Friends World Committee for Consultation Section of the Americas (FWCC SOA) recently invited QUNO to a meeting with their Regional Coordinators to talk about our work and how Friends around the world can engage with us. It was a small meeting with vast reach, with Regional Coordinators from across the Americas, including the United States, El Salvador and Mexico in attendance, each connected to a Yearly Meeting.

Eleven leaders from seven international Quaker organisations met at Friends House London and online for three days in early December. They included our incoming and outgoing Directors in New York (Sarah Clarke and Andrew Tomlinson) and in Geneva (Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge and Jonathan Woolley).

QUNO was present throughout the entire COP26 in Glasgow, focusing on climate justice concerns, and strengthening ambitious, effective and fair international climate efforts.  Please see ‘read more’ for an overview of QUNO work and links to presentations, publications and statements, and an analysis of the COP26, ‘Two steps forward, one step back’, by Representative for Climate Change, Lindsey Fielder Cook.

At the Opening Ceremony of Geneva Peace Week 2021, our Representative for Climate Change, Lindsey Fielder Cook was part of the speaker panel to discuss ways forward for environment, climate change and peace. 

Lindsey joined live from COP26 to implore the critical role of global, regional and local climate action to avoid catastrophic climate change, while emphasising that “climate change is symptomatic of a greater challenge of how to live sustainably and justly on earth.” 

In 2021, the Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) together with our partner the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) hosted a series of meetings in support of the Trade and Environmental Sustainability Structured Discussions (TESSD) held in the World Trade Organization (WTO).

QUNO Geneva addressed the Human Rights Council (HRC) under Item 3 regarding the follow-up to resolutions on the contribution of the HRC to the prevention of human rights violations (HRC 38/18 and HRC 45/31).

QUNO’s peace and disarmament programme made a statement at the 47th session of the UN Human Rights Council during the panel discussion on the 10th anniversary of the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

To mark International Conscientious Objectors' Day on the 15 May 2021, QUNO is pleased to be releasing our new publication on conscientious objection and refugee status determination procedures. This report aims to support informed refugee status determination for conscientious objectors to military service seeking asylum by highlighting relevant international and regional standards and jurisprudence and analyzing national guidance.

QUNO’s Human Impacts of Climate Change programme is pleased to launch their new publication “How to be a Hero for All our Children”. Gathering climate science from the latest reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), alongside suggested personal actions and questions for politicians, “How to be a Hero” is an accessible resource to share with local communities and as part of educational initiatives.