Timeline

May 2024

"Peace Game” challenges UN stakeholders to invest in peace.

On 2 May 2024, the Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) partnered with the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) and the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPACC) to stage a Peace Game simulation with representatives from non-governmental organizations, civil society representatives, local Quakers, and other UN stakeholders.

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May 2024

QUNO NY and AFSC Join the UN Civil Society Conference

QUNO NY attended the 2024 United Nations Civil Society Conference (UNCSC) with a focus on peace and connecting with civil society from around the world. Alongside Eunice Ndonga, Migration Director for the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) and Pauline Kamau, Quaker International Affairs Representative for the Africa Region of AFSC, QUNO NY UN Rep Kavita Desai joined the 2024 UNCSC from 9-10 May, at the UN Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya.

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May 2024

QUNO New York seeks a UN Representative, Program

The Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) in New York seeks a committed and motivated person with considerable knowledge and experience to carry forward QUNO’s efforts to expand support for the UN’s role in building lasting peace. 

This Representative position functions as a senior member of the QUNO team, sharing program responsibilities while taking particular care of QUNO’s Program Assistant program. 

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May 2024

QUNO meets faith groups about climate change as a peace and justice concern

QUNO’s Human Impacts of Climate Change (HICC) programme works to connect our advocacy at the multilateral level with grassroots and faith communities.

In March and April, HICC Representative Lindsey Fielder Cook met with the First Congregational Church of Sheffield in Massachusetts, USA, and Aotearoa/New Zealand Yearly Meeting. She discussed QUNO’s advocacy to transform the root causes driving planetary crisis and personal and political actions that everyone can take.

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May 2024

QUNO Updates from INC-4 in Ottawa: Navigating Complexities Towards a Global Plastics Treaty

As the fourth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-4) to develop an international legally binding instrument (ILBI) on plastic pollution concluded in Ottawa, Canada, it highlighted significant contrasts in the negotiation dynamics. Despite the shared urgency to address global plastic pollution, diverging views on the approach and scope of the treaty underscored the session.

Challenges Encountered

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May 2024

QUNO New York Welcomes the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues

Between 15 and 26 April 2024, the United Nations (UN) in New York hosted the 23rd session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII). QUNO New York staff joined our Canadian Friends Service Committee (CFSC) colleagues in welcoming Indigenous Peoples representatives to Quaker House and to New York.   

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June 2024

QUNO advocates for ethical climate action at climate negotiations

QUNO’s Human Impact of Climate Change (HICC) team, Lindsey and Anna, spent the past two weeks at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations in Bonn, Germany, advocating for urgent, equitable, near-term available-at-scale climate policies. Negotiations were tense and Parties disagreed over key issues on climate finance and mitigation.

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June 2024

QUNO publishes guide on climate science and actions in four languages

QUNO Geneva has now published 'Climate Change: What We Can Do' (previously known as 'How To Be A Hero For All Our Children') in four languages: Arabic, English, French, and Spanish. 

The guide connects climate science to actions we can take to aid in our collective empowerment to transform the root causes driving planetary crisis.

'What We Can Do' has been updated with the most recent scientific findings from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) 6th Assessment Report (AR6).

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June 2024

A Deeper Dive: Challenges and Opportunities Facing the UN, and the Role of Quakers

Working at the UN, it’s easy to feel discouraged. Over recent years, staff of the Quaker UN Offices in Geneva and New York have had front-row seats watching repeated instances when powerful countries have ignored basic tenets of international law and not lived up to their commitments under the UN Charter. At a recent meeting of the Quaker UN Committee in Geneva, Switzerland, we were asked to reflect on the current state of the UN, including the challenges and opportunities facing the institution. 

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June 2024

QUNO's climate science toolkit for government officials now available in four languages

The Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) in Geneva has now published ‘A Government Official’s Toolkit: Inspiring Urgent, Healthy, Equitable, and Available at Scale Climate Action’ in four languages: Arabic, English, French and Spanish.

This toolkit aims to enhance understanding and communication of climate change and climate science, using the most recent scientific findings from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) 6th Assessment Report (AR6). This report was compiled over a period of just more than seven years and involved hundreds of scientists worldwide. 

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June 2024

Geneva Reporter newest edition online for download

Every few months, the Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) in Geneva publishes the Geneva Reporter newsletter. In this latest edition we share updates on our programmes and links to our latest publications.

Geneva Reporter is freely available for download at the link further down on this page. We would appreciate it if you share it with anyone who might be interested in our work at the United Nations. Enjoy reading! 

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July 2024

Implementing the Sustainable Development Goals: thinking globally, acting locally

On 16 July 2024, experts from Member States, the United Nations (UN), and civil society gathered at Quaker House to discuss ways in which the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can be made more relevant and responsive at the local level.

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July 2024

QUNO NY Joins SDG 16+ Campaign focused on peace

QUNO NY UN Representative Kavita Desai is co-chairing the peace working group of the 2024 SDG16+ Campaign. QUNO is a Member of the Transparency, Accountability, and Participation (TAP) Network, an international coalition of over 300+ civil society organizations working towards SDG 16 and the 2030 Agenda through advocacy and collaboration. 

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July 2024

Interactive Event: Diplomacy for Sustainable Development

On 16 July 2024 QUNO NY partnered with the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) and the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPACC) to host an interactive event during the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF, see more about the Forum below), which simulated building political will for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

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July 2024

Beyond the Armistice: Opportunities for Peace on the Korean Peninsula

On 27 July we remember the signing of the Korean War armistice in 1953. While the armistice silenced the guns and brought an end to three years of armed conflict, it did not end the war, and to this day the parties to this conflict have not reached a peace agreement. It is estimated that the war has produced at least 2.5 million deaths, including civilians and soldiers from 22 countries. Today the Korean peninsula and many families remain separated between north and south. This year tensions have worsened with the constant threat that this friction could escalate into a nuclear conflict.

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July 2024

QUNO Geneva hosts annual summer school  

QUNO Geneva recently hosted its annual Quaker UN Summer School (QUNSS) from July 1 to 12, 2024, organized around the theme "The Puzzle of International Geneva: Working Together for a Just, Equitable, and Peaceful Future for All." Through this theme, the programme explored how States, UN organizations, international groups, civil society, and grassroots organizations engage with one another and the mechanisms in Geneva. The participants learned where QUNO fits in the puzzle, using our dialogue and a commitment to the long term to advocate for peace, justice, and sustainability.   

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July 2024

Departure of QUNO Geneva Director

We regret to announce that Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge left her post of Director of QUNO Geneva on June 30th 2024 to take up new challenges. She has served in this role for almost 3 years and contributed greatly to QUNO’s projects and development. The Quaker United Nations Committee wishes her the best in her future endeavors and is grateful for her valuable contributions to the organization.

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July 2024

QUNO Geneva seeks a Finance Officer

The Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO), Geneva, is seeking a well-qualified, highly motivated, part-time Finance Officer to join its small staff team. Under the supervision of the Director, the Finance Officer has primary responsibility for the smooth financial administration of a small non-profit organisation, including ensuring bookkeeping and accounting functions, producing regular management accounts, and supporting the development of budgets for funding applications and financial reporting as required by donors. Full details and instructions on how to apply here.

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July 2024

Human Rights of Migrants - action needed to end dehumanization

Migrants are rights holders, their human rights should be protected regardless of their contributions to society. This is the central message of report from the Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants’ to Human Rights Council. The report emphasizes the need to transform harmful narratives about migration. These narratives draw on and contribute to dehumanization of migrants and feed human rights violations and abuses. Always a critical issue, the Special Rapporteur notes that disinformation often peaks before national elections.

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