Timeline

Peacebuilding & Prevention of Violent Conflict

QUNO seeks to encourage a more holistic approach to peacebuilding and the prevention of violent conflict at the UN that takes into account local perspectives and the rebuilding of relationships. This includes a focus on the connections between peace, development, and the environment.
January 2014

Breakfast dialogue on Peace, Poverty and Violence

In December QUNO,  the Baha’i International Community: United Nations Office, and ATD Fourth World partnered to host a breakfast dialogue on the topic of “Peace, poverty, and violence; interlinkages for sustainable development.” The breakfast was attended by a wide range of UN staff, Member States, and representatives from civil society. Keynote speakers included a representative from the Permanent Mission of Timor Leste, as well as Sarah Cliffe, special adviser and assistant secretary-general of Civilian Capacities to the United Nations.

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January 2014

QUNO's Diane Hendrick co-moderated e-discussion on Mainstreaming Food Security into Peacebuilding Processes

Photo Credit: UN Photo by Paulo Filgueiras

Diane Hendrick of QUNO Geneva and Alexandra Trzeciak-Duval, former Head of the Policy Division in OECD’s Directorate for Development Co-operation, co-moderated an e-discussion on Mainstreaming Food Security into Peacebuilding Processes. You can read contributions to the e-discussion at http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/protracted-crises.

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February 2014

QUNO makes a Statement at the 17th working Group of the Parties to the Aarhus Convention

QUNO attended the 17th Working Group of the Parties of the Aarhus Convention as part of our work on Natural Resources, Conflict and Cooperation. This is a UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Convention linking environmental rights and human rights, focusing on the interactions between the public and public authorities.

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February 2014

QUNO participates in ACCORD Seminar on Peacebuilding Coherence in Johannesburg, South Africa

On 19 and 20 February Diane Hendrick participated in the  seminar “Towards a more Coherent Peacebuilding Policy Community”, in Johannesburg organised by the African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD), a Civil Society organisation based in South Africa, which specializes in the field of conflict analysis, resolution, interventions and management on the African continent.

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February 2014

QUNO attends first public meeting of the Arms Trade Treaty Network

As a founding member of the Geneva Forum, QUNO attended the first public event of the new Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) Network. The ATT Network was launched in 2013 by the Geneva Forum and the Geneva Centre for Security Policy as a platform to exchange information, provide practical guidance on the implementation of the Arms Trade Treaty and develop networks among implementation actors and communities.

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March 2014

QUNO contributes to AFSC article on Syrian women’s participation in peace processes

March marks women’s history month, and at the UN is the very busy time of the Commission on the Status of Women. QUNO New York staff contributed the UN perspective to this article produced by American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), highlighting the importance of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security, among other international tools for the inclusion of women in peacebuilding.

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March 2014

QUNO organizes a side event at Human Rights Council on “Procedural Rights and the Environment: Preventing conflict around water, land and food"

In March, QUNO organized a side event at the Human Rights Council on “Procedural Rights and the Environment: Preventing conflict around water, land and food". Procedural rights include the right to information, public participation in decision-making and right to remedy and complement substantive rights such as the right to life or the right to food. Jonathan Woolley of QUNO chaired the event and the Permanent Representatives of Ethiopia and Chile to the UN in Geneva spoke on existing and planned legal frameworks relating to the environment in Africa and Latin America, respectively.

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March 2014

QUNO co-hosted lunch discussion on the topic of "Reconciliation and Inclusion" towards sustainable peace"

Quaker House was joined by two members of the Club de Madrid on 11 February for an engaging discussion with Member States and key UN actors. The Club is an international organization of former heads of state working together for democratic leadership and governance.

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March 2014

QUNO participated in Open Working Group 8 on the Sustainable Development Goals

Quaker House welcomed many guests during the Eighth Session of the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals. QUNO and our colleagues focused on the topic of conflict prevention, post-conflict peacebuilding and the promotion of durable peace, rule of law and governance within the proposed framework for development post-2015 by engaging with side events and making statements.

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May 2014

QUNO hosts Canadian Friends at UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Peoples

QUNO New York is hosting the Canadian Friends Service Committee for the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues as they continue their dedicated work at this Forum. Pictured are CSFC members Jennifer Preston and Monica Walters-Field, as well as QUNO programme assistant Rachel Singleton-Polster who previously served with CFSC.

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May 2014

QUNO participates in Transatlantic Civil Society Dialogue on Security and Development

QUNO was invited to participate in the Transatlantic Civil Society Dialogue on Security and Development, a civil society process accompanying the EU-US High Level Consultative Group on Development. The outcome document has now been published as “Improving transatlantic approaches to fragile and conflict-affected states.”

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June 2014

QUNO Contributes to Peacebuilding Commission Annual Session

QUNO was invited to participate in the first ever UN Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) Annual Session in New York on June 23rd, which focused on Sustainable support for peacebuilding: the domestic and international aspects. Andrew Tomlinson, QUNO Director, made comments in the workshop sessions on “The importance of inclusion, transparency and consultation in revenue mobilization” and “Long-term accompaniment of societies in transition: a role for the PBC?”

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June 2014

QUNO hosts photo exhibit This Light That Pushes Me: Stories of African Peacebuilders

QUNO hosted an evening reception for the photography exhibition, This Light That Pushes Me: Stories of African Peacebuilders at Quaker House in New York. This photography exhibition highlights African Quaker peacebuilders from nine sub-Saharan African countries who have all experienced some form of violence and are now working for peace in their local communities. The exhibition, and accompanying book, trace the journeys that have transformed that suffering into a force for social change.

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July 2014

Read the New York office's most recent Newsletter, In & Around the UN

The New York office is please to share our most recent Newsletter, featuring articles on Burundi, Somalia, Peacebuilding, the post-2015 Development Agenda and the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.

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July 2014

QUNO hosts side event at the Aarhus Convention's Meeting of the Parties on "Building peace through environmental access rights"

QUNO  organized a side event on "Building peace through environmental access rights: preventing conflict around water, land and food" (download the briefing paper below) on Tuesday, July 1, at the Meeting of the Parties to the Aarhus Convention.

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September 2014

"Rebuilding Iraq in the Nineveh Plain" - A Briefing with Jim and Deb Fine of Mennonites Central Committee

Together with the Mennonite Central Committee, QUNO hosted a briefing at Quaker House from Deborah and Jim Fine, both of whom recently returned from four years of service with the Mennonite Central Committee in Iraq. Based in Erbil, in the Kurdish Region, they administered MCC's relief, development, and peacebuilding work with Iraqi partner organizations throughout the country.

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September 2014

Read QUNO Geneva's latest Geneva Reporter newsletter

QUNO Geneva is pleased to share the most recent issue of our Geneva Reporter newsletter and accompanying briefing paper on The Aarhus Convention. Other featured articles include updates on our A New Framework for Trade and Investment in Agriculture work, the Human Rights Council, UN Climate Summit, and Peace and Disarmament.

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November 2014

Freedom from Violence: Peace, Security and Conflict Prevention in the Post-2015 Development Agenda

On 19 November QUNO Director Andrew Tomlinson spoke as part of an expert panel as part of a four-day seminar on “Freedom from Violence: Peace, Security and Conflict Prevention in the Post-2015 Development Agenda." Hosted by the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA), and joined by representatives from Beyond2015 Campaign, and Save the Children, QUNO shared a series of insights and reflections to participants representing United Nations Associations from Armenia, India, Uganda, Rwanda, South Africa, and Venezuela.

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