Inclusive Development
Expected Council Action
In January 2015, the Council will hold a ministerial-level open debate on inclusive development for international peace and security. President Michelle Bachelet of Chile is expected to preside. Briefers are expected to include Ambassador Antonio de Aguiar Patriota, the chair of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC), and a high-level representative from UN Women.
A presidential statement is the anticipated outcome of the debate.
Background
In recent years, the linkages between peace, security and development have been increasingly recognised by members of the Security Council and integrated into the Council’s work. World leaders explicitly recognised the nexus between these issues in the World Summit Outcome Document in 2005, and it has been often invoked by several Council members and the wider UN membership in the years since. The Council explored this nexus in a debate on the “interdependence between security and development”, under the Brazilian presidency on 11 February 2011. During that debate, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon argued that “development should be inclusive…this means including women, who can play a critical role in negotiations and peace processes, and young people, who have vast potential to contribute to the development of their societies”. Ban added, “…inclusive development…is perhaps the most effective route to diminishing the risks of conflict and enabling long-term stability.”
Ban’s words are relevant to the conflict dynamics at work in many of the world’s civil wars, including those on the Council’s agenda. Social scientists have argued that legitimacy and effectiveness are the foundations of state resilience to conflict. But that legitimacy suffers when certain groups perceive that they are excluded from processes related to political, social or economic development. This can lead to societal divisions along gender, ethnic, religious, geographic or other lines—resulting in disenfranchisement and resentment and providing fertile ground for conflict. Moreover, when women or other actors are disenfranchised, states are unable to tap into enormous resources of talent and creativity that can foster economic growth and social cohesion.
The Council’s work in recent years has recognised the connections between security and inclusive development. The Council consistently notes the important role of women in conflict prevention, peace processes and post-conflict peacebuilding efforts in its outcomes both at the thematic level, through the women, peace and security agenda as well as in country-specific cases. UN peace operations have increasingly taken on more peacebuilding tasks designed to create more legitimate, inclusive and effective states by supporting: disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration; security sector reform; electoral processes; and institution-building in the justice, security and financial sectors. And through the PBC, the Council strives to help states emerging from conflict to build effective institutions that lay the foundation for sustainable peace.
The open debate is timely given the conflict dynamics at work in a number of cases on the Council’s agenda. For example, in its outcomes in recent months, the Council has underscored the need for inclusive political processes in the Central African Republic, Guinea-Bissau and Iraq to promote peace and security in these countries.
The open debate will offer an opportunity for Council members to take stock of what the Council has done to foster inclusive development, explore best practices related to this issue in different geographic regions and reflect on what role the Council can play on inclusive development moving forward. The meeting may also provide the Council an opportunity to reflect on initiatives underway relevant to inclusive development, including the 2015 High-Level Review of the implementation of resolution 1325 on women, peace and security; the 2015 PBC review; and the post-2015 development agenda.
| Security Council Resolutions | |
| 25 November 2014 S/RES/2186 | This was a resolution that mandated UNIOGBIS to support inclusive political dialogue in Guinea-Bissau. |
| 20 December 2005 S/RES/1645 | This was a resolution that created the PBC and the Peacebuilding Fund. |
| 31 October 2000 S/RES/1325 | This was the founding resolution on women, peace and security, in particular expressing the Council’s willingness to incorporate a gender perspective into peacekeeping missions, calling on all parties to protect women and girls from gender-based violence and to put an end to impunity for such crimes. |
| Security Council Meeting Record | |
| 11 February 2011 S/PV.6479 | This was an open debate, at the initiative of Brazil, on the interdependence between security and development. |
| Security Council Presidential Statements | |
| 18 December 2014 S/PRST/2014/28 | This presidential statement called on the transitional authorities of the Central African Republic to expedite inclusive preparations for the Bangui Forum on National Reconciliation. |
| 19 September 2014 S/PRST/2014/20 | This presidential statement highlighted the importance of all parts of the Iraqi population participating in the country’s political process. |
| 11 February 2011 S/PRST/2011/4 | This presidential statement affirmed the need to consider the economic, political and social dimensions of conflict. |
| Other | |
| 16 September 2005 A/RES/60/1 | This was the 2005 World Summit Outcome Document. |
