally owned, meaningful and inclusive.
“Malaysia therefore supports nationally owned prevention and peacebuilding strategies, complemented by preventive diplomacy and mediation,” he said.
He said peacebuilding must also include the full, equal and safe participation of women.
“This is the reason Malaysia hosted the 2025 ASEAN Women, Peace and Security Summit in Kuala Lumpur,” he said.
According to Mohamad, the summit reaffirmed the importance of women’s leadership in peacebuilding, called for stronger measures to prevent and respond to violence against women, and advanced the integration of Women, Peace and Security perspectives into emerging security challenges.
On the second point, he said the Peacebuilding Commission’s work must translate into coordinated action, stressing that development and peace are mutually reinforcing.
“Sustainable development can address the underlying conditions that fuel conflict, while stability enables development to take root,” he said.
Mohamad said Malaysia supports stronger cooperation between the Peacebuilding Commission and the Economic and Social Council to enhance coherence across development, humanitarian and peacebuilding efforts.
“This partnership is essential to ensure that international support is responsive to national priorities, mutually reinforcing and capable of delivering greater impact on the ground,” he said.
On the third point, Mohamad said peacebuilding must strengthen national capacity and human capital.
He said Malaysia shares its development experience and expertise with developing countries, including those emerging from conflict, through the Malaysian Technical Cooperation Programme (MTCP).
“Since 1980, more than 38,000 participants from 144 countries have benefited from the MTCP,” he said, stressing that peace was a collective responsibility and calling on member states to work together to nurture and preserve it.
-- BERNAMA
