UNGA President puts conflict prevention on top priority

UN General Assembly President Miroslav Lajcak on Friday outlined his priorities for 2018, putting conflict prevention above all.

Addressing a General Assembly meeting, Lajcak said that he would put conflict prevention, partnerships, financing and integration as four priorities of his work in 2018, Xinhua reported.

"We need a stronger focus on peace when it still exists. We should be acting faster, and sooner, when there is a peace to keep, rather than scrambling for solutions once it has been lost," he said.

Speaking of partnerships, Lajcak noted that "we need to make existing partnerships more active and efficient. And we need to create new ones."

As for financing, the president said that the UN's peacebuilding and sustaining peace activities "are chronically underfunded."

"By adopting the 2016 Sustaining Peace resolutions, we committed to addressing this issue. The Secretary-General's report, due to be released next month, is likely to contain concrete proposals. We need to give them serious consideration."

Referring to integration, he said "sustaining Peace is not a task for one office, or one team at the United Nations. Instead, it must be mainstreamed."

The General Assembly president also called for the participation of women and youth "when it comes to Sustaining Peace."

"Women and young people play a major role in building and preserving peace. Their experiences and ideas must be seen and listened to," he said.

--IANS

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