Newsroom

Newsroom

A Push For Peace: International Day of Peace against the backdrop of the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly: An analysis by Nyeri Otero Flanagan

2nd November 2023

UN71000714_DSC_3914_

During the 1950s, under the sombre shadow of the Second World War, people from across nations donated medals and coins to fashion a bell with the simple message “Long live absolute world peace” inscribed on its side. The chimes of this Peace Bell now take centre stage during the celebration of International Day of Peace, on the 21st of September every year. 

This year, the theme for reflection during the International Day of Peace was “Actions for peace: Our ambition for the #GlobalGoals”, which was appropriate with 2023 also marking the mid-point towards the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Of the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Goal 16 is often referred to as the peace goal, and it calls on countries to work towards “Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions”. Beyond building ceasefires and peace agreements, countries are encouraged to tackle the root causes of conflict to achieve peace by peaceful means.  

In the wake of ever more severe global crises, what does it mean to act for peace? 

In his address during the celebration of the International Day of Peace this year, the UN Secretary-General (SG), Antonio Guterres, highlighted how peace is central to achieving many SDGs. As he explained, a push for peace involves conflict prevention and solidarity as a global society in order to address discrimination, support sustainable green development, and promote diverse and broad opportunities for women and girls.

This year, as part of the International Day of Peace, the UN hosted a special event on Youth for Peace, where enthusiastic participation illustrated the commitment of young people to supporting a just and sustainable peace. At the forum, the SG’s Envoy on Youth, Jayathma Wickramanayake, echoed the emphasis made by the SG, stating that “Peace is the result of action”. She also stressed the importance of tackling conflicts at their core, “underscoring the need for dignity and development for peace”. 

So, do the proposals made at the General Assembly constitute actions towards peace? 

The International Day of Peace also coincides with the annual opening of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). During the opening week of the UNGA, heads of states commented on the challenges we face as a global community and highlighted the lack of robust action. Whether speaking in the UNGA hall or participating in one of the summits that took place at the same time, world leaders made repeated calls for reform of the multilateral system. They advocated for the creation of a new system with the resources needed to build sustainable peace, and with the ability to renew trust within the international community. World leaders repeatedly articulated the need for multilateralism to be more representative of social, political and economic realities. Notably, there was a substantial call for Security Council (SC) reform, with some calling for a change in the power of the veto. 

Currently, the SC is comprised of five permanent members (P5) and ten non-permanent members. The P5 is made up of the United States of America (US), the United Kingdom, France, China and Russia, and they hold the power to veto resolutions. While regarded by some as a safeguard and promoter of international stability, this veto power is controversial at the UN, with many members considering it the most undemocratic element of the institution. This was voiced by Ukraine, with President Zelenskiy’s statement calling for systemic transformation. Particularly innovative in his statement, was the call for a shift of power towards the UNGA that would allow this body to vote to overrule the veto of any permanent member of the SC (P5). In the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Zelenskiy’s statement promoted greater representation with the intention of creating the more just and strong institutions needed to promote peace.  

Moreover, during this year’s UNGA, countries highlighted the impact of climate change. They emphasized the ever-more urgent need for robust action in the face of the enormous challenge that climate change represents for   achieving all parts of the 2030 Agenda.  Brazil, Sri Lanka and Costa Rica were particularly explicit, calling out the lack of investment in efforts to address climate change and SDG action, in opposition of the record levels of global investment in militarisation. 

Reflecting on the International Day of Peace amidst the backdrop of the UNGA, we can see that, despite peace being prioritised in Goal 16, all seventeen goals require and build on each other. This makes it vital to have peaceful actions at the heart of all work towards the SDGs. By taking action to fulfil the SDGs, we take steps towards peace.

Photo Credit: UN Photo/Mark Garten

Photo Caption: Volodymyr Zelenskyy (centre right), President of Ukraine, greets Secretary-General António Guterres (centre left) before addressing the general debate of the General Assembly’s seventy-eighth session.

Areas of work: Supporting the UN to Build Peaceful and Just Societies with Inclusive Institutions

Explore more

QUNO attends COP30 in Brazil: Report 1 of 2

QUNO attends COP30 in Brazil: Report 1 of 2

QUNOโ€™s Human Impacts of Climate Change (HICC) staff, Lindsey Fielder Cook and Daniela Campos, were present at the Conference of Parties (COP30) from 9โ€“23 November in Belรฉm, Brazil. This first report focuses on QUNOโ€™s activities and will be followed by a second report offering an analysis of both concerns and positive outcomes.ย  While knowing that more than 56,000 people from all over the world came together to share and negotiate global climate action, some might still wonder what happens inside COPs. To offer a clearer glimpse of this experience, we are sharing a narrated report of the major events, negotiations, and interactions where QUNO brought a Quaker voiceโ€”advocating peaceful, just, and equitable transformations of activities driving existential levels of climate change and related planetary crises.ย  Amplifying our Voice and Values at COP30 – Interfaith events : With our Interfaith Liaison Committee colleagues, we helped host an interfaith Talanoa Dialogue at the Lutheran Church Igreja Evangelica de Confissรฃo Luterana, bringing together over 120 people in person from all over the world, with translation between English and Portuguese, and more than 30 participants online.  During the COP, we supported faith-based colleagues in their efforts, including newcomers navigating the space, and engaged with […]

QUNO at the IPCCโ€™s session in Lima

QUNO at the IPCCโ€™s session in Lima

From 27โ€“30 October, QUNO participated in the 63rd Session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in Lima, Peru. The IPCC collates the best available climate science worldwide, and its reports help advise governments and policymakers on what is happening, why, and the available options for climate policy and action. During this meeting, country delegates, scientists, and observers prioritized three difficult key issues: the timeline for the publication of the 7th Assessment Report (AR7); the inclusion of high-risk marine geo-engineering in a Methodology Report; and gaps in the IPCC budget. On the first issue, and for the fourth consecutive attempt, country delegates were unable to agree on a timeline for delivery. On the second issue, QUNO worked effectively with a range of concerned countries and observers to prevent the inclusion of marine geo-engineering as a carbon dioxide removal technology. On the third issue, the budget was passed for 2026 but remains significantly underfunded for the assessment cycle. For more information about QUNOโ€™s work at the IPCC and our Plenary interventions, as well as the Earth Negotiations Bulletin, which references our (FWCC) interventions, please download the reports below.

QUNO Representative brings Quaker Perspective to Disaster Resiliency

QUNO Representative brings Quaker Perspective to Disaster Resiliency

QUNO NY Representative Kavita Desai had the rare opportunity to moderate a panel at the United Nations entitled โ€œInvesting in Resilience to Safeguard the Sustainable Development Goalsโ€ during a special event held on October 16, 2025, hosted by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and the UN Economic and Financial Committee.  The UNDRR event, โ€œTowards a Risk-informed approach to Development: Financing Resilient Development Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow,โ€ highlighted the need to increase investment in disaster protection measures such as early warning systems, community protection plans, and resilient infrastructure to safeguard progress made towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a series of 17 globally agreed-upon goals that form a blueprint for sustainable peace and prosperity. As Desai noted in her opening remarks, โ€œIt is well known that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure…investing in DRR saves resources in the long-term and futureproofs development gains.โ€   Desaiโ€™s panel provided valuable insight on the necessity of financing resilient development, warning that progress towards the SDGs has been limited and that current investments in disaster risk and resilience account for only about 25% of actual needs in many countries. The panel noted that this funding gap emerges […]

Real Costs of the Push to Rearm in Europe and Beyond: Implications for Arms Control, Business and Human Rights, and International Law

Real Costs of the Push to Rearm in Europe and Beyond: Implications for Arms Control, Business and Human Rights, and International Law

