QUNO will co-host a side event during Geneva Peace Week on "Prevention and sustaining peace: human rights in action" on Tuesday 3rd November 2020, 9.00 – 10.30 EST / 15.00 – 16.30 CET.

Despite the centrality of human rights in the UN’s work to prevent the outbreak, escalation, continuation and recurrence of crisis and conflict has been increasingly acknowledged in recent years, policymakers and practitioners frequently still operate in silos and there is continued fragmentation in the UN system which impedes effective joint action and engagement on prevention, peacebuilding and sustaining peace.  Exacerbating this, funding remains bifurcated, undermining cooperative and integrated programming approaches between human rights, justice and peacebuilding programming. 

The side event jointly organized by the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation (DHF) and Quaker United Nations Office - Geneva (QUNO) in cooperation with the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is intended to highlight the intersections between human rights and peacebuilding; and how human rights can contribute to preventing the outbreak, escalation, continuation and recurrence of crisis and conflict – making the case for greater coherence across the UN’s three pillars.

Drawing on experiences from country level, the discussion is intended to demonstrate the value and impact of utilizing human rights tools in a range of sustaining peace efforts. The discussion should also identify opportunities for more effective and joined-up policy and operational approaches and action, and creative approaches to overcome identified challenges, including through utilizing entry points presented by ongoing policy and intergovernmental processes and fora in New York and Geneva. 

Introductory remarks will be given by the Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights. A range of speakers will introduce the topic – followed by an interactive and candid discussion with participants under Chatham House Rules.

Prior to the event, we encourage participants to read the background reading that can be found here and below.