On 1 October, representatives of QUNO New York met with colleagues from the NGO Working Group for Peace on the Korean Peninsula to hear from Reverend Dr. Kim Hiheon. Reverend Kim is a pastor and peacebuilder from the Republic of Korea (South Korea), who engages in Christian activism on social justice, demilitarization, and unification of the two Koreas. The conversation took place in the context of a deteriorating relationship between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) and South Korea, as North Korea has stated its intention to abandon reunification as their goal.  

QUNO NY Representative Kavita Desai, as a co-chair of the Transparency, Accountability & Participation (TAP) Network #SDG16Now campaign spoke at pre-UN General Assembly webinar.  

In September of 2024, QUNO’s offices in both New York and Geneva bid fond farewells to this year’s cohort of Programme Assistants. Natalie Dewar and Nyeri Otero Flanagan departed from QUNO’s New York office to pursue their future endeavours, and Anna Aguto, Maria Kamenias, and Chatrina Schumacher reached the end of their terms at QUNO in Geneva. The entire QUNO team thanks these committed advocates of peace and justice for their hard work and contributions to our programmes and community. We wish them the best of luck in their next steps! 

QUNO NY gathered civil society representatives together for an intimate discussion on inclusion and participation at the UN on August 14th. The discussion centered around QUNO’s draft paper analyzing the current state of civic space at the UN and how agreed language from UN resolutions and past momentum for greater inclusion can be used.  

QUNO NY UN Representative Kavita Desai is co-chairing the peace working group of the 2024 SDG16+ Campaign. QUNO is a Member of the Transparency, Accountability, and Participation (TAP) Network, an international coalition of over 300+ civil society organizations working towards SDG 16 and the 2030 Agenda through advocacy and collaboration. 

On 16 July 2024, experts from Member States, the United Nations (UN), and civil society gathered at Quaker House to discuss ways in which the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can be made more relevant and responsive at the local level.

Between 15 and 26 April 2024, the United Nations (UN) in New York hosted the 23rd session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII). QUNO New York staff joined our Canadian Friends Service Committee (CFSC) colleagues in welcoming Indigenous Peoples representatives to Quaker House and to New York.   

On Monday 6 May, as news broke that Hamas accepted the ceasefire deal brokered by Egypt and Qatar, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the current proposal is “far from meeting Israel's core demands”.

On Thursday 18 April, QUNO New York staff, alongside colleagues from the NGO Working Group on Israel-Palestine, joined Indigenous Peoples outside the United Nations (UN) Headquarters to uplift the right to self-determination. Led by Indigenous partners from the Amazon, participants linked arms and performed a traditional dance to protest the ongoing denial of rights for both Palestinians and Indigenous Peoples across the world.

On 2 March, QUNO New York staff participated in the UNRWA-USA Gaza 5k, in solidarity with the children of Gaza, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), and our AFSC colleagues in Gaza. Thanks to generous donations, the QUNO New York team raised $2,909, contributing to an impressive overall total of $2,017,416. All funds raised will go towards mental health counselling and psychosocial support services for children in Gaza.