Timeline

July 2020

Children of Incarcerated Parents and Violence Against Children: QUNO delivers oral statement to 44th Human Rights Council

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.

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August 2020

Connecting Civil Society Organizations and UN Peace and Development Advisors

Roslyn Akombe from DPPA moderates the session with QUNO’s UN Representative, Rachel Madenyika

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. 

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August 2020

QUNO convenes joint NGO key messages on COVID-19 and Business and Human Rights in Conflict-Affected Contexts

In July 2020, QUNO along with Brot für die Welt, Christian Aid Ireland, Swedwatch and the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), submitted an informal input with key messages on COVID-19 and business and human rights to the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights, for their project on business in conflict and post-conflict contexts.

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September 2020

QUNO delivers oral statement on children of parents sentenced to death or executed

Human Rights and Refugees Programme Assistant Najmah Ali delivering oral statement.

As part of our work to uphold the rights of children of parents sentenced to death or executed QUNO raises this issue in relevant UN meetings, highlighting legal developments and calling on all to act to limit their suffering.

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September 2020

The time is now: Recommit to Peace

Established in 1981 by the unanimous agreement of the United Nations General Assembly, the International Day of Peace (21 September) is devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace and a commitment towards non-violence. For the past five years, QUNO has facilitated the development and distribution of a sign on statement amongst peacebuilding organizations globally to mark the day and engage with Member States and UN stakeholders ahead of the UN General Assembly session.  

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October 2020

QUNO interviewed in UN web series: Building Peace During the Pandemic

Peacebuilding Fund

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.

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October 2020

Briefing Paper: Not Forgotten: Human Rights of Migrants at the 45th Session of the Human Rights Council

The Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) believes in the inherent worth of every individual and is committed to working for migration justice. This includes the promotion and protection of the human rights of migrants, regardless of migration status. Migration has been an integral component of our societies throughout history; however, migrants continue to face hostility, criminalization and violence which underlines what the High Commissioner of Human Rights has described as a lethal disregard for migrant’s lives.

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October 2020

In & Around the UN

The six months since our last newsletter have been extraordinary ones as COVID-19 hit New York in force in March. As the pandemic unfolded, QUNO staff members quickly adjusted to working from home, with staff reaching out to friends and colleagues throughout the UN system and to peacebuilding practitioners around the world, listening, supporting, and seeking to understand how these new conditions were impacting global efforts for peace.

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October 2020

Briefing Paper: Using the Regional Migration Reviews to Further Human Rights Protection

This updated paper is intended to help migrants, NGOs and other stakeholders to engage with the Regional Migration Reviews as part of their work to improve the promotion and protection of the human rights of migrants. The Global Compact for Migration (GCM), adopted in 2018, is a significant commitment from governments to take a people centred and human rights based approach to migration policy and to work together towards this. The GCM invites regions to undertake reviews of the implementation of the compact every four years starting in 2020.

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October 2020

Landmark UN Human Rights Council resolution on the prevention of human rights violations

QUNO was pleased to have actively engaged in the informal negotiations of a landmark new UN Human Rights Council resolution on prevention. The resolution, led by a core group of Norway, Sierra Leone, Switzerland and Uruguay, was adopted by vote at the 45th session of the Council with 32 in favour, 11 abstentions and 3 against.

The resolution included significant elements that QUNO had supported and highlighted, including:

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October 2020

The impact of arms transfers on human rights

QUNO was pleased to welcome the High Commissioner’s report on the impact of arms transfers on human rights (A/HRC/44/29, 19 June 2020) which goes beyond the focus on women and girls to include specific considerations on the gendered impacts more broadly and the role of violent masculinities in facilitating violence and militarism.

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October 2020

QUNO delivers oral statement on the human rights of migrants

QUNO works on the human rights of migrants at the international level to promote the protection of human rights of all regardless of migration status. As part of this work, QUNO delivered a statement at the 45th session of the Human Rights Council General Debate on the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action. This declaration supports understanding of the human rights of migrants, recognizing and reaffirming the dignity and inherent worth of all.

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October 2020

UN releases system-wide Community Engagement Guidelines

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.

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November 2020

QUNO NY Delivers Keynote Address at Quaker Model UN Conference

The Quaker Model United Nations Conference, hosted by Moorestown Friends School, has brought together students from seven Quaker Schools from across the world to participate in Model UN debates that incorporate both the Quaker Testimonies and traditional model UN procedures.  

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November 2020

QUNO delivers oral statement to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

QUNO has been working on the human rights of migrants at the international level to promote the protection of human rights of all regardless of migration status. Recently, QUNO has been working more on relating structural racism to migration policies, this work recognises that in order to achieve migration justice we must understand the role racism plays in migration laws and policy.

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November 2020

QUNO Contributes to Preparations Ahead of UN Meeting on Impact of COVID-19

In recognition of the multifaceted and universal effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s joint (virtual) session of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) focused on fostering global solidarity and conflict-sensitive responses to the socioeconomic impacts of the pandemic on development and peacebuilding efforts.  

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November 2020

Geneva Peace Week 2020

QUNO is proud to be one of the institutional partners behind the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform, the organisation that runs Geneva Peace Week – a leading international peacebuilding forum. This year’s Geneva Peace Week was delivered in a fully online format and featured three events co-organised by QUNO.

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