Resources

This is a library of QUNO publications, newsletters, and statements. Recent Publications

November 2024

Full Report: "Plastic Money: Turning Off the Subsidies Tap (Phase 2)"

This study by the Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) and Eunomia, conducted with grant funding from the Rockefeller Foundation and supported by Dalberg Catalyst, presents the results of a second phase of research and modelling to understand the extent of subsidies for primary polymer production (PPP) and the potential impact of removing these. 

Synthetic plastic polymers are ubiquitous in modern life, but each stage of the plastics lifecycle – from extracting, refining and polymerising hydrocarbons to disposing of plastic waste – contributes to climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss. Eliminating subsidies for plastics production is one measure under consideration by the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution (INC), which is working to develop the UN-mandated Global Plastics Treaty to end plastic pollution.

The study aims to fill gaps in the data on subsidies for the industry segment that processes raw materials for plastic, produces basic resins and extrudes them as plastic pellets. It builds on the results of a Phase 1 report to model the impacts of removing PPP subsidies against a business-as-usual scenario and finds it would significantly reduce primary polymer production. It also models the likely impacts on prices for consumers and finds these would increase minimally in the absence of subsidies.

You can find the full Phase 2 report attached below. 

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November 2024

Summary Report - "Plastic Money: Turning Off the Subsidies Tap (Phase 2)”

The Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO), in collaboration with Eunomia Research & Consulting Ltd., is pleased to announce the release of the Summary Report for Phase 2 of the initiative titled Plastic Money: Turning Off the Subsidies Tap. This report is being released ahead of the Fifth Session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) on Plastic Pollution, which begins on 25 November 2024, in Busan, Republic of Korea. This release marks another milestone in our ongoing efforts to provide greater clarity on the nature and extent of subsidies in the production of primary plastic polymers (PPPs) and seeks to serve as a resource for negotiators and stakeholders as they deliberate measures to develop an international legally binding instrument to address plastic pollution.

Important figures from Phase 2:

  • Global subsidies for PPP production: The study estimates total subsidies to polymer production at USD 45 billion in 2024, projected to rise to USD 78 billion by 2050 under a baseline scenario. These subsidies disproportionately benefit major producers, with Saudi Arabia alone accounting for USD 38 billion in 2024.
  • Production volumes: In 2024, global production of commodity polymers is expected to reach 306 million tonnes, rising to 590 million tonnes by 2050 under a business-as-usual scenario. China is currently the largest producer of PPPs, accounting for 103 million tonnes in 2024, followed by the United States with 40 million tonnes.
  • Impact of removing subsidies: A full removal of PPP subsidies would result in significant reductions in production volumes, particularly in high-subsidy economies like Saudi Arabia (a projected reduction of 2.4 million tonnes in 2024). Despite these reductions, the impact on consumer product prices would remain minimal, with an average price increase of less than 1% for most plastic-containing products.
  • Broader context of subsidies: When combined with other environmentally harmful subsidies (EHS), such as those for fossil fuels, agriculture, and transport, the PPP subsidies contribute to a staggering global total of USD 2.7 trillion annually in EHS, highlighting the scale of economic distortions driving environmental degradation.

The full Phase 2 report, containing comprehensive data and analyses, will be released during the week of November 25th to coincide with INC-5. It will include detailed modelling of subsidy removal scenarios along with a complete methodology.

Supported by Dalberg Catalyst and The Rockefeller Foundation, this initiative continues to be a vital resource for policymakers, civil society organizations, and intergovernmental bodies seeking to advance systemic solutions to the global plastic crisis.

We invite all stakeholders to access the summary report and join the dialogue during INC-5 to explore actionable pathways toward a robust and ambitious global treaty. Stay tuned for more updates and announcements during INC-5.

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October 2024

Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR): What is Sustainable and Just?

Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR): What is Sustainable and Just?

By Duncan McLaren and Olaf Corry

As atmospheric greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations continue to rise apace and global temperatures and climate impacts accelerate due to insufficient global action, many are placing hopes and expectations in large scale anthropogenic ‘carbon dioxide removal’ (CDR) to balance the global carbon budget. 

