ABSTRACT
Peacebuilding emerged in the early 1990s at the United Nations (UN) with the end of the Cold War. Its institutionalization at the UN was achieved at the 2005 World Summit with the creation of the Peacebuilding Architecture (PBA). This chapter takes a different look at the PBA, focusing specifically on the dynamics that shaped the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC), the Peacebuilding Fund (PBF), and the Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO), from the formal establishment of the PBA through what has been called its 'survival' phase. It consists of four sections. First, the chapter starts with a brief analysis of the broader political context in which the PBA was created, and examines the structure and operations of the PBC. Second, it focuses on the PBF and the uneasy relations between the commission and the fund. Third, the chapter examines the institutional dynamics that shaped the PBSO. Finally, it draws broader lessons on the thinking and choices that were made during those early years.
