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.  

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.

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.

On 26 January 2025, the community of Cropwell Meeting in Marlton, New Jersey welcomed representatives from QUNO’s New York office to share ongoing efforts to advocate for Quaker concerns and values at the United Nations. QUNO NY Director Sarah Clarke gave a short presentation highlighting how QUNO’s approach to facilitating dialogue helps to strengthen connections between leaders, advocates for peace, and those directly impacted by conflict. 

On 12 February 2025, QUNO NY staff attended the annual Civil Society Townhall with the President of the General Assembly. Under the theme “Unity in Diversity for the advancement of peace, sustainable development and human dignity for everyone everywhere,” President of the 79th General Assembly, Philémon Yang of Cameroon, engaged with members of civil society on their role in implementing the Pact for the Future.

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.

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.