As the United Nations-led Global Stocktake is being finalised, the Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) has offered two submissions to this assessment of international action on climate change.

QUNO’s submission — available for download here — was made on behalf of the Quaker organisation, Friends World Committee for Consultation, which it represents at the United Nations (UN).

September is an extra busy time at QUNO as we greet new Programme Assistants. In New York, this role is filled by two candidates every year and the position makes a crucial contribution to the running of our office and our engagement at the UN. This year, we are delighted to welcome Natalie Dewar and Nyeri Otero Flanagan to join our team.

The Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) consistently monitors developments around climate change.

QUNO approaches climate change as a peace and justice concern, and is involved in international climate negotiations, the Human Rights Council, and is an accredited observer of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Lindsey Fielder Cook, QUNO’s Geneva-based Representative at the United Nations, heads its Human Impacts of Climate Change programme.

On August 9, QUNO New York Programme Assistant, Sadhbh O’Driscoll, moderated a virtual discussion with youth activists from all around the world. QUNO is a member of The Global Coalition on Youth, Peace, and Security where the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has a ‘Knowledge Café' initiative to create spaces for young people to come together.

The Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) annually employs programme assistants to work with its Representatives at the United Nations (UN) for a year. 

This full-time position introduces young professionals, at the start of their careers, to the UN ecosystem, including other international organisations, diplomats and grassroots movements.

Yasmin Beldjelti was a programme assistant for the Human Rights and Refugees programme. She reflects on her year with QUNO, which ends in September 2023.

Q: Tell us a bit about yourself?

As the Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, it has been engaging in various ways with its most loyal supporters — Quakers.

Quakers are members of the Religious Society of Friends, an organisation founded on a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations and which is today a diverse global community.

Over the last few months, QUNO’s Geneva office has met regularly with Switzerland-based Quakers to strengthen relations and ensure they remain informed about its work at the United Nations.

On the morning of July 27, the Civil Society-UN Prevention Platform, co-hosted by QUNO and the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC), convened civil society representatives to meet with UN officials at Quaker House in New York.  During the lively discussion, guests exchanged reactions and feedback following the publication of the Secretary General’s New Agenda for Peace.

QUNO Geneva’s annual Quaker UN Summer School (QUNSS) hosted 23 participants from various countries recently, connecting them to the United Nations eco-system.

Established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1966 and awarded every five years since, the UN Prize in the Field of Human Rights is an honorary award given to individuals and organizations in recognition of their outstanding achievements in human rights. One of the two recognized organizations this year was the Global Recognition of the Right to a Healthy Environment Coalition.