10 October marks the World Day Against the Death Penalty which this year focuses children of parents sentenced to death or executed with the title Children: The Unseen Victims of the Death Penalty.  The World Day will draw attention to the impact on children of parental death sentences and executions.

Focusing on the theme, “Seizing the Moment for Peace in a Disrupted World,” the annual Alliance for Peacebuilding gathering, Peace Con, provided a timely opportunity for convening the global peacebuilding community to explore a range of issues impacting the field. One such topic that was a reoccurring theme for discussion across sessions was the global closing of civic space and the adverse impact this is having on initiatives to build and sustain peace.

At the 42^nd session of the Human Rights Council, QUNO welcomed several discussions and documents which incorporated a focus on children of parents incarcerated parents, and children of parents sentenced to death or executed. We delivered an oral statement on the rights of children of parents sentenced to death or executed.

21 September marks the International Day of Peace, which was established in 1981 by a unanimous resolution in the UN’s General Assembly. To mark the day, QUNO and over 100 additional peacebuilding organizations from throughout the world issued a statement to United Nations Member States that brings attention to peace concerns. 

QUNO, under the Friends World Committee for Consultation, is the only faith-based organization accredited as an observer to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which  collates climate science findings to advise all countries. While government representatives cannot change text in the reports, they can negotiate language in the Summary for Policy Makers (SPM), so long as the integrity of the findings is not affected. Negotiation can result in weakening SPM language.

QUNO New York’s Director, Andrew Tomlinson, was pleased to have an interview with fellow Quaker organization, the Friends Committee on National Legislation. Speaking with Chris Kearns-McCoy, a Program Assistant with FCNL’s Communications team, Andrew reflected on Quaker work at the United Nations.