1 Feb 2010 - The World Federalist Movement – Institute for Global Policy is pleased to announce the launch of a new website, www.BetterPeace.org for its project “Together for a Better Peace.”

“Together for a Better Peace”, previously known as the “Global Civil Society Project on the UN Peacebuilding Commission,” advocates for improved peacebuilding policy and practice by supporting meaningful engagement between civil society and the UN Peacebuilding Commission, a 31-Member intergovernmental advisory body which assists post-conflict countries transition to sustainable peace and development.

The Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) constitutes the foundation of the UN’s peacebuilding architecture and brings together international actors from within and outside the UN system to support countries emerging from violent conflict. The PBC works with these post- conflict countries to improve coordination and marshal resources for peacebuilding.

The PBC, the Peacebuilding Fund and the Peacebuilding Support Office were co-created by the UN General Assembly and the Security Council in December 2005. While the new architecture of the PBC was welcomed as one of the most innovative proposals in the reform process and commended as one of the most successful initiatives to emerge from the 2005 World Summit, the PBC’s critical first Five year Review in 2010 offers a unique opportunity to reinvigorate the PBC’s vision and performance. It further seeks to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the young advisory body.

Through BetterPeace.org, WFM-IGP, in partnership with the European Centre for Conflict Prevention, the International Secretariat of the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC), will provide close monitoring and in depth analysis of the PBC’s activities at UN Headquarters in New York. We will present an insider’s look at the PBC and the wider UN peacekeeping-peacebuilding architecture and foster dynamic dialogue on conflict prevention and peacebuilding.

In addition, the website will act as a database of relevant publications and events for practitioners and representatives of civil society active in peacebuilding.

Learn more about the Together for a Better Peace project at www.betterpeace.org. We invite individuals and organizations to stay informed about the PBC and other peacebuilding initiatives at the UN through our information and news service, PBCUpdate. We also encourage practitioners from around the world to contribute to our efforts to ensure that the PBC has access to the most up-to-date information on peacebuilding in countries on its agenda and emerging best-practices in building peace.

Together, we are building a better peace.

For more information on the project, please contact Lisa Kitagawa, PBC Project Consultant at 212 599 1320 or kitagawa@wfm-igp.org.
For more on the website, visit www.betterpeace.org or e-mail inquiries to PBCUpdate@betterpeace.org

Media Contact
Devon Allison Giordano
Membership and Communications Officer
Tel. 212 599 1320
Email: allison@wfm-igp.org