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 June 12, civil society and UN colleagues gathered at Quaker House to reflect on the fifth anniversary of the ‘Pathways for Peace: Inclusive Approaches to Preventing Violent Conflict’ Report. The event was co-hosted by QUNO, the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC) and the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation (DHF).

On 15 February, QUNO NY’s UN representative, Kavita Desai, delivered an intervention at the Summit of the Future Multistakeholder Consultation hosted virtually by the Ambassadors of Germany and Namibia who are leading this process.

Our June 2022 newsletter shares updates from the work carried out by our New York office over recent months. Highlights include: a Q&A article on questions about the war in Ukraine and the UN; information on a new QUNO initiative on Youth, Peace and Security; the publication of our policy document, Building Peace in Times of Crisis; and news about staff comings and goings. Also hear from our new Director, Sarah Clarke, in her Director’s letter where she reflects on the state of multilateralism and the long commitment of Quaker witness at the UN.

The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) and the Quaker United Nations Committee - New York are pleased to announce that Sarah Clarke will be assuming the role of Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) New York Director on November 1.

The Civil Society – UN Prevention Platform, co-facilitated by QUNO, hosted its first virtual event of 2021. This virtual convening, titled Advancing UN Prevention Efforts Across Sectors and Institutions: Collective Pathways for Effective Prevention, centered on the current state of prevention at the United Nations (UN), building on the Platform’s 2020 Discussion Series on Prevention.

As part of its ongoing work with Peace and Development Advisors (PDAs) through the Civil Society – UN Prevention Platform, QUNO co-hosted the virtual event, Strengthening Partnerships: Preventing Conflict Together. This was the second meeting in the Platform’s series to strengthen civil society – UN collaboration through enhanced partnerships with PDAs.

In recognition of the impact of COVID-19 on the world and global peace and security, the United Nations (UN) Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO) has convened a series of conversations that have welcomed UN staff working at both the country level and headquarters level to share insights on their understanding of peacebuilding in the context of the pandemic. QUNO Director, Andrew Tomlinson, was invited to be interviewed for such a discussion, with QUNO serving as the first civil society organization to share reflections in this series.