Mr. President,  The mandate of the Peace-Building Commission is maybe the most ambitious of any body in the UN architecture: to build peace and stability in a Country emerging from conflict.  Yet, after 5 years of its creation, the question we must ask today is whether its position, resources and leverage in the UN system are adequate to the accomplishment of its mission.  Italy fully aligns itself with the points made by the European Union representative. In particular, we agree that the PBC should concentrate its focus on some key aspects such as security, disarmament/reintegration of soldiers, rule of law, and public administration. It should also enhance the involvement of the national authorities, true  legitimate owners of the stabilization process, and involve the international financial institutions to an increasing extent. We are also convinced that more integration with ECOSOC will reinforce the PBC coordination role with other UN funds, agencies and programs and that a greater deal of attention should be given to civil society. Visibility is another key issue. An high level meeting on a yearly basis, for example during the Ministerial week in New York, could help to get Capitals’ involvement on the PBC at an adequate political level.  
Mr. President, although these are important steps, they are not enough. We need to go further.  There is a general consensus on the PBC’s role in “bridging” security and development, conflict and stabilization, crisis and normality. There is also a common feeling that peacekeeping and peacebuilding should be considered, from the start, as two sides of the same coin. Last week’s Security Council debate on transition and exit strategies registered such indications promptly and effectively. Once the conflict phase is over, the purpose of a peacekeeping mission is to create security conditions for the Country’s recovery. But this recovery cannot rely solely on a separate, subsequent intervention of “peace builders” (such as legal and public administration experts or police force trainers). These assets should be considered from the beginning of the conception, the start-up, and the monitoring of a peacekeeping mission.  How can we assure and foster such an integrated approach at the strategic level and in a timely manner?  Italy believes that the political answer to this question lies in strengthening the advisory status of the PBC in the United Nations’ institutional framework, in particular, its relationship to the Security Council. We need to identify procedures and mechanisms that, with all due consideration for respective roles, would institutionalize the involvement of the PBC in drafting, executing and reviewing peacekeeping mandates. One way ahead could be to foresee a mandatory (even though not binding) PBC consultation any time the future of a peacekeeping mission is being considered by the Security Council. Mr. President,  The review process begun in the General Assembly today is a chance we must not miss. The Peace Building Commission’s mandate is legitimate, ambitious, yet very, very difficult to execute. To make it more achievable  - and less rhetorical-, we need consistency, clarity, and determination from the membership as a whole.  Thank you.