CDR comprises a range of ideas and schemes that aim to draw down atmospheric carbon dioxide (which is already at harmful levels) and store it safely. In pursuing a maximum of a 1.5°C temperature rise at 2100, the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) Reports include many potentially unsustainable scenarios with removal of between 6 and 11 billion tonnes of CO2 (6-11 Gt-CO2) every year for 50 years.  This would be a staggering amount of removal and storage and raises a host of challenging questions not only about feasibility and effectiveness, but also about safety, sustainability, legality, justice, ethics and geo-politics. 

Questions include:

- Are such rates of removal even possible in the face of technical, economic and social limits?

- Whose continued emissions would be counterbalanced with CDR? 

- What would a world of large-scale CDR look like in terms of human rights, sustainability and geopolitical risks?

- What do such calculations assume about continual economic growth and global inequalities? 

- Can CDR be pursued without deterring urgently needed acceleration of emissions cuts? 

This briefing paper offers some answers to these questions, highlighting uncertainties surrounding prospects for CDR, and social, environmental and human rights harms that may arise if we place too much trust in CDR – especially if CDR is treated as interchangeable with emissions reductions. We outline a pathway that restrains climate change and avoids unsafe, unjust and unsustainable technofixes.

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September 2024

Trade Issues and the International Legally Binding Instrument on Plastic Pollution: A Legal Analysis

Authored by Dr. Alexandra Harrington, the report provides a critical examination of the intersection between international trade law and the proposed global treaty to end plastic pollution (ILBI), currently under negotiation.

This analysis addresses key concerns raised in the ILBI negotiations regarding potential conflicts with existing World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements. It delves into the legal complexities surrounding subsidies, import and export licensing, and compliance provisions as outlined in the ILBI’s draft text, known as the Compilation Document. The analysis emphasizes that the ILBI’s proposals to limit, phase out, or ban subsidies related to plastic production would not conflict with WTO agreements, nor would its import or export provisions, labelling, and product design measures.

This work fills an important gap in the ongoing Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) discussions by highlighting areas of potential convergence between the ILBI and the WTO's trade frameworks. It also draws parallels with the successful coexistence of other multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs), such as the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions, within the WTO system.

The analysis serves as a timely resource for INC delegates, policymakers, and stakeholders engaged in shaping the global treaty to address plastic pollution. It offers a path forward for harmonizing environmental objectives with global trade commitments, and will inform discussions at the upcoming INC-5 negotiations in Busan, Republic of Korea.

This initiative is supported by Dalberg Catalyst through grant funding from The Rockefeller Foundation. The findings and conclusions contained within are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect positions or policies of The Rockefeller Foundation or Dalberg Catalyst.

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August 2024

Plastic Money: Turning Off the Subsidies Tap (Phase 1)

QUNO’s Sustainable and Just Economic Systems programme, in partnership with Eunomia Research & Consulting Ltd., has published the Phase 1 Report of their project titled Plastic Money: Turning Off the Subsidies Tap. This report represents a crucial step in uncovering the extensive subsidies received by the primary plastics polymer (PPP) production industry, a sector that plays a pivotal role in global plastic pollution.

The report focuses on the subsidies provided to the most energy-intensive segment of the plastics production chain, from the processing of raw materials to the production of basic resins and their extrusion into plastic pellets. The study reveals that these subsidies are substantial, amounting to approximately USD 30 billion annually across the top 15 polymer-producing countries.

This work is critical as it fills significant data gaps and provides a foundation for informed policy discussions at the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) on Plastic Pollution, which is tasked with developing a legally binding global treaty to end plastic pollution. The findings highlight the urgent need for better transparency and tracking of subsidies at both national and international levels.

Supported by Dalberg Catalyst through grant funding from The Rockefeller Foundation, this collaborative effort between QUNO and Eunomia serves as a vital resource for stakeholders aiming to understand and reform the economic drivers of plastic production. The Phase 1 Report is just the beginning, with future phases planned to refine these findings, project future subsidy trends, and model the potential impacts of subsidy reforms on plastic production, trade, and environmental outcomes.

Discaimer: The findings and conclusions contained within are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect positions or policies of The Rockefeller Foundation or Dalberg Catalyst.

