The Quaker United Nations Office welcomes the landmark decision by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to ask the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for an advisory opinion on “the obligations of States in respect of climate change.” The UNGA decision came after Vanuatu led a core group of nations, made up mostly of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and others, including New Zealand, to bring forward the resolution to the General Assembly.

2023 is an opportunity for us to celebrate 75 years of Quaker peace and justice work at the UN. Read our newest QUNO Review to learn more about the work of our New York and Geneva offices during this past year, and to learn about the work ahead.

On 29 March, QUNO Geneva engaged with the work of the Human Rights Council on systemic racism. Human Rights and Refugees Programme Assistant, Yasmin Beldjelti, spoke in both the Debate in commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and the General Debate Item 9 on Racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related forms of intolerance.

In line with our prioritisation of ending lethal disregard for people on the move as a core element of achieving migration justice, QUNO Geneva is engaging with both the UN human rights system and the UN migration governance architecture. 

The Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO), Connection e.V., International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR), and War Resisters’ International (WRI) are pleased to present a new webinar series on conscientious objection to military service in war time. 

The series will include an overview on conscientious objection to military service in war time and webinars each focusing on a particular conflict with the participation of conscientious objectors and campaigners on conscientious objection to military service.

This series aims to: 

On the 20th February, as part of the 29th meeting of the Human Rights Advisory Committee in Geneva, a discussion was held about the findings of an emerging report on the “Impact of new technologies for climate protection on the enjoyment of human rights” prepared by Patrycja Sasnal, the Rapporteur of the drafting group. QUNO Programme, Assistant Alana M Carlson, speaking under the Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC) and Amnesty International, delivered an intervention.