Priorities of Peacebuilding Commission in 2018, presented by Romanian ambassador Ion Jinga to the United Nations

The permanent representative of Romania to the United Nations (UN), ambassador Ion Jinga, presented on Thursday, as chairman of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) in the plenary sitting of the UN General Assembly, the PBC's priorities for 2018: reinforcement of the catalyst role of the Commission, its support focus for the Sahel region, partnerships' strengthening and furthering the PBC's commitment in the Republic of the Gambia. 

Reminding that in 2017, the Security Council requested PBC to support the Office of the United Nations for West Africa (UNOWAS) in implementing the UN Integrated Strategy for Sahel, Jinga mentioned that this March he took part, as chairman of the PBC, in the 6th reunion of the "Ministerial Coordination Platform for Sahel" in Chad. Ambassador Jinga said that the PBC's Annual Session due 26 June will be exclusively dedicated to this region and will reunite the PBC member states, representatives of Sahel region's countries, UN high-ranking officials, representatives of regional organizations, international financial institutions and civil society organizations. 

Jinga also reminded that partnerships' development represents one of the priorities of Romania's mandate at the helm of the PBC, and mentioned that after the Annual Session, PBC will hold a joint event with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), dedicated to the role of partnerships in consolidating and entrenching peace, with focus on the partnership with the private sector. 

The Romanian ambassador underlined that, upon the Republic of Gambia's Government request, PBC will continue to act as a dialogue platform for this state with the international community. In this sense, in April, the Romanian presidency of PBC organized a high-level reunion attended by the President and the Finance Minister of the Republic of the Gambia's gov't, alongside the EU commissioner for international cooperation and development, the chairman of the ECOWAS commission, the permanent observer of the African Union to the UN, as well as UN high-ranking officials. 

Romania on 31 January took the helm of the UN Peacebuilding Commission, for one year, according to the quoted source.