QUNO New York’s UN Representative, Megan Schmidt, delivered a statement during the virtual multi-stakeholder consultation convened on 16 March by the Permanent Missions of Namibia and Germany. The consultation provided an opportunity to share first impressions on the Secretary-General’s proposal for an Emergency Platform. In her statement Megan highlighted key issues that are missing from the proposal for an Emergency Platform, including an emphasis on contributions to peace and the inclusion of youth in decision making processes.

Read QUNO New York's June 2022 newsletter, In and Around the UN, featuring articles on:

• Understanding the work of the UN: A Q&A on the war in Ukraine
• Our Common Agenda: A UN for the future
• Building Peace in Times of Crisis
• QUNO Launches a Youth Listening Exercise

The International Day of Peace falls on 21 September each year and serves as a day devoted to strengthening commitments  towards peace and non-violence. This is the sixth year that QUNO has facilitated the creation and distribution of a sign on statement supported by peacebuilding organizations across the world to engage Member States and the UN system. The 2021 Statement brought together over 200 organizations calling on the international community to refocus on peace, justice and inclusion in development, crisis response and efforts to address climate change and its impacts.

In addition, QUNO distributed a press release on the statement, which was shared widely with media contacts covering the United Nations.

As a co-facilitator of the Civil Society-UN Prevention Platform, QUNO organized and moderated the May 12th, 2021 virtual event titled Advancing UN Prevention Efforts Across Sectors and Institutions: Collective Pathways for Effective Prevention. This short summary outlines the central messages raised during the discussion and notes opportunities for engagement in policy processes to further the prevention agenda. The discussion built off the findings of the Platform's 2020 Discussion Series on the current state of Prevention to explore ways to strengthen prevention within the UN system moving forward. 

Read QUNO New York’s newsletter, In & Around the UN, featuring articles on:

• Building Peace through Reconciliation
• Supporting Country-level UN Capacities for Prevention
• 15 Years of UN Peacebuilding

and more from New York.

21 September marks the International Day of Peace, a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace and a commitment towards non-violence. Since 2015, QUNO New York has led the call from peacebuilding organizations around the world in issuing a statement to Member States and the UN system. In 2020, QUNO, along with over 170 peacebuilding organizations called for peace to be mainstreamed in the response to COVID-19, for policies to be inclusive, and for the global community to recommit to multilateralism. In addition, QUNO distributed a press release on the statement, which was shared widely with media contacts covering the United Nations. 

“We hold in the light those made ill by the new virus, their families and friends, and the dedicated people caring for all of us.” (…) “In the midst of rapid change, QUNO staff will continue to work quietly with international policymakers, guided by Quaker principles of peace, truth, justice, equality, stewardship and simplicity, and upheld by your encouragement and support.”

In this letter, the Directors of our New York and Geneva offices reflect on the impact of COVID-19 on peace, multilateralism and Quaker work at the United Nations.

On 16 April, the Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO), in partnership with the United Nations (UN) Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO), convened an off-the-record virtual discussion with peacebuilding organization representatives from throughout the world. The discussion addressed two interrelated themes: firstly, the Peacebuilding Fund’s (PBF) annual Gender and Youth Promotion Initiative (GYPI) funding calls; and, secondly, the impacts of COVID-19 on peacebuilding. This document provides an overview of the key themes, issues and ideas that emerged during the discussion, with no attribution to participants given the off-the-record nature of the meeting.

Read QUNO New York's newsletter, In & Around the UN, featuring articles on:

• Opening of the High-Level Political Forum
• The Quaker Peace & Social Witness visit to New York
• QUNO's participation in New York Yearly Meeting summer sessions

and more from New York.