Timeline

March 2025

Highlighting human rights of migrants at the 58th Session of the Human Rights Council

QUNO Geneva engaged with the 58th session of the Human Rights Council with particular attention to the human rights impacts of the climate crisis, the right to conscientious objection to military service, the human rights impacts of arms transfers, and the primary focus of the Human Rights and refugees Programme: human rights of migrants.

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March 2025

QUNO NY releases "Civil Society at the United Nations" resource paper

QUNO NY has released the resource paper Civil Society at the United Nations aimed at addressing shrinking civic space at the UN. The project was inspired following discussions with civil society colleagues and diplomats on the difficulties civil society organizations have faced since the COVID-19 pandemic in accessing information and engaging in UN processes.

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March 2025

QUNO Welcomes Korean Anti-Nuclear Peace Action Delegation: Stories of Survival for Peace

On 4 March 2025, Quaker House was filled with energy by a visit from a delegation of advocates from Korean Anti-Nuclear Peace Action (KANPA). The group consisted of survivors of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and their descendants, as well as Korean and Japanese peace activists from environmental and faith-based organizations. This month, KANPA is conducting a tour of the United States raising awareness for Korean survivors of the atomic bombs, who are often left out of memorializing and reparations plans.

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March 2025

Quaker United Nations Summer School 2025 - Applications Now Open

We are excited to announce the return of the Quaker United Nations Office Summer School (QUNSS)! QUNSS provides the opportunity for young people to come together virtually  to learn about addressing global issues through the international system.

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April 2025

Quaker Solidarity with Indigenous Peoples at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues

Every April, the United Nations bustles with activity and energy as Indigenous representatives from around the world convene in New York for the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII). Since its establishment in 2001, the Permanent Forum has offered a crucial opportunity for representatives of Indigenous Peoples to assemble to share best practices and strategize for the advancement of their human rights under international law.

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April 2025

FWCC Submission to the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent

The fourth session of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent (PFPAD) took place from 14 April through 17 April at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. QUNO NY, representing Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC), submitted a statement to the Forum’s Secretariat sharing the perspective of Quakers worldwide on the thematic discussion on Systemic Racism and Policymaking: A human rights-based approach.  

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April 2025

QUNO and the TAP Network react to the UN Financing for Development Process

Through our membership of the Transparency, Accountability & Participation (TAP) Network, QUNO NY has been engaging in the process towards the United Nations (UN) Fourth Financing for Development Conference (FfD4). The FfD4 process aims to create a global policy agenda that will renew the international financing framework, unlock capital flows and build on previous financing agreements.

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May 2025

QUNO presents the 2025 QUNO Review

The Quaker United Nations Office is pleased to announce the release of our 2025 QUNO Review. As in previous years, the Review documents the work of our staff and partners across all program areas between our offices in New York and Geneva as we continue to support UN initiatives and influence international policy toward a more just and peaceful world.  

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May 2025

QUNO hosts SDG 16 Community Gathering

Grounded in partnership for a peaceful, just, and inclusive world, QUNO NY collaborated with the Civil Society Platform for Peacebuilding and Statebuilding (CSPPS) and the Transparency, Accountability and Participation (TAP) Network to convene civil society representatives around the UNs Sustainable Development Goal 16, also known as the ‘peace goal’.

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May 2025

Sharing the stories of Quaker environmental human rights defenders

QUNO’s Human Impacts of Climate Change Programme recently compiled an official submission to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders profiling stories of Quaker Environmental Human Rights Defenders. Gathering testimony from Quaker individuals and organizations in Europe and Africa, the submission upholds actions of conscience that Quakers have engaged in as guided by their faith and commitment to the values of stewardship, sustainability, and integrity.

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May 2025

QUNO’s Recent Work on Conscientious Objection to Military Service: Submission to OHCHR and UPR49 Recommendations

We mark International Conscientious Objector’s Day on 15 May 2025 in a context of increasing militarisation. Against this backdrop QUNO continues to work to uphold the rights of all whose conscience calls them to refuse military service.

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June 2025

QUNO spotlights Local Peacebuilders at FfD4: A Call for Sustainable and Inclusive Financing

The 4th International Financing for Development (FfD4) Conference began on 30 June, bringing together world leaders, international and regional organizations, civil society, the private sector and the UN system to advance a new policy for financing sustainable development.

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June 2025

True Peace Will Only be Reached Through Dialogue and Diplomacy

Quakers have a long history of supporting peace and nonviolent solutions. The Quaker commitment to dialogue and diplomatic solutions led to the establishment of Quaker UN offices in Geneva and New York at the inception of the United Nations. Since that time, we’ve partnered with the UN to uphold the dignity and worth of all so that peace can flourish. 

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July 2025

Is the Arms Trade Above International Law?

"Is the Arms Trade Above International Law?"

This pressing question was at the heart of a recent public event co-organized by QUNO, together with the Geneva Academy, the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), and the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR). Held on 20 May in Geneva, the panel brought together legal experts, UN officials, diplomats, students, and human rights advocates to hear about challenges in coming to grips with the arms trade, as well as possible ways forward.

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July 2025

Quakers Discern Genocide is Occurring in Gaza and Urge Courageous Action

The Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) has joined an international coalition of Quaker-led organizations in releasing a statement discerning that the ongoing military action of the Israeli government against Palestinian communities in Gaza and the West Bank constitutes genocide. The statement opens as follows: 

"'We are for justice and mercy and truth and peace and true freedom.' — Edward Burrough, 1659

As Quakers, we recognize the divine imprint in every human being and confess the equality of all to live safely and without fear.

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July 2025

Humanitarian Challenges in Myanmar: Navigating Conflict and Crisis

On 9 July, the Quaker United Nations Office hosted a private briefing on Myanmar’s humanitarian crisis in the aftermath of the devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck on 28 March 2025. At Quaker House, Gum San Nsang, Secretary of the Kachin Political Interim Coordination Team, briefed UN diplomats. With the monsoon season threatening to worsen the humanitarian crisis, he emphasized the need for the international community to address aid distribution issues, reminding them that “each day later is a day worse than before.” 

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