QUNO

QUNO New York’s UN representative, Kavita Desai, joined the American Friends Service Committee’s (AFSC) Action Hour on the ongoing crisis in Gaza on the 1st of March. The weekly space brings people from across the US together for a dedicated hour to learn about the situation on the ground in Gaza and to mobilize political action in support of peace by encouraging people to contact elected officials to call for a ceasefire. 

Ahead of the fourth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-4) for a global plastics treaty, scheduled in Ottawa, Canada, from April 23 to 29, the Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO), in collaboration with a coalition of civil society organizations and international entities, drafted a letter urging the Swiss government to adopt an ambitious stance in the negotiations. This initiative, part of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), aims to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution (ILBI).

The second round of Regional Migration Reviews are set to take place throughout 2024 and 2025,  starting with the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) region.

The Regional Reviews allows Member States and stakeholders to assess the Global Compact on Migration (GCM) implementation - focusing on regional priorities, enhancing cooperation, and monitoring progress.

On February 10th, QUNO New York hosted a group of Young Adult Friends (YAF) at Quaker House. The session was titled “Learning from Each Other: Young Adult Friends and the Quaker United Nations Office” and was organized in partnership with the New York Yearly Meeting. Over a day-long session, the group came together to exchange views on where young Friends hope for more engagement from Quaker peace practitioners, and how QUNO’s role at the UN intersects with these perspectives.  

February 2024 marked three years since the Myanmar (Burma) military took power in a violent coup following democratic elections. To commemorate this sombre anniversary, the Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) in New York, working in collaboration with the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), hosted a visit by two Myanmar experts. Z Nang Raw and Billy Ford spent two days at Quaker House providing private briefings to members of the UN community in New York.