Welcome to the Quaker United Nations Office!

Peaceable Kingdom by Quaker artist Edward Hicks. Copyright©2005 National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. Over the past sixty years, Quakers have sought to support the work of the UN and its vision, like that of Edward Hicks, of a world where opposing forces could live together in peace.

The Quaker United Nations Office, located in Geneva and New York, represents Quakers through Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC). Since the founding of the United Nations in 1945, Quakers have shared that organisation's aims and supported its efforts to abolish war and promote peaceful resolution of conflicts, human rights, economic justice and good governance.

FWCC, which links Quakers around the world, has had consultative status with the United Nations' Economic and Social Council as an international non-governmental organisation since 1948. In July 2002, FWCC was moved from Special Status to General Status. By this move, the UN has recognized that Friends do work of importance in a very broad range of international concerns.

This status allows the QUNO staff to attend many UN meetings, to receive documents and to make written and oral statements and to suggest agenda items to the Economic and Social Council. QUNO staff also work with other multilateral organisations, such as the World Trade Organisation, International Labour Organisation, World Bank, International Monetary Fund and others relevant to our areas of concern. Click here to learn more about our status at the U.N.

Most Recent QUNO Publications:

• Children Imprisoned by Circumstance (Español), O. Robertson, June 2008 (pdf 678kb)
  
• Joint statement delivered to the 8th Session of the Human Rights Council on Monday 2 June 2008 (pdf 13.9kb)
• The importance of Armed Violence and Development (AVD) programming, David Atwood & David Jackman, (pdf 77kb) in May 2008 Good Practices Magazine: Inspiring Actions, Merging Agendas: Local and Global Programmes Integrating Armed Violence Prevention and Development (produced jointly by Viva Rio, Communidad Segura, QUNO and the NGO Working Group on Armed Violence and Development), Year 1. Number 0.(pdf 1.8mb)
• The Doha Development Agenda: The State of Play of the Negotiations, April 2008 (pdf 64kb)
• The Geneva Declaration on Armed Violence and Development:
  An International Newsletter on integrating armed violence prevention and reduction into development strategies
  Issue 1, April 2008 (English) (Français)(pdf 166kb)
• Geneva Reporter - Geneva, February 2008 - April 2008 (pdf 386 kb)
• Children Imprisoned by Circumstance(English), O. Robertson, April 2008 (pdf 627kb)
• Rights of the Child, 3-28 March 2008, oral statement delivered by Rachel Brett (pdf 69kb)
• Question for UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, 10 May 2008 FWCC delivered by Rachel Brett (pdf 113kb)
• Children of Prisoners: Not Seen. Not Heard. Not Guilty, 22 February 2008 written statement submitted by Friends World Committee for Consultation & International Catholic Child Bureau (English) (Français) (Español) (pdf 36kb)
• State of the UN 2008, New York (pdf 245 kb)