QUNO

Against the backdrop of Asia’s struggle with burgeoning plastic waste, the Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) has published a new report that delves into the complex challenges and potential strategies for addressing this problem in the region.

QUNO’s report, ‘Trade and Plastics — Fostering Sustainable Development in South East Asia’, was issued by its Sustainable and Just Economic Systems programme this month (November).

It focuses on plastic pollution in Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Vietnam and highlights the pressing need for systemic changes. 

Over the past month, the United Nations (UN) has worked frantically to grapple with the unfolding crisis in the Middle East. 

The Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) staff in New York have been focused on the UN response to the deteriorating situation in the region and the unfolding emergency in Gaza. In partnership with other civil society organisations, we continue to push for the UN to lead in achieving a peaceful resolution to the conflict.  

The Global Compact on Migration (GCM) stands as a milestone in global governance of migration as it sets objectives and guiding principles to improve migration management. States committed to people centred migration policy and to developing national implementation plans. As part of the follow up and review process, the GCM’s Regional Reviews are set to begin in 2024, bringing countries together to discuss regional migration dynamics and assess progress towards implementation of the GCM.

Building on our many decades of work to ensure recognition and implementation of the right to conscientious objection to military service we welcomed the recent Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) workshop on this subject. This brought together stakeholders dedicated to ensuring protection of the right to conscientious objection including UN staff, civil society organizations, former judgers, and conscientious objectors (COs) themselves.

Peacebuilding has been viewed mainly as post-conflict intervention at the United Nations (UN), but the Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) believes peace work is needed throughout the conflict cycle.

QUNO takes a human rights-based approach to achieve sustaining peace. Focusing on human rights towards peacebuilding can further reduce the risk of violent conflict, end hostilities through inclusive processes and move towards reconciliation and just recovery.