India on Friday expressed concern over a decline in voluntary contributions to the UN Peacebuilding Fund over the past three years and urged the United Nations to prioritize spending on post-conflict countries to maximize the impact of limited resources.
India's Concerns at the UN General Assembly
Addressing the UN General Assembly debate on ‘Peacebuilding and Sustaining Peace’, India's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni, said the Secretary-General's report pointed to shrinking voluntary contributions even as the organisation's continuing liquidity crisis had constrained the availability of assessed contributions for peacebuilding activities.
Describing the trend as "concerning", Parvathaneni said resource prioritisation should focus on post-conflict settings and expressed hope that the Fund's next strategy would reflect this approach.
National Ownership as Central Principle
The Indian envoy said peacebuilding efforts should be driven by the priorities of national governments rather than a traditional donor-recipient model, stressing that national ownership must remain the central principle of all peacebuilding activities.
"Peacebuilding must move beyond the traditional donor-recipient approach. It should be demand-driven, reflecting the needs and priorities of national governments, with the international community playing a supportive role by providing financial and technical assistance," he said.
Progress and Priorities
Parvathaneni welcomed the progress made during the 19th session of the Peacebuilding Commission, including the fourth review of the UN Peacebuilding Architecture, the presentation of the first national peacebuilding strategy and the launch of the first annual strategic dialogue with the Peacebuilding Fund following the General Assembly's approval of a $50 million assessed contribution.
He also called for greater emphasis on building institutional resilience and national capacity in countries emerging from conflict.
India's Contribution to Women, Peace and Security
Highlighting India's contribution to the Women, Peace and Security agenda, Parvathaneni noted that Major Abhilasha Barak had recently been named the 2025 UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year.
He said the recognition reaffirmed India's commitment to peacebuilding and its willingness to share its nation-building experience with partner countries.
