On 16 July 2024 QUNO NY partnered with the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) and the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPACC) to host an interactive event during the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF, see more about the Forum below), which simulated building political will for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

On 27 July we remember the signing of the Korean War armistice in 1953. While the armistice silenced the guns and brought an end to three years of armed conflict, it did not end the war, and to this day the parties to this conflict have not reached a peace agreement. It is estimated that the war has produced at least 2.5 million deaths, including civilians and soldiers from 22 countries. Today the Korean peninsula and many families remain separated between north and south. This year tensions have worsened with the constant threat that this friction could escalate into a nuclear conflict.

The Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) in New York seeks a committed and motivated person with considerable knowledge and experience to carry forward QUNO’s efforts to expand support for the UN’s role in building lasting peace. 

This Representative position functions as a senior member of the QUNO team, sharing program responsibilities while taking particular care of QUNO’s Program Assistant program. 

On 12 April 2024, the Quaker United Nations Office joined with the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), the Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC), and other Quaker organizations in issuing a statement outlining a shared vision for lasting peace in Palestine and Israel.

On Monday 1 April, QUNO New York partnered with The Asia Foundation to host a workshop on Engaging with the United Nations (UN) System for the inaugural cohort of The Asia Foundation’s Pacific Women Climate Leaders, a program which aims to empower Pacific women to drive climate action in their communities. 

QUNO New York’s UN representative, Kavita Desai, joined the American Friends Service Committee’s (AFSC) Action Hour on the ongoing crisis in Gaza on the 1st of March. The weekly space brings people from across the US together for a dedicated hour to learn about the situation on the ground in Gaza and to mobilize political action in support of peace by encouraging people to contact elected officials to call for a ceasefire. 

 On 5 March 2024, Members of the Temporary Committee for the Indigenous Coordinating Body for Enhanced Participation, the Canadian Friends Service Committee (CFSC), and the Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) hosted an informal “Ask Anything” discussion with United Nations (UN) diplomats inviting them to ask questions and learn about to enhanced participation of Indigenous Peoples at the UN.  

On February 10th, QUNO New York hosted a group of Young Adult Friends (YAF) at Quaker House. The session was titled “Learning from Each Other: Young Adult Friends and the Quaker United Nations Office” and was organized in partnership with the New York Yearly Meeting. Over a day-long session, the group came together to exchange views on where young Friends hope for more engagement from Quaker peace practitioners, and how QUNO’s role at the UN intersects with these perspectives.  

On January 30th, Quaker UN Representative Kavita Desai delivered a statement at the annual Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Partnership Forum. In her remarks, Kavita highlighted the essential role of civil society organisations as partners in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those that work on the frontlines of SDG implementation.