I first stepped foot in the UNGA chamber at age eighteen on a tour while visiting New York City with my family. Taking in the vast expanse of delegate seats, the dramatic curve of the ceiling, and the UN seal shining in the distance, I dreamed wildly of one day having a place in that hall. Over the past few weeks, participating in civil society Action Days for Summit of the Future and experiencing the energy around the high-level week of the General Assembly, I thought often of teenage me.

While world leaders convened at the United Nations for the opening of the General Assembly, across the street at the UN Church Center civil society also gathered at the Global People’s Assembly to share experiences, strategize and mobilize in the face of growing global crises.  

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.  

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). 

QUNO NY attended the 2024 United Nations Civil Society Conference (UNCSC) with a focus on peace and connecting with civil society from around the world. Alongside Eunice Ndonga, Migration Director for the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) and Pauline Kamau, Quaker International Affairs Representative for the Africa Region of AFSC, QUNO NY UN Rep Kavita Desai joined the 2024 UNCSC from 9-10 May, at the UN Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya.

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 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. 

February 2024 marked three years since the Myanmar (Burma) military took power in a violent coup following democratic elections. To commemorate this sombre anniversary, the Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) in New York, working in collaboration with the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), hosted a visit by two Myanmar experts. Z Nang Raw and Billy Ford spent two days at Quaker House providing private briefings to members of the UN community in New York.