Timeline

February 2023

Webinar Series on Conscientious Objection to Military Service

The Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO), Connection e.V., International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR), and War Resisters’ International (WRI) are pleased to present a new webinar series on conscientious objection to military service in war time. 

The series will include an overview on conscientious objection to military service in war time and webinars each focusing on a particular conflict with the participation of conscientious objectors and campaigners on conscientious objection to military service.

 

This series aims to: 

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January 2023

Civil Society-UN Prevention Platform submission for UN’s New Agenda for Peace

On the 75th anniversary of the United Nations, Member States pledged to strengthen global governance for the sake of present and future generations. At the request of Member States, the Secretary-General released the much-anticipated report, ‘Our Common Agenda,’ that provided several recommendations, including the need for a New Agenda for Peace (NA4P), to address the multitude of challenges faced by the international community.

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January 2023

Quaker United Nations Summer School 2023 - Applications Now Open

We are excited to announce the return of summer school! This year's program will be in person for the first time since 2019. Our 12-day residential programme takes place at the heart of international governance in Geneva, Switzerland.  Summer school together a diverse group of individuals to learn about pressing international concerns, develop professional skills, and build a like-minded community. Participants will be equipped with the skills to think constructively about the value of the multilateral system and international politics while enjoying opportunities to discover Geneva.

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January 2023

QUNO highlights the importance of the arms sector when discussing responsible business conduct

During the 11th UN Forum on Business and Human Rights | OHCHR, QUNO Geneva partnered with American Bar Association Center for Human Rights, the University of Washington School of Law, PAX and Amnesty International to co-organize a virtual side event titled “Responsible Business Conduct - the case of the arms sector”

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December 2022

The 1st session of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent

In August 2021, the General Assembly adopted its resolution 75/314, in which it formally operationalized the Permanent Forum as a consultative mechanism for people of African descent and other relevant stakeholders, as well as an advisory body to the Human Rights Council.  Additionally, the Permanent Forum has been tasked with contributing to the elaboration of a UN declaration on the promotion, protection, and full respect of the human rights of people of African descent.

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December 2022

Briefing paper: Using the Outcomes of the International Migration Review Forum for Migration Justice

The 2022 International Migration Review Forum was the first global reflection by States on the implementation of the GCM so far. While it succeeded in demonstrating a commitment to human rights-based multilateralism on migration within the United Nations, it did not deliver on all the demands and concerns of those working for migration justice. Further work is needed to make the best use of this steppingstone by building on its outcomes, including the progress declaration, national reviews and statements, and pledges. 

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December 2022

QUNO New York staff attends UN PGA townhall

On December 2, QUNO NY Programme Assistant, Sadhbh O’Driscoll, attended the UN-Civil Society Townhall. The event was held at UN headquarters in New York with the President of the 77th General Assembly (PGA), H.E. Mr. Csaba Kőrösi. This event was jointly organized by the PGA, civil society, and the UN Department of Global Communications.

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December 2022

QUNO Stresses the Importance of Adopting Package-less and Reuse Systems to Address Plastics Pollution in a Workshop Organised by the WTO and UNCTAD

QUNO participated in a workshop on sustainable and effective substitutes and alternatives for plastics, co-organized by the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The workshop offered a scoping, stocktaking, and trade facilitation exercise of prospective plastics substitutes and alternatives, and provided participants with a strong technical foundation for more in-depth talks on sustainable, tradable, and effective pla

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December 2022

QUNO Attends Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution

From 28 November to 2 December 2022, the first session of the Intergovernmental negotiating committee (INC) on Plastic Pollution was held in Punta del Este, Uruguay. Negotiations were held to make initial progress on the development of a legally binding instrument on plastic pollution.

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November 2022

Second Week of COP27 (14-20 November 2022)

The Human Impacts of Climate Change representative, Lindsey Fielder Cook, and HICC programme assistant, Alana Marie Carlson, continued in the second week of COP27 to focus on urgent, fair, and transformative climate action, and financial support to loss and damage. Join us on 8 December 2022 at 15h CET for a debrief on COP27. Register here!

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November 2022

Geneva Peace Week 2022 (part 3/3) - QUNO moderates High Level Panel on ‘Rights, Inequalities and Peace: navigating tensions, finding opportunities”

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development explicitly combines the promotion of peaceful, just, and inclusive societies in its Goal 16, which ‘seeks to promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.’

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November 2022

QUNO New York Staff Visit Cambodia

QUNO New York staff members, Sarah Clarke and Kavita Desai, traveled to Siem Reap, Cambodia to join in a workshop held by the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC). The workshop brought AFSC staff together from Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and the United States to explore ways that different AFSC programs are working towards the shared goal of building just and sustainable peace. For Kavita and Sarah, it was an opportunity to build connections with exciting work taking place in communities from around the world.

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November 2022

QUNO New York Joins Panel on Strengthening the UN

QUNO New York UN Representative Kavita Desai joined a panel on November 3rd hosted by the Baha’i International Community (BIC) and the Coalition for the United Nations We Need, entitled “Tipping the Scales: Proposals for UN Reform in a Time of Need.”

The discussion included reflections on proposals for reform, as well as an exploration on how such proposals can be implemented—getting from ideation to actualization, in the words of one attendee.

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November 2022

Geneva Peace Week 2022 (part 2/3) - QUNO continues to spotlight human rights, social and economic justice, and political participation as foundational to sustainable peace

As one of the founding organizations of the Geneva Peace Platform (GPP), QUNO Geneva continues to play a role in the development of the week’s areas of focus, and on bringing attention to the relationship between human rights and sustainable peace.

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November 2022

First Week of COP27 (6 – 12 November 2022)

QUNO’s team at the COP27 are the Representative for the Human Impacts of Climate Change (HICC), Lindsey Fielder Cook, and HICC programme assistant Alana Marie Carlson. Our priorities include urgent, fair, and transformative climate action, and financial support to Loss and Damage. Lindsey attended pre-COP meetings of the Katowice Committee of Experts, which addresses transitions for fossil fuel dependent economies.  Lindsey also joined virtually some 400 children in India to celebrate and encourage their efforts to define “Ecological Rights for Ch

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November 2022

Geneva Peace Week 2022 (part 1/3) - QUNO Geneva believes ‘Peace is Possible’ at the Opening Ceremony

The Geneva Peace Week 2022 took place from 31st October to 4th November 2022. It is a leading annual forum in the international peacebuilding calendar where Geneva-based organizations and their international partners come together to share knowledge and practices on a diverse range of topics relating to the promotion of peace across contexts and disciplines. This year’s overarching theme was ‘Peace is Possible’.

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November 2022

QUNO NY Committee Member Spotlight

QUNO is governed by a Committee of Friends appointed by the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) and Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC). We’re excited to spotlight the insights and experiences of a committee member and are delighted to share reflections from QUNC member, Dick Erstad. Dick has had a long history of work within Quaker organizations.

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November 2022

QUNO highlights the role of the informal waste sector in African inclusive circular economy transitions

QUNO has partnered with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF South Africa) to demonstrate how the informal waste sector (IWS) can be mainstreamed into policy mechanisms and implementation efforts designed to address plastic pollution. 

At our joint webinar on 7 November 2022 we brought together specialists including reclaimer advocates, county-level officials, academics and just transition experts.

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October 2022

Saving Lives and Listening to those Most Affected: Key Actions for the UN Network on