Migrants are rights holders, their human rights should be protected regardless of their contributions to society. This is the central message of report from the Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants’ to Human Rights Council. The report emphasizes the need to transform harmful narratives about migration. These narratives draw on and contribute to dehumanization of migrants and feed human rights violations and abuses. Always a critical issue, the Special Rapporteur notes that disinformation often peaks before national elections.

Applications are now open for two programme assistant positions based at QUNO's office in Geneva from September 2024 to August 2025 working on: 

Human Rights & Refugees
Human Impacts of Climate Change

These are exciting opportunities for young professionals with an interest in international affairs to learn about and contribute to Quaker work at the United Nations.
They are open to Quakers and those in sympathy with Quaker values.

The closing date for applications is 21 April 2024. 

QUNO is proud to announce that the latest version of our annual review is now available online! This is a great opportunity to read and learn more about the work of our New York and Geneva offices during this past year, and to learn about the work ahead.

To commemorate International Migrants Day held on 18 December annually, the Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) is launching a practical guide as part of its Regional Migration Reviews publication series. International Migrants Day acknowledges the important contributions of migrants globally and recognizes the challenges they continue to encounter.

We are excited to announce the return of the Quaker United Nations Office Geneva’s Summer School (QUNSS)! Our 12-day residential programme takes place from 1-12 July 2024 at the heart of international governance in Geneva, Switzerland. Summer school brings together a diverse group of young individuals to learn about pressing international concerns, develop professional skills, and build a like-minded community.

Building on our many decades of work to ensure recognition and implementation of the right to conscientious objection to military service we welcomed the recent Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) workshop on this subject. This brought together stakeholders dedicated to ensuring protection of the right to conscientious objection including UN staff, civil society organizations, former judgers, and conscientious objectors (COs) themselves.

Every few months, the Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) in Geneva publishes the Geneva Reporter newsletter. In this latest September 2023 edition we share stories about how our staff found their path to Quaker House in Geneva, report on our annual Quaker United Nations Summer School held recently, and have a Q&A with one of our programme assistants who is wrapping up a year of working with our Human Rights & Refugees programme.

As part of our work to end lethal disregard for people on the move, the Human Rights and Refugees Programme has collaborated to draft a joint letter calling on the Human Rights Council to undertake a global investigation into deaths, enforced disappearances, torture and other grave human rights violations faced by people in transit across international borders. Joined by 228 organizations (by 25 June), the letter highlights the global pattern of deaths and grave human rights violations in transit.

On 29 March, QUNO Geneva engaged with the work of the Human Rights Council on systemic racism. Human Rights and Refugees Programme Assistant, Yasmin Beldjelti, spoke in both the Debate in commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and the General Debate Item 9 on Racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related forms of intolerance.