UN PEACEBUILDING COMMISSION AMBASSADORIAL-LEVEL MEETING ON MAURITANIA’S NATIONAL PREVENTION AND PEACEBUILDING EFFORTS
Statement delivered by Ms. Briony Daley Whitworth, a/g Deputy Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Australia to the United Nations
22 January 2026
Chair, colleagues,
Australia thanks Mauritania’s Minister of Economic Affairs and Development for sharing its National Prevention Strategy for Peacebuilding and Social Cohesion, and welcomes its continued engagement with the Peacebuilding Commission.
We also thank today’s briefers for their insights.
Chair, Australia wishes to make three reflections.
First, we recognise and welcome Mauritania’s forward looking, nationally led approach to peacebuilding and prevention, including through the National Strategy for Peacebuilding and Social Cohesion.
Mauritania’s approach, structured around its five pillars, effectively places communities and local dynamics at the centre of its efforts to address root causes of conflict. We particularly welcome the second pillar on promoting the economic empowerment of women – given clear and consistent evidence that gender equality is a stronger predictor of peace than a nation’s wealth or political system.
We commend Mauritania for adopting an evidence-based approach to prevention that is nationally led and grounded in local realities.
Effective prevention requires us to draw on what we know works – and learn from what doesn’t.
This is why Australia is developing policy guidance for effective National Prevention Strategies – a voluntary, evidence-based tool for Member States to use when developing or implementing their own National Strategies.
We look forward to sharing the outcome of this work with the Peacebuilding Commission and interested Member States in due course.
Second, we commend Mauritania’s efforts to strengthen social cohesion, address structural vulnerabilities, and advance inclusive governance.
At the same time, we remain concerned about restrictions on freedom of religion in Mauritania.
We note the absence of legal protections and the constraints some communities face in practising their faith.
Australia firmly believes a country’s strength lies in the unity of its people and the diversity of its communities.
Finally, we recognise the important role Mauritania continues to play in promoting regional stability and countering terrorism in the Sahel.
We acknowledge its central role in the Sahel Alliance and the contribution it makes to collective security at a time of profound regional challenges.
As Mauritania deepens its partnership with both the Peacebuilding Commission and the Peacebuilding Fund, we encourage this Commission to continue to provide sustained political and practical support to mobilise resources to advance the country’s prevention agenda.
Australia stands ready to continue working with Mauritania and international partners to support peacebuilding, resilience, and sustainable development. Thank you.