As the Secretary-General boldly states in his 2020 report on Peacebuilding and Sustaining Peace, “civil society engagement and participation is indispensable to peacebuilding.” Civil society organizations (CSOs), practitioners and individual leaders are often the primary peacebuilding agents, working directly to negotiate and mediate conflict, supporting community reconciliation and rebuilding, and carrying out a range of programs and efforts to strengthen the very social fabric of society.

QUNO was pleased to have delivered two oral statements drawing attention to the human rights of migrants at the 45th Session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

As co-facilitator of the Civil Society – UN Prevention Platform, QUNO co-hosted a meeting entitled ‘Responding to Socio-economic and Humanitarian Impacts of COVID-19 Through Civil Society - Peace and Development Advisor Partnerships.’ This discussion was jointly hosted with the UN Development Programme (UNDP)-Department of Political Affairs (DPPA) Joint Programme on Building National Capacities for Conflict Prevention, which currently deploys over 56 Peace and Development Advisors (PDAs) around the world. 

As the sixth and final event in the Civil Society – UN Prevention Platform’s 2020 discussion series, QUNO co-hosted a meeting at the end of July, ‘Advancing Prevention in the Era of Climate Change: Leveraging Climate and Conflict Sensitive Approaches.’ The timely and pressing theme of climate security elicited active engagement from the United Nations, civil society, and Member States, including an intervention from QUNO Geneva’s Representative, Lindsey Fielder Cook, on human rights-based approaches to climate security.

During the 44th session of the Human Rights Council, QUNO delivered an oral statement at the Interactive Dialogue with the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Violence Against Children, Najat Maalla M'jid. The statement, delivered by Programme Assistant Lucy Halton, highlighted the ways in which children of incarcerated parents experience violence at many levels, including the heightened risks they are encountering during the Covid-19 pandemic.

2020 marks a milestone year for the United Nations (UN) as it approaches the fifteenth anniversary of the creation of the Peacebuilding Architecture. Comprised of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC), Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) and the Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO), this combined architecture is dedicated to supporting countries emerging from violent conflict as they seek to identify and implement priorities to build and sustain peace. 

2020 marks fifteen years since the creation of the Peacebuilding Architecture at the United Nations (UN), which includes the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC), Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) and the Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO). This UN architecture was created after recognizing that there were no dedicated bodies or funding to support and accompany countries emerging from and rebuilding after conflict.