On September 16th, QUNO New York Representative, Kavita Desai, spoke at a side event in connection to the Sustainable Development Goals Summit. In her presentation, she stressed that, “for the United Nations engagement with young people on peace and security to be sustainable, there must be an investment in young people and in prevention.”   

On August 9, QUNO New York Programme Assistant, Sadhbh O’Driscoll, moderated a virtual discussion with youth activists from all around the world. QUNO is a member of The Global Coalition on Youth, Peace, and Security where the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has a ‘Knowledge Café' initiative to create spaces for young people to come together.

On the morning of July 27, the Civil Society-UN Prevention Platform, co-hosted by QUNO and the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC), convened civil society representatives to meet with UN officials at Quaker House in New York.  During the lively discussion, guests exchanged reactions and feedback following the publication of the Secretary General’s New Agenda for Peace.

From 30 May to 1 June, Kavita Desai, QUNO NY Representative, actively participated in the  fourth annual Sustainable Development Goal 16 (SDG 16) Conference. The conference was organized by the International Development Law Organization (IDLO), the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy. In addition to the conference, a civil society day was observed on 29 May. 

On April 26, QUNO NY hosted a hybrid side event for the ECOSOC Youth Forum and Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. The event titled, ‘Youth Impact: Building Connections to Elevate Action,’ provided a space for youth to come together at Quaker House to share experiences from within their communities as well as challenges they face when engaging with the UN during these forums.

The Quaker United Nations Office welcomes the landmark decision by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to ask the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for an advisory opinion on “the obligations of States in respect of climate change.” The UNGA decision came after Vanuatu led a core group of nations, made up mostly of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and others, including New Zealand, to bring forward the resolution to the General Assembly.

On the 75th anniversary of the United Nations, Member States pledged to strengthen global governance for the sake of present and future generations. At the request of Member States, the Secretary-General released the much-anticipated report, ‘Our Common Agenda,’ that provided several recommendations, including the need for a New Agenda for Peace (NA4P), to address the multitude of challenges faced by the international community.

QUNO New York staff members, Sarah Clarke and Kavita Desai, traveled to Siem Reap, Cambodia to join in a workshop held by the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC). The workshop brought AFSC staff together from Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and the United States to explore ways that different AFSC programs are working towards the shared goal of building just and sustainable peace. For Kavita and Sarah, it was an opportunity to build connections with exciting work taking place in communities from around the world.

On the International Day of Peace, which is held every year on 21 September, QUNO NY Representative, Kavita Desai, joined the Global People’s Assembly panel discussion, Peace and Conflict Prevention - Reflections on International Day of Peace. The session, held virtually, brought together civil society organizations (CSOs) to discuss the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).