In accordance with the Terms of Reference of the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund, the Secretary-General appoints eminent individuals for a term of two years, taking into consideration gender and regional balance. Candidates are nominated by Member States.
The Secretary-General appointed the following members and asked Ambassador Macharia Kamau of Kenya to serve as the Chair of the Eighth Advisory Group:
Mr. Jonas Alberoth, Principal Senior Adviser, Folke Bernadotte Academy, Sweden
Mr. Richard Atwood, Executive Vice President, International Crisis Group, United Kingdom
H.E. Ms. Yoka Brandt, Former Ambassador, Kingdom of the Netherlands
H.E. Mr. Cheng Jingye, Former Ambassador, President of Arms Control and Disarmament Association, ChinaÌý
Ms. Kjersti Dale, Senior Advisor Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, Norway
H.E. Mr. Mohamed Edrees, Former Ambassador, EgyptÌý
H.E. Mr. Macharia Kamau, Ambassador and Special Envoy, Kenya
H.E. Ms. Nathalie Kohli, Ambassador of Switzerland in the Republic of Cameroon, the Central African Republic, and the Republic of Equatorial Guinea
H.E. Ms. Paik Ji-ah, Former Ambassador, Professor Emeritus, Korean National Diplomatic Academy (incumbent) and Non-Executive Director, Korea Technology Finance Corporation (incumbent), Republic of Korea
H.E. Mr. Baso Sangqu, Former Ambassador, Senior Vice President at AngloGold Ashanti, South Africa
Ms. Ana Glenda Tager Rosado, Private Secretary of The Presidency of the Guatemalan RepublicÌý
Ms. Almut Wieland-Karimi, Senior Policy Advisor Stiftung Mercator GmbH, Germany.Ìý
The appointment of the Eighth Advisory Group comes at a critical time.Ìý In the recently agreed Pact for the Future, world leaders recognized the persistence of violent conflict around the globe, the immense suffering of fellow human beings and the existential risks we face collectively. ÌýThe Pact is a bold recommitment to international cooperation that proposes a strengthened multilateral system, with the United Nations and its Charter at the centre, to keep pace with a changing world.
The Pact recognizes that the Peacebuilding Fund and the wider United Nations peacebuilding architecture have important roles to play. This is in line with the Secretary-General’s vision for the Fund to have a growing role in building and sustaining peace in support of national priorities, as set out in his policy brief on A New Agenda for Peace. This includes the unique role of the Fund in connecting the three pillars of the United Nations – peace and security, human rights and sustainable development – which the Pact for the Future recognized as interdependent and mutually reinforcing.
The Peacebuilding Fund is designed to support programming that needs to be started quickly and flexibly where requested. The Fund is the Organization’s financial instrument of first resort to sustain peace in countries or situations at risk or affected by violent conflict. The Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA) continues to be committed to working together with its partners to further strengthen peacebuilding.ÌýÌý
The Advisory Group will provide valuable guidance to the Fund’s strategy and direction.Ìý The Group has been expanded to twelve members, to allow for greater inclusion.Ìý This is all the more important given the Advisory Group’s role in providing recommendations and guidance for the use of the assessed contribution of $50Ìýmillion annually to the Peacebuilding Fund, agreed in resolution 78/257 and starting in 2025. ÌýThrough this landmark decision, in response to a request from the Secretary-General, the General Assembly confirmed that peacebuilding is at the core of the work of the United Nations, and committed to providing more predictable and sustainable resources for the Fund. ÌýAt the same time, an increase in voluntary funding will be essential to meet growing demand.
From 2006 to 2023, the PBF has allocated nearly $2 billion to 71 recipient countries and territories. In 2023, the Peacebuilding Fund approved support amounting to $202 million in 36 countries and territories.
The Secretary-General expresses his gratitude to the members of the Seventh Advisory Group who ended their tenure in August 2024 for their advice and support which has strengthened the impact of the Fund globally.Ìý
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