Morocco’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Omar Hilale, on Monday chaired a high-level dialogue aimed at strengthening cooperation between the UN Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) and the World Bank, underscoring growing efforts to link global financing to conflict prevention and post-crisis recovery.
The meeting, held at UN headquarters on the sidelines of the ECOSOC Forum on Financing for Development, brought together senior officials from the World Bank Group, UN agencies and members of the PBC executive structure. It marked the third edition of an emerging dialogue process, following earlier sessions held in Washington in 2024 and 2025.
Hilale, who leads the Peacebuilding Commission, framed the discussions around the central relationship between stability and development, arguing that both must be addressed simultaneously to achieve lasting results in fragile states.
“Peace is not only the foundation of sustainable development, it is its prerequisite,” he said. “Without peace, development gains cannot be consolidated. Without development, conditions for peace erode.”
He warned that global poverty remains disproportionately concentrated in fragile and conflict-affected settings, noting that more than half of those living in extreme poverty reside in countries affected by violence or institutional breakdown.
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Against that backdrop, Hilale called on international financial institutions to maintain and expand their engagement in high-risk environments, particularly through targeted financing mechanisms designed to prevent relapse into conflict.
He welcomed recent commitments under the International Development Association (IDA) replenishment, highlighting its increased focus on prevention, resilience and long-term stability in vulnerable states.
The Moroccan diplomat also cited progress observed during a recent Peacebuilding Commission field visit to the Central African Republic, where he said security conditions had improved and state authority was gradually being restored in parts of the country.
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He pointed to what he described as a government commitment to transitional justice and institutional reform, while stressing that fragile gains require sustained international support.
“UN and World Bank Group must now close the financing gap to consolidate these hard-won gains,” Hilale said.
He outlined four priority areas for deeper cooperation between the UN and World Bank in conflict-affected contexts. These include mobilising additional funding for community reintegration programmes, supporting reforms in the security and justice sectors, aligning national recovery plans with the World Bank’s Prevention and Resilience Allocation framework, and strengthening coordination with partners such as the African Development Bank and the European Union.
Hilale also announced that the first-ever UN Peacebuilding Week will take place in New York from June 22 to 26 under the theme “Partnership for Innovation, Inclusion and Impact.” The event will mark the 20th anniversary of the Peacebuilding Commission.
He formally invited World Bank Group President Ajay Banga to participate in the commemorative session, describing his presence as “a powerful signal of our shared commitment to financing peace.”
“This June, UN Peacebuilding marks its 20th anniversary,” Hilale said. “We are honoured to welcome the World Bank Group President to address the opening session of Peacebuilding Week on 22 June 2026.”
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The initiative reflects broader international efforts to better integrate development finance and peacebuilding strategies, as global institutions seek to respond to rising levels of conflict, displacement and economic fragility across several regions.
