The Quaker United Nations Office is pleased to announce the release of our 2025 QUNO Review. As in previous years, the Review documents the work of our staff and partners across all program areas between our offices in New York and Geneva as we continue to support UN initiatives and influence international policy toward a more just and peaceful world.  

QUNO’s Human Rights and Refugees (HRR) programme recently provided a submission in response to a call for input by the UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Racism on the topic of intersectionality from a racial justice perspective.

Through our membership of the Transparency, Accountability & Participation (TAP) Network, QUNO NY has been engaging in the process towards the United Nations (UN) Fourth Financing for Development Conference (FfD4). The FfD4 process aims to create a global policy agenda that will renew the international financing framework, unlock capital flows and build on previous financing agreements.

QUNO recently provided three distinct submissions responding to a call for input by UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Climate Change and Professor of Global Environmental Law, Elisa Morgera, on the topic of the fossil fuel based economy and human rights.

February 1 marked four years since Myanmar's military overthrew the country’s democratically elected government. As the international community observed the anniversary of the military coup, QUNO NY hosted an informal briefing for diplomats by Charles Petrie, former UN Resident Coordinator to Myanmar. The meeting focused on the emergence of new governance models.  

QUNO NY Representative Kavita Desai joined a panel discussion entitled “Promise of World Peace: A Coherent Approach to Peace and Security” on February 7th. Hosted by the Bahá’í International Community (BiC) and the Permanent Mission of Portugal to the United Nations, the discussion focused on the UN General Assembly Revitalization process that makes recommendations on the functioning of the UN System, such as coordination among UN principal organs, rules of procedure, and accessibility.  

Attending COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan from 11-22 November 2024, QUNO’s Human Impacts of Climate Change (HICC) program was busy engaging with proceedings and acting in our capacity as official credentialed observers of the multilateral negotiations:

Each October, shortly after the opening of the year’s General Assembly, the UN observes Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) week. The week includes an open debate in the UN Security Council, which this year was entitled “Women Building Peace in a Changing Environment.” QUNO, in partnership with the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC), hosted a side event to extend this conversation beyond the walls of the UN, welcoming panelists from Uganda, Kyrgyzstan, and Palestine to speak to a full house of civil society and representatives of Member States.

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.