UN General Assembly
2006

Each year, the United Nations spends more than 70 per cent of its $10 billion annual budget on peacekeeping and other field operations. This trend can be reversed only if the United Nations works harder to create a culture of prevention. Prevention is, in the long run, less costly than peacekeeping operations. In this regard, it is particularly encouraging that two important new bodies have been established to contribute to strengthening the United Nations role in conflict prevention. The Peacebuilding Commission is expected to enable countries to recover after emerging from conflict and to sustain durable peace. The Human Rights Council holds out the hope of promoting a culture of human rights for all. It should play a role in helping to prevent situations of human rights violations from deteriorating and developing into armed conflicts. The Council’s success will be measured not by the number of resolutions it adopts, but by its real impact on the ground. One of the most effective measures for prevention of armed conflict is development. Thailand