The New York office is please to share our most recent Newsletter, featuring articles on the UN Peacebuilding Architecture, the New York Peacebuilding Group, the post-2015 Development Agenda and new staff.
In & Around the UN_May 2015.pdf 391.73 KB Statement on the political crisis in Burundi by ten Quaker organisations including QUNO New York.
QUNO Geneva have produced a new publication that focuses on the potential of environmental rights agreements to prevent destructive conflict around natural resources. “Building Peace through Principle 10, Access rights and the prevention of environmental conflict”, is a contribution to the ongoing negotiations to conclude a regional agreement for Latin America and the Caribbean on the right to information, public participation in decision-making and access to justice, in environmental matters. It uses case studies from the region to illustrate how public participation in decision-making around natural resources contributes not only to sustainable but also to peaceful and equitable development. This publication was sent personally to each of the country delegates, and civil society representatives, to the negotiations in Santiago de Chile.
As the post-2015 inter-governmental negotiations continue to move towards finalising a new development agenda, we are pleased to bring you an Author's Original Manuscript version of the article "Peace and Post-2015: Into the Home Stretch," that was recently published in the Journal for Peacebuilding and Development. Written by QUNO New York Director and UN Representative, Andrew Tomlinson, the piece reflects on the current state of play of the inclusion of peace issues in the soon to be agreed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
With the culmination of negotiations in July 2015, and the forthcoming United Nations Summit to adopt the post-2015 development agenda in September 2015, we will continue to work for the inclusion of peace issues in the final agreement. Together with partner organisations from civil society, we recognise this "unique opportunity for those with an interest in fostering peaceful, just and inclusive societies to help both to contribute to the grand vision, and to shape the way in which issues of peace, justice and inclusion are prioritized, implemented and monitored for decades to come."
A paper co-authored by QUNO New York and the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC) focused on civil society engagement in the UN's Peacebuilding Architecture (PBA), which includes the Peacebuilding Commission, the Peacebuilding Support Office, and the Peacebuilding Fund. This paper was written as a contribution to the 2015 review of the PBA and is based on interviews with diplomats, UN experts, and civil society in New York as well as field research conducted by local peacebuilders in Burundi, the Central African Republic, and Liberia.
Filling the Gap.pdf 2.85 MB QUNO delievered an oral statement in response to the Report of the Independent Expert on the issue of human rights obligations relating to the enjoyment of a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment. The oral statement is a joint statement from the QUNO programmes on Natural Resource Conflict and Cooperation, and Climate Change. The statement was delivered by Programme Assistant David Elliott at the 28th Session of the Human Rights Council on the Promotion and Protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development.
Text and video (beginning at 02:37:04) of the statement are available below.
This briefing note summarizes the recommendations and inputs made by civil society representatives from Africa, Asia, and Latin America who participated in a civil society consultation on the UN Peace Operations Review and the UN Peacebuilding Architecture Review organized by the New York Peacebuilding Group (the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation, the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict, the International Peace Institute, Interpeace, PAX, Peace Direct, the Quaker United Nations Office, and World Vision) and the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI).
In this issue:
In this issue:
Geneva Reporter - Volume 33, Number 2 (July to September 2014) 177.67 KB Geneva Reporter Briefing Paper - The Aarhus Convention 130.88 KB Minute 36 (the Canterbury Commitment) challenges Quakers to seek a sustainable, equitable and peaceful life on Earth. Britain Yearly Meeting is responding to this challenge by focusing on how to become a low-carbon sustainable community. The Quaker United Nations Office responds to the same challenge at the international level in our work on climate change, natural resource management, food and sustainability, and human rights.
This briefing paper connects the work of QUNO to the concerns and the spirit of Minute 36, describing the linkages between local, national and international levels of engagement.
The New York office is please to share our most recent Newsletter, featuring articles on Burundi, Somalia, Peacebuilding, the post-2015 Development Agenda and the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
In & Around the UN 1.52 MB Remarks made by QUNO at the UN Peacebuilding Commission Annual Session in New York.
Remarks made by QUNO at the UN Peacebuilding Commission Annual Session in New York.
Review of the activities of QUNO in 2013.
QUNO Review_2014_low res2.pdf 11.89 MB The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights call for businesses to meaningfully engage with groups who will be affected by their business activities. Businesses are increasingly aware of the importance of engaging with local communities throughout the process of a business activity, starting at the planning stages of a project. Civil society groups are advocating a shift from community ‘consultation’ to more meaningful models of community participation in planning and decision making. These approaches are particularly important in projects that affect local access to, and control of, natural resources such as land, water and food.
On April 26, 2013, the UN Foundation (UNF), Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO), the International Peace Institute (IPI), and the Post-2015 Development Team at the Executive Office of the Secretary-General jointly convened a workshop to assess the impact of conflict, violence, and instability on development. The meeting brought together members from the UN Secretariat, agencies, funds, and programs as well as outside experts to consider strategies for addressing the post-2015 development agenda.
This meeting note summarizes the key themes and ideas that emerged from these discussions.
IPI E-Pub-Post-2015.pdf 532.64 KB The New York office is pleased to share our most recent Newsletter, featuring articles on the crisis in Syria, sustainable development, women building peace, and QUNO's recognition as one of the world's 100 most influential actors in armed violence reduction.
Water and land are two of the key natural resources that shape billions of peoples’ livelihoods, food security, wellbeing and identity. Developing management of water, land and food that is equitable and peaceful is an increasingly challenging task due to a multitude of factors – such as resource degradation, population growth and violent conflict – that can fuel tensions and exacerbate vulnerabilities around natural resources. Increasing climate uncertainties now lend an additional urgency to the need to develop appropriate policy and practice at international, national and local levels.
Remarks given by QUNO New York to a meeting of the Security Council Working Group on Conflict Prevention and Resolution in Africa on the topic of the role of Governance and Institution-Building in Conflict Prevention.
