From 7-11 June, 2018, the Quaker United Nations Office in New York hosted a gathering of past and present New York Programme Assistants. As part of the American Friends Service Committee’s centennial celebrations, this reunion provided an opportunity for past Programme Assistants to gather in person to officially launch the QUNO Alumni Network (QAN). 

Over the very exciting four days, PAs from the UK, Ireland, the US, China, France, and Zimbabwe convened at the historic Quaker House in New York to hear about the current state of the UN, learn of new QUNO program work on peacebuilding and prevention, and to share and reminisce about their experiences whilst at QUNO. Program Assistants reflected upon how their experiences at QUNO impacted their professional career paths. Participants represented a wide array of careers, including law, diplomacy, policy campaigning and advocacy, leadership facilitation and peacebuilding, to name a few. By the end of the weekend, the enthusiastic group officially launched the QUNO Alumni Network (QAN), as a means to stay connected with both QUNO and each other, to provide guidance and professional support to one another and to spread the word of QUNO’s work. 

The Programme Assistant position provides an invaluable opportunity for Quakers and those in sympathy with Quaker ideals who have recently completed a degree to experience a year-long service involving everything from attending UN meetings to report writing, research, event planning and routine administration in QUNO's offices in Geneva or New York. To learn more about the role of a Programme Assistant, click here.