QUNO

70 years ago, on July 27, 1953, the guns of the Korean War fell silent following the signing of an armistice. While the armistice brought an end to 3 years of fighting, it did not end the war. The parties to this conflict never reached a peace settlement. Today, the Korean Peninsula and many families remain separated between north and south. Tensions remain high with the constant threat that friction could escalate into a nuclear conflict.

Florence Foster, Representative for Peace & Disarmament at QUNO Gevena, spoke at the Human Rights Council 53rd Session during the Interactive Dialogue on casualty recording.

On June 30th, QUNO NY as co-facilitator of the Civil-Society UN Platform on Prevention, hosted a civil society briefing on the joint initiative by the African Union (AU), World Bank (WB) and Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to strengthen human rights integration into the AU Continental Early Warning systems. The discussion was a chance to reflect on the initiative, and for civil society representatives to provide input.

On Monday 26 June, QUNO’s Laurel Townhead spoke in the in the Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur, calling on the Human Rights Council to respond dehumanisation of migrants leading to deaths and grave human rights violations in transit.

QUNO NY recently attended the second session of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent which took place at UN headquarters from May 30 to June 2. This newly established forum, which alternates annually between the UN in New York and Geneva, serves as a crucial platform for people of African Descent from across the globe to gather to voice their concerns regarding the persisting violence and discrimination faced by Africans and people of African Descent.