Geneva

March 2023

New Opportunities for Breaking the Barriers of Systemic Racism in Migration Governance

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.

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March 2023

IPCC 58th Session

QUNO, speaking as Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC), took part in an approval process to finalize the Synthesis Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which collates the full findings of the 6th Assessment Report. From 13-19th March, 135 states and over 150 observers took part in negotiations to finalize the language of the Synthesis Report to communicate to policy makers worldwide the latest climate science.

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March 2023

Countries adopt landmark treaty to protect the world’s oceans

Late in the evening on 4 March 2023, the United Nations adopted a historic treaty to protect the world’s oceans. The Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction, or the BBNJ, reached agreement on what is widely being referred to as the High Seas Treaty. This came after weeks of grueling negotiations that built upon over two decades of talks on the issue.

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February 2023

Webinar Series on Conscientious Objection to Military Service

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: 

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February 2023

Respecting, promoting, and protecting human rights in climate action through the Global Stocktake

The Global Stocktake (GST) is used to monitor the implementation and evaluate the collective progress made in achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement. The FWCC has signed a joint submission on views on the approach to the consideration of output components of the GST. Read the submission to learn about the human rights outcomes that civil society organizations are calling for.

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February 2023

Intervention at the 29th Human Rights Advisory Committee on New Technologies for Climate Protection

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.

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January 2023

QUNO Two-Sider: The Paris Agreement and Nationally Determined Contributions

The 2016 Paris Agreement is an international agreement on climate change binding every country that has signed to act on the climate response. Countries are required to outline their climate actions through “Nationally Determined Contributions,” with developed countries leading on mitigation and finance. This 2-sider explains what the Paris Agreement is and how to get involved in
making sure that countries are responding to it. 

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January 2023

QUNO Two-Sider: International Environmental Law

International environmental law is central to climate action. For example, the 2015 Paris Agreement, is a universal climate change agreement through which both developing and developed countries work together on climate mitigation and adaptation. This 2-sider offers an overview of some of the key agreements and sources of international environmental law that can benefit local and national climate action efforts.

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January 2023

QUNO Two-Sider: Inspiring Actions to Create New Laws on Climate Change

The climate negotiations under the UNFCCC are the main form of international climate action. Yet, there are many international and local initiatives outside of multilateral negotiations that push forward ambition and creativity on climate action. This 2-sider features a couple of these projects, offering insight into actions being taken below or beyond the state level by both state and non-state actors.

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January 2023

QUNO Two-Sider: Human Rights-Based Approaches to Climate Action

Incorporating human rights into climate policies and actions is known as a human rights-based approach. Human rights-based approaches ensure public inclusion and promote fairness, leading to more coherent, legitimate and sustainable policy outcomes. Whilst some countries resist human rights, human rights-based approaches ensure that climate action is approached as both a technical effort to cut emissions and as an effort to address human rights and social inequality.

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January 2023

QUNO Two-Sider: Climate Change & the Human Rights System

The different organizations and committees that make up the international human rights system work to promote and protect what individuals and communities need to be safe and well. This 2-sider explores how climate change is addressed within the human rights framework and how to get involved in advocating for climate action that addresses human rights and social inequality.

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January 2023

QUNO highlights the importance of the arms sector when discussing responsible business conduct

During the 11th UN Forum on Business and Human Rights | OHCHR, QUNO Geneva partnered with American Bar Association Center for Human Rights, the University of Washington School of Law, PAX and Amnesty International to co-organize a virtual side event titled “Responsible Business Conduct - the case of the arms sector”

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January 2023

QUNO Briefing Paper for the Climate Negotiations under the UNFCCC: The Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform

Quakers support Indigenous peoples’ rights, based on our commitment to peace and justice. We recognise the historical and ongoing injustice faced by Indigenous peoples and the direct role historically played by Quakers in the genocide of Indigenous peoples. Today, Quaker support for Indigenous peoples in their struggles for justice has taken form at both the community, national and international level, including long-standing support to establish the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

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December 2022

The "Implementation COP" in a growing climate of accountability: A COP27 Reflection

Human Impacts of Climate Change Representative, Lindsey Fielder Cook reflects on the outcomes of COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh.

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December 2022

QUNO Stresses the Importance of Adopting Package-less and Reuse Systems to Address Plastics Pollution in a Workshop Organised by the WTO and UNCTAD

QUNO participated in a workshop on sustainable and effective substitutes and alternatives for plastics, co-organized by the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The workshop offered a scoping, stocktaking, and trade facilitation exercise of prospective plastics substitutes and alternatives, and provided participants with a strong technical foundation for more in-depth talks on sustainable, tradable, and effective pla

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December 2022

QUNO Statement at the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution

On Wednesday, 30 November 2022, delegates met in plenary to discuss key topics relating to the creation of a new convention to reduce plastic pollution. This was the third day of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee – first session (INC-1) towards the creation of an international legally binding instrument (ILBI) on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, taking place in Punta del Este, Uruguay.

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