Statement by H.E. Gary Quinlan, Ambassador and Permanent Representative
of Australia to the United Nations Security Council, delivered on 16 April 2010.

(as delivered)

Mr President

It is an especially encouraging moment for Australia to speak today before the Council under Japan’s presidency, and you, Mr President, are to be commended for convening today’s debate. There is a lot of discussion, as we know, currently under way in different forums about the importance of peacebuilding. It is essential that that discussion also continues in the Security Council, since peacebuilding is a necessary – and often the most difficult - element in preventing future conflict and in consolidating the gains achieved by peacekeeping missions. Both of these tasks, of course, are central aims of the Council’s work.

I would like to focus today on only a few overarching points that have been borne out of Australia’s engagement in addressing current peacebuilding challenges in Timor-Leste, Afghanistan, Solomon Islands and earlier in Bougainville, and more recently through our engagement with Sierra Leone through the work of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC). We are contributing further to this debate through the current review of the PBC.

First, we think it is vital that peacebuilding needs be considered at the inception of a peacekeeping mission. There is increasing international recognition that beginning recovery efforts as early as possible in post-conflict situations is critical to helping countries stabilise and provide essential services to their population. As such, the planning of peacekeeping missions should not be seen as a military task alone; but rather one that demands a multi-faceted effort combining political, humanitarian and development considerations with the security dimension. This also demands a closer and more organic relationship between the Council and the Peacebuilding Commission throughout the Council’s consideration of a situation.

Second, there are, of course, no quick fixes to intractable problems. The transition from post-conflict to what we might call ‘normal’, while unique in each case, typically takes a long time. There is an imperative to balance the need for rapid and flexible responses to short-term issues against our steady efforts on longer-term goals.

Scaling back our engagement too quickly can result in relapse into conflict. Australia learned this lesson the hard way in Timor-Leste, most obviously with the need in 2006 to return peacekeepers who had been withdrawn too quickly. We need to be cognizant of, and able to respond to, the rapidly changing political and security context, and, of course, be prepared to see a challenge through to its conclusion.

Third, while creating and sustaining peace and security are critical components of peacebuilding, it also requires efforts at State-building. This requires all international actors - whether political, security, humanitarian or development - to develop a shared understanding of all the factors which affect a nation’s ability to build a sustainable peace. They need to align their respective efforts with government priorities and harmonise their activities to get the best results. Australia’s long term approach to helping post-conflict countries aims to address security, development, economic and political issues in this kind of comprehensive and sequenced way.

In Timor-Leste, the UN Mission and the Australian-led International Stabilisation Force are not only helping to create and sustain peace and security; but moreover, they are providing Timor-Leste with the space to develop its government and security institutions so that there will not in the future be any need for such an international security presence. They are also providing the space for economic and social development and investment in human resources, both of which will be critical for the long term future of Timor-Leste.

Australia’s efforts in Timor-Leste in the earliest stages placed priority obviously on stabilizing the security situation, responding to humanitarian needs, and helping the new government to start immediately to rebuild the institutions it needed to govern. However, with the benefit of hindsight, we now recognise that an earlier transition to also ensuring visible, tangible benefits to the poor living in the countryside and to the very large number of peoples without jobs throughout all of Timor-Leste was needed. Our new country strategy seeks to correct this imbalance, placing most emphasis on working with government to deliver health and education services, improve agricultural productivity, and address employment challenges for youth. This last need is perhaps the most imperative. It is indispensable for future stability.

In Afghanistan, our military efforts in Oruzgan Province are complemented by similar development programs. Our efforts to meet the population’s needs have highlighted the inextricable link between military, diplomatic and development efforts in establishing a sustainable peace.

Finally, Mr President, Australia agrees with the Secretary-General’s assessment that there is a need to broaden and deepen the pool of civilian experts, including from developing countries, to help develop national capacity in post-conflict societies. The Australian Civilian Corps was established in late 2009 to enable the rapid deployment of Australian civilians into post-conflict countries in coordination with the local government and other international actors. We look forward to playing an active part in the forthcoming review of international civilian capacities.

Thank you.