To discuss the costs and risks of exponentially rising military spending, the Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) Geneva, together with the American Bar Association Center for Human Rights (ABA CHR) and the Womenโ€™s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), co-hosted a public webinar involving a panel of 5 experts from diverse fields. The event, โ€œThe Real Costs of the Push to Rearm in Europe and Beyond: Implications for Arms Control, Business and Human Rights, and International Lawโ€ explored how the rapid increase in global defence budgets affects social investment, democratic governance, and climate resilience. It was attended by a broad community, with participants from the fields of disarmament, arms control, peace-building, human rights, humanitarian law, climate change, gender equality, representing governments, international organizations, academia, civil society, and members of the general public. Setting the Scene Dr. Yvette Issar (QUNO) underscored that global military spending has reached an all-time high of 2.7 trillion USD, a figure projected to rise sharply in the coming decade. These rising figures โ€œare not yielding greater peace, but are instead undermining our shared vision for a sustainable future.โ€ The following guiding questions were posed at the outset of the discussion: Dr. Nan Tian (SIPRI) outlined current trends in military expenditure, describing an โ€œexceptionally […]

A Call for Climate Action: Protect Human Rights and Decrease Military Expending

A Call for Climate Action: Protect Human Rights and Decrease Military Expending

HICC at the Human Rights Council QUNO participated in the climate and environmental discussions held in the 60th session Human Rights Council in Geneva. Through its Human Impacts of Climate Change (HICC) programme, QUNO delivered an oral statement on the critical role of human rights in climate action. Additionally, HICC contributed to a discussion on how military activities undermine the right to a healthy environment through their toxic and hazardous impacts.  Lindsey Fielder Cook, HICCโ€™s Representative, served as a panelist in the side event The Toxic Impact of Military Activities alongside the UN Special Rapporteur on Toxics and Human Rights, and representatives from Earthjustice, the Center for Global Nonkilling, and Dejusticia. The event discussed the findings and implications of the Special Rapporteurโ€™s recent report on the human rights impacts of hazardous substances and waste resulting from military operations. Building on the Quakers Peace Testimony, QUNO emphasized that war is an abomination of human rights and highlighted how this report proves that military activities harm human beings and earth far beyond wartimes. Lindsey also underscored that military activities are responsible for nearly 5.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. However, countries are not required to report these emissions into their National Determined […]

โ€˜Deadlock of Imaginationโ€™: QUNO Invites Reflection on Approaches to Sustainable Energy Transformation at the Forum on Democracy and Climate Change

โ€˜Deadlock of Imaginationโ€™: QUNO Invites Reflection on Approaches to Sustainable Energy Transformation at the Forum on Democracy and Climate Change

Lindsey Fielder Cook, QUNOโ€™s Representative on the Human Impacts of Climate Change, pointed out clear pathways and criteria to achieve sustainable and equitable energy access at the Forum on Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law. In its 5th session, the Forum addressed the theme: โ€œDemocracy and Climate Change: Focusing on Solutionsโ€, held in Geneva on the 13th and 14th of October.ย  Her contribution can be watched here. Joining the panel on โ€œInterconnected Solutions to Interconnected Problemsโ€, Lindsey emphasized that democracies prioritizing the question, โ€œIs this best for society?โ€ rather than โ€œIs this best for the economy?โ€, are more likely to deliver a sustainable energy transition experienced as fair and effective.  In addition, energy transitions that integrate human rights-based approaches are less likely to face societal backlash. Lindsey advised asking the following questions when evaluating sustainable energy policies: Lindsey invoked the words of recently released from prison Egyptian/British human rights voice,  Alaa Abd el-Fattah, to highlight a divide in global energy transition dynamics, suggesting that we are facing a โ€œdeadlock of imaginationโ€ in the Global North and a โ€œdeadlock of possibilityโ€ in the Global South.Other panelists provided clear examples and best practices on rights-based solutions in the sectors of […]