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June 2024

International Standards on Conscientious Objection to Military Service 2024

This updated paper lays out the ways in which conscientious objection has been recognized and is protected under human rights treaties and mechanisms, taking into account developments in international standards that have occurred since the 2021 edition. These strengthened standards can be used by front line organizations as a tool to limit suffering, improve lives and challenge root causes of injustice.

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June 2024

A Government Official’s Toolkit: Inspiring Urgent, Healthy, and Equitable Climate Action - 2024 Edition

The Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) in Geneva published an updated version ‘A Government Official’s Toolkit: Inspiring Urgent, Healthy, and Equitable Climate Action,’ which is available in English, Arabic, French, and Spanish. This publication is aimed at enhancing understanding and communication of climate change.

‘A Government Official’s Toolkit: Inspiring Urgent, Real, and Equitable Climate Action’ has been updated with the most recent scientific findings from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) 6th Assessment Report (AR6). This report was compiled for just over seven years and involved hundreds of scientists worldwide.

The IPCC informs governments on what is happening, why, and what people can do to avert catastrophic climate change. 

QUNO’s updated ‘A Government Official’s Toolkit’ aims to empower policymakers and climate advocates with the latest IPCC findings on root causes and urgent, feasible, and near-term options that are already available at scale to address climate change and improve well-being and planetary health. QUNO believes that everyone should have easy access to the science presented to our governments.

This publication is accessible online and via a print-at-home version, which can be used for personal distribution and campaigning.

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June 2024

Climate Change: What We Can Do - 2024 Edition

The Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) in Geneva published a 'Climate Change: What We Can Do" (previously known as ‘How to be a Hero for All Our Children’) which is available in English, Arabic, Spanish. and French. It aims to connect people with the most recent climate science and suggests personal actions and questions for politicians.

‘What We Can Do’ has been updated with the most recent climate scientific findings from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) 6th Assessment Report (AR6). This report was compiled over seven years and involved hundreds of scientists worldwide.  

'What We Can Do’ is written for a wide audience, whether already active or new to climate concerns. It includes categories such as “What we eat”, “How we grow and sell food”, and “How we use and source energy.” This publication is meant to aid in our collective empowerment to transform the root causes driving planetary crisis. 

This publication is accessible online and via a print-at-home version which can be used for personal distribution and campaigning.

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March 2024

QUNO Review 2024

QUNO is proud to announce that the latest version of our annual review is now available online! This is a great opportunity to read and learn more about the work of our New York and Geneva offices during this past year, and to learn about the work ahead.

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January 2024

QUNO COP28 Resources and Analysis

QUNO's Human Impacts of Climate Change Programme attended the 28th Conference of Parties (COP28) in Dubai in November and December 2023. At COP28, the main challenges included delivery of an urgent, equitable and science based Global Stocktake, strengthening on just transition and mitigation efforts, and appropriate financing for adaptation and loss and damage. Details of our advocacy efforts can be found here

QUNO's Representative on Climate Change Lindsey Fielder Cook provides an analysis on COP28, highlighting how while COP28 broke certain silences around fossil fuels and blocked efforts to pass carbon trading frameworks, COP28 had its disappointments as climate finance and greenhouse gas emission reductions remain far below the historical and ethical responsibility of developed countries. The article originally published in The Friend is attached as well as two blog posts for Quakers in Britain.

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January 2024

Booklet: Sustaining peace and human rights towards just, peaceful, and inclusive societies

QUNO Geneva's Peace & Disarmament program works to highlight and reinforce the inextricable link between human rights and peace and to ensure that they are seen as mutually reinforcing throughout the UN's work at the policy and practice level, reaching out o a diverse range of stakeholders and in doing so to promote just, peaceful, and inclusive societies. Read more about our most recent activities and work on this in the booklet!

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January 2024

Booklet: Arms control, human rights, and corporate responsibility towards just, peaceful, and inclusive societies

QUNO Geneva's Peace & Disarmament program works on highlighting the arms-related risks to human rights and tackling the challenges in addressing these risks by building effective arms controls at the international level. Read more about how we do that in this booklet. 

