Omar Hilale Advances Strategic UN-World Bank Partnership on Peace

Agadir – Morocco’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Omar Hilale, chaired on Monday a high-level dialogue aimed at strengthening cooperation between the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) and the World Bank.

Held at UN headquarters in New York on the sidelines of the ECOSOC Forum on Financing for Development, the meeting brought together members of the World Bank’s executive board and senior UN officials to deepen collaboration between the UN’s peacebuilding body and international financial institutions. 

It marked the third edition of an ongoing dialogue process, following earlier sessions in Washington in 2024 and 2025.

Speaking at the meeting, Hilale spoke emphatically of the link between stability and development. “Peace is not only the foundation of sustainable development, it is its prerequisite,” he stated, adding that “without peace, development gains cannot be consolidated. Without development, conditions for peace erode.” 

Highlighting global trends, the PBC chair noted that more than half of people living in extreme poverty are found in fragile, conflict-affected, or violence settings. 

Hilale called on the World Bank to sustain its focus on these contexts, while welcoming the ambition of the latest replenishment of the International Development Association (IDA), particularly its emphasis on prevention and resilience.

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The Moroccan diplomat pointed to notable progress national authorities achieved during the recent PBC visit to the Central African Republic, including “strengthening security conditions, steady extension of state authority, and a government commitment to transitional justice.” 

“UN and World Bank Group must now close the financing gap to consolidate these hard-won gains,” he argued. 

Hilale notably identified the priorities for joint action, mentioning four key areas to deepen UN-World Bank cooperation in support of national efforts in the Central African Republic. 

These include mobilizing additional funding for community reintegration, supporting reforms in the security and justice sectors, aligning national priorities with the World Bank’s Prevention and Resilience Allocation (PRA), and consolidating the quadripartite coordination framework involving the UN, the African Development Bank, and the European Union.

In addition, he announced that the first UN Peacebuilding Week will be held in New York from June 22 to 26 under the theme “Partnership for Innovation, Inclusion and Impact.” 

Hilale invited Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank Group, to attend the event marking the 20th anniversary of the Peacebuilding Commission, noting that his participation is “a powerful signal of our shared commitment to financing peace.”

“This June, the UN Peacebuilding marks its 20th anniversary,” he recalled. “We are honored to welcome the World Bank Group President to address the opening session of Peacebuilding Week on 22 June 2026.” 

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