Exactly who oversees the U.N. Peacebuilding Commission, formed to help countries emerging from conflict, was among the topics raised during an open meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Thursday. The U.N. General Assembly believes it is overseeing the commission, as it voted it into existence, but issues have been raised as to how the funds allocated have been managed, as well as the timeliness of delivering the funds promised. However, The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) is concerned that the Security Council should at this stage find it necessary to review the work of the Peacebuilding Commission, said Jamaican Ambassador Raymond Wolfe, who spoke to the council as chairman of the NAM. Liberia and Sierra Leone were chosen by U.N. member states to be the pilot countries to benefit from the commission. My delegation believes that the most effective way that the international community can continue to demonstrate its continued engagement with Sierra Leone is the timely delivery of the necessary assistance to meet the special needs of the countries concerned, said Sierra Leonean Ambassador Sylvester Rowe. The Peacebuilding Commission, created December 2005, was a reform initiative created by former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Its aim was to reinforce confidence in the post conflict communities, ensuring that the countries do not relapse into conflict and move swiftly on the path of stability, recovery, and development, said Angolan Ambassador Ismael Gaspar Martins, the Chairman of the commission. The U.N. General Assembly will also take up the peacebuilding issue February 6.