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January 2024

QUNO's Engagement at the 60th Session of the IPCC

QUNO’s Human Impact of Climate Change programme, speaking on behalf of the Friends World Committee for Consultation, participated in the 60th Session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in Istanbul, Turkey. 

At this session, the panel was tasked with crucial decisions on IPCC’s finances and its work for the 7th Assessment Cycle. QUNO submitted three interventions: advocating for the need to focus on the transformation of root causes rather than feeding unhealthy reliance on fossil fuels through research on geo-engineering; for research that upholds the rights and knowledge of Indigenous peoples; and the inclusion of military emissions in IPCC modeling and greenhouse gas emissions reporting. 

QUNO’s specific interventions and a debrief analysis on the negotiations and results of the 60th Session are available for download.

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January 2024

Towards More Ambitious Goals: Reflections on the First International Migration Review Forum

The new FES publication offers a civil society perspective on how we can raise ambition for the IMRF to deliver for migrants.

The initial International Migration Review Forum (IMRF) took place in May 2022 during the General Assembly in New York, aiming to assess the progress of the 2018 Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM). In this interim period between IMRF sessions, authors Kate Sheill and Laurel Townhead reflect on the inaugural event from a civil society standpoint, documenting the formal processes leading up to the forum. The publication serves as a contribution to institutional memory and seeks to provide insights for future IMRF engagements. The review delves into the established constraints and emerging challenges faced during the 2022 IMRF, examining how they influenced efforts to enhance civil society involvement. Specifically, it contemplates the global follow-up and review process's potential.

While acknowledging certain successes of the inaugural IMRF, the paper contends that greater ambition is necessary, both for the forum itself and the implementation of the GCM, to effectively benefit migrants. It suggests viewing the IMRF not merely as a quadrennial, four-day event but reimagining it as an integral part of the broader UN architecture for migration governance and migrant rights. This approach aims to foster coherence across all relevant UN processes and entities, as well as to expand and deepen engagement from diverse stakeholder groups. Only through this comprehensive perspective can we hope to realize the ambition and effectively serve the needs of migrants.

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December 2023

A Practical Guide for Migrants and Other Stakeholders Using the Upcoming Regional Reviews to Safeguard Human Rights

Viewing the Global Compact for Migration as a useful tool for human rights-based migration governance, QUNO works with States, the UN, civil society and migrants themselves to ensure its ambitious, effective, and human rights-based implementation. QUNO believes that a multistakeholder, collaborative approach that incorporates lived experiences and expertise is vital for this process, to support this QUNO is publishing a short, practical guide for migrants and other stakeholders to engage with the upcoming Regional Reviews.

This guide is designed to simplify and enhance the accessibility of the Regional Reviews in an effort to promote engagement from all stakeholders, particularly migrants themselves. QUNO explains why engaging with the process is important and avenues of engagement with ideas for action, while also providing logistical information and useful resources.

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November 2023

Enhancing Meaningful Participation of Migrants, Migrant Organizations and Organized Migrant Groups in Regional Migration Review Processes

This paper serves as a call to action for all stakeholders involved in the GCM Regional Reviews, urging them to enhance meaningful participation of migrants. While the aim is to amplify representation, the document emphasizes the inherent diversity among migrants, highlighting that no single entity can universally articulate the experiences of such a varied group. The paper encourages intentional engagement with migrants associated with organized groups and networks, recognizing their potential to contribute collaboratively to policy development and advocacy efforts.

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November 2023

New Report: Strategies for Asian countries to end plastic pollution

Against the backdrop of Asia’s struggle with burgeoning plastic waste, the Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) has published a new report that delves into the complex challenges and potential strategies for addressing this problem in the region.

QUNO’s report, ‘Trade and Plastics — Fostering Sustainable Development in South East Asia’, was issued by its Sustainable and Just Economic Systems programme this month (November).

It focuses on plastic pollution in Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Vietnam and highlights the pressing need for systemic changes. 

The report highlights the growing environmental threats and economic losses due to mismanaged waste. It also exposes the intricate interplay between trade policies and sustainable waste management practices.

This critical study, conducted by experts from the University of Cambridge, transcends traditional discussions on plastic waste management. 

