In February, QUNO was pleased to co-host the launch of the Civil Society-UN Prevention Platform’s  discussion series on prevention. The Platform’s timely discussions aim to support and contribute to building the collective capacity of the UN community in New York and beyond to advance prevention particularly as it relates to the Secretary-General’s vision for prevention.

The UN Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund (PBF), launched in 2006 and managed by the Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO), is the United Nations’ financing tool and investor of first resort in countries emerging from or at risk of descending into violent conflict. Through its programming, the PBF supports peacebuilding processes, addresses crucial gaps to build peace, and provides rapid resources when support may not yet be available from other funding mechanisms.  

Every year, the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) holds an annual session that brings together UN and Member State colleagues to focus on timely and key peacebuilding challenges and opportunities. This year's meeting, held on 4 December, focused on peacebuilding in Africa, particularly in the Sahel, Lake Chad Basin and Mano River Union regions. Key issues in focus included the transborder threats of armed extremism, underdevelopment, climate change and gender-based violence.

A Government Official’s Toolkit: inspiring urgent climate action, with 12 concise cases and 231 quotes referenced to over 100 published papers (now including the IPCC Special Reports on: Global Warming of 1.5C Climate Change and Land Ocean and Crysophere in a Changing Climate) is now available online.

On November 6th, QUNO co-organized an event with the Graduate Institute's Environmental Committee and the Interparliamentary Union for Geneva Peace Week, which focused on the links between peacebuilding and climate change. The well-attended panel explored integrating gender into climate-resilient peacebuilding, international linkages, and the necessity of public participation in all aspects of peacebuilding and climate change. Please find the full summary and Lindsey Fielder Cook (QUNO Representative Human Impacts of Climate Change)'s remarks below.

Read QUNO New York's newsletter, In & Around the UN, featuring articles on:

• Opening of the High-Level Political Forum
• The Quaker Peace & Social Witness visit to New York
• QUNO's participation in New York Yearly Meeting summer sessions

and more from New York.

The Child Rights Connect Working Group on Children of Incarcerated Parents, which QUNO co-convenes, welcomes the UN Global Study on Children Deprived of their Liberty. We particularly welcome the Study’s detailed discussion on the rights of children living in prison with a parent, and the research which has been undertaken on this crucial subject.

Laurel Townhead, Human Rights and Refugees Representative for the Quaker United Nations Office and co-convenor of the Child Rights Connect Working Group on Children of Incarcerated Parents said: