“Secretary-General Annan and I discussed this topic the day before the debate in the Security Council and he expressed his full support for this Philippine initiative,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Delia Domingo Albert said today after presiding over the Thematic Debate in the Security Council on the agenda item entitled “The role of civil society in post-conflict peace building.”

In opening his statement during today’s debate, the Secretary-General said, referring to Secretary Albert, “let me start by saying how pleased we are to see you in our midst today and to congratulate you and your delegation on organizing this timely debate.”

In his statement, Secretary-General Annan said “I believe that Council members can benefit from the expertise, focus and insight which civil society groups bring to the table.  I therefore welcome the efforts the Council has made to strengthen its informal relations with civil society groups.”

However, the Secretary-General said that not all civil society groups are alike. “Of course, civil society actors come in all shapes and sizes.  Many make outstanding contributions to peace.  Others, which I have in the past called ‘uncivil society’, are drivers of conflict,” the Secretary-General said.  He added that if peace-building missions were to be effective, civil society groups should be part of a clear political strategy, which helped ordinary people to voice their concerns and to act on them in peaceful ways.

He said that “By the same token, they should seek to reduce the influence of forces that promote exclusionary policies or encourage people to resort to violence.” END.