Statement by H.E. R.M. Marty M. Natalegawa at the Informal Meeting of the PBC Organisational Committee Mr. Chairman, I am very pleased to have submitted through you before the Organisational Committee the outcome document of the PBC Strategy and Policy Task Force on Private Sector, which was prepared at the working level as per the guidance contained in the concept paper for the Task Force dated April 2, 2008. Let me first thank you, Ambassador Takasu, and your delegation members, for your valuable support to us throughout the course of the work in the Task Force. Indonesia as the facilitator of the Task Force is also grateful for the active participation and support extended by all PBC delegations. We appreciate all delegations for their valuable inputs and their flexibility which have enabled us to produce this outcome document and brought us to undertake this important work which were previously unexplored. Mr. Chairman, What you have before you is not an exhaustive set of observations or recommendations on the role of the private sector with regards to its contribution in post-conflict peacebuilding, bearing in mind its relevance to countries on the agenda of the PBC. This is but an attempt at the substantive beginning of a process, which we hope will continue in the Commission, as well as in the larger UN System, by building on some of the proposed recommendations in the outcome document. The constituents of the private sector are diverse in their forms, and would be different in their participatory roles. But they offer a valuable pool of resources, expertise, skills, and technologies, which through carefully structured partnerships among the private sector actors, and with the public sector, can be utilized in a way that promotes peace and stability in societies scarred by conflict. We will not dwell on the virtues of the private sector, and how its positive role can be harnessed for peace consolidation. We believe that at this juncture it would be very important that the Commission after its hopefully positive consideration of the outcome document could begin to layout a way that would lead to increasing the interaction of PBC with the private sector in a meaningful manner. It is up to the member states of the Commission as to how they would like to react and adopt concrete measures to the observations and recommendations by the Task Force. For Indonesia, it is clear that the private sector needs to be attracted and engaged as a vital part in formulating the integrated peacebuilding strategies by the Commission. In undertaking a “comprehensive approach”, which can effectively address the multifaceted issues in typical post conflict environments, we need to bring to bear all potential avenues that can generate resources, and help improve the living conditions of populations, fostering peace. The avenues of foundations, micro-finance, and remittances, are three ways through which we can engage and elucidate support from the private sector for peacebuilding. It would be up to the Commission to examine further subjects under the private sector, and to explore how synergies can be developed for promoting peace and welfare in different post-conflict cases. If the members of the Organisational Committee consent, my delegation, would like to suggest that the findings and recommendations of the Task Force be concretely connected with challenges faced by countries under its agenda. They could be disseminated by the PBC to the relevant entities in the UN System, and to the pertinent developmental and financial institutions outside the UN System. In our view, it is crucial that the message of the outcome document is also communicated to the key entities in the private sector such as the associations of businesses, and the non-profit sector. The outreach by the Commission to the relevant national and international stakeholders would be a critical step towards undertaking effective advocacy. Thank you.
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