It underscores the urgent need to align strategies with the waste management hierarchy—emphasising reduction, reuse, and recycling—to combat the escalating crisis of plastic pollution and its socio-economic ramifications.

This study is an essential call to action, urging the implementation of comprehensive policies that integrate waste hierarchy principles. 

It challenges the current linear economic model, stressing the importance of reducing plastic production, minimising single-use plastics, and promoting sustainable alternatives. 

Its authors navigate the complexities of transitioning towards more sustainable practices, particularly emphasising the pivotal role of trade as a lever for ecological and social reform.

The report enriches broader understanding of the multifaceted nature of plastic pollution and fortifies QUNO’s advocacy for environmentally sound and equitable economic systems. It is a testament to the power of informed, cohesive action in the face of a global environmental challenge.

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November 2023

Integrating Human Rights and Sustaining Peace: Exploring Special Procedures

The report 'Integrating Human Rights and Sustaining Peace: Exploring Special Procedures' is based on a joint project undertaken by the Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) in Geneva and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), in collaboration with the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs' Peacebuilding Support Office (DPPA/PBSO). The joint project sought to pilot activities to explore how special procedures of the Human Rights Council could better integrate human rights and sustaining peace in their work and enhance prevention of both conflict and human rights violations across all pillars of the United Nations (UN). While the report does not claim to be comprehensive, it hopes to serve as a basis for continued reflection, learning and discussions in the lead-up to 2024 Summit of the Future, when the UN system is prioritizing prevention as illustrated in the policy brief on the 'New Agenda for Peace'.

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November 2023

QUNO's Submission to the Article 6.4 Supervisory Body

QUNO, on behalf of the Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC), offered this submission in response to a call for input the Article 6.4 Supervisory Board on how to meaningfully engage with Indigenous peoples and local communities. This submission calls for the Article 6.4 Supervisory Body to ground meangingful engagement with Indigenous peoples and local communities in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) AR6 Summary findings, approved by States in 2021, 2022, and 2023.

The Article 6.4 Supervisory Body is tasked with supervising and operationalizing the carbon crediting mechanism that was established by Article 6.4 of the UN Paris Agreement, a legally binding international treaty on climate change which encourages global action to help humanity and nature avert catastrophic temperature rise due to human activities. 

FWCC is an accredited observer of both the UNFCCC and IPCC, as well as an expert reviewer of IPCC Reports. In addition to FWCC expertise, the submission collated findings directly referenced from the IPCC AR6 Reports. We hope that this collation will help guide the Supervisory Board to ground its work in the best available scientific research, strengthening efforts to establish meaningful engagement with Indigenous Peoples and local communities. This is critical to avert exacerbating existing structural inequities, especially when considering land-based carbon credits in areas of Indigenous land tenure or where land tenure is insecure. This submission highlights IPCC findings that not only emphasize the risks associated with failing to engage meaningfully with Indigenous Peoples and local communities but also offer approaches to minimize such risks through monitoring and reporting; capacity-building; or incorporating Indigenous knowledges and human rights-based approaches

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October 2023

QUNO's INC-3 Joint Submission with IUCN on Plastic Subsidies

At its second session, the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee requested the Secretariat to invite written submissions on (a) Elements not discussed at INC-2, such as principles and scope of the instrument (using Template A), and (b) Any potential areas for inter-sessional work compiled by the cofacilitators of the two contact groups, to inform the work of INC-3 (using  Template B). 

Recognizing that the adoption of subsidy disciplines within the forthcoming treaty would be a significant step forward for advocates pushing for upstream measures to tackle plastic pollution at its root cause, the Quaker United Nations Office partnered with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) for its second submission to inform the work of INC-3. This submission addresses the pivotal issue of subsidies promoting plastic production. The document emphasizes:

  • Defining the commitments' scope, particularly pinpointing which production stages should be considered.
  • Recommending alignment with the World Trade Organization’s definition of a subsidy.
  • Exploring methods to manage non-specific subsidies, such as those supporting energy use across diverse sectors.
  • Advocating for the prohibition of all future subsidies that would further plastic production.

This collaborative effort with IUCN aims to offer well-rounded guidance for INC-3's agenda concerning upstream plastic measures and core obligations. 

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