48 donor trust fund administered by the United Nations, with 18 countries contributing more than once to the Fund. The 10 largest contributors were Sweden, the United Kingdom, Norway, the Netherlands, Japan, Canada, Ireland, Spain, Germany and Denmark. Out of programmable funds of $309.6 million (those received in the trust fund account), $141.3 million was allocated to peacebuilding activities in 12 countries, four of which were on the Peacebuilding Commission’s agenda. Five countries not on its agenda were declared eligible for Fund support by the SecretaryGeneral and had received it, while nine country situations drew on emergency funding, some also receiving support under priority plan funding. While the Fund’s position was solid, the global financial crisis might have an adverse impact on future funding, and that had to be taken into account when Fund allocations were being programmed and when Fundsupported projects were looking for additional funding. Addressing the four countries on the Commission’s agenda (window I), the report stated that 4 of the 18 projects approved in Burundi had been completed and all but one were expected to be closed by year’s end. During the previous 12 months, implementation had improved and the delivery rate against the total budget of $35 million reached 75 per cent at the end of June. The Peacebuilding Support Office had quickly released additional emergency funding for demobilizing and reintegrating Forces Nationales de Libération (fnl) combatants, resulting in the registration of more than 5,000 of the 11,000 adults associated with fnl. They were issued return kits, paid the first instalment of return assistance and transported to their home communities. Support under the Fund complemented other efforts that enabled some 3,500 fnl elements to be assimilated into the military and police. Peacebuilding in the Central African Republic continued to face challenges in building on the momentum created by the national political dialogue in late 2008. Initial funding for demobilization activities of $4 million—40 per cent of the Fund envelope— was used to start up that exercise, while additional appeals were made to the international community for support to disarmament, demobilization and reintegration activities. The priority plan funded 11 projects in the areas of demobilization and reintegration (60 per cent of the envelope); governance and rule of law, primarily to support human rights and women’s networks (14 per cent); and revitalization of communities affected by conflict (26 per cent). In Guinea-Bissau, significant political and military tension caused disruptions in three Fund projects; however, meetings of the Guinea-Bissau configuration, coupled with numerous UN country support visits, enabled continuous engagement and tracking of projects—including a professional training and employment programme for 500 youth; enhancement
Part One: Political and security questions of police capacity and prison security to combat drug trafficking and organized crime; and public tenders for rehabilitating 10 military barracks. In March, Sierra Leone saw the worst political violence since the end of the civil war in 2002. An inter-party dialogue facilitated by the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Sierra Leone (unipsil) brought the two main parties to the negotiating table, leading to a joint communiqué. The quick application of contingency funds provided for setting up a commission of inquiry to investigate allegations of sexual violence during the disturbances, as well as for rehabilitating the damaged offices of one of the political parties. Two projects prepared by unipsil and approved by the Peacebuilding Support Office in May in support of the joint communiqué aimed at improving police control and techniques for riot control and fostering national political dialogue and reconciliation. Notable results included improved outreach of the National Human Rights Commission, increased awareness of the recently passed Gender and Child Rights Act, and a sharp reduction in the backlog of detainees awaiting trial, with 90 per cent of 600 cases cleared. The report also reviewed activities in support of countries declared eligible for funding by the SecretaryGeneral under window II—Comoros, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, Liberia and Nepal. As for emergency funding under window III, assistance was provided for 9 one-off projects of less than $1 million. That facility had proven to be a flexible and responsive instrument that enabled the Secretary-General to respond quickly to imminent threats to peace, while demonstrating the Fund’s risktaking capabilities. Nearly all the emergency projects, however, experienced implementation delays due to local circumstances that affected quick delivery. Requests for extending projects or for additional funding were received from Burundi, the Central African Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, Haiti and Kenya. During the reporting period, two new emergency projects were approved for Sierra Leone, and one each for Burundi and Timor-Leste. Addressing lessons learned, the report found that the start-up phase of activities in a country was one of the most critical and labour-intensive periods for the UN country team and its national partners. It was therefore essential to ensure greater focus on start-up support to address weak planning, programming and implementation capacity. Synergy between the Fund and the Commission had improved, but there was scope for better calibrating that engagement. More attention must be given to the role of the joint steering committees and to ensuring that they were able to play their role to the fullest. Finally, the tensions inherent in the concept underlying the Fund and the competing demands and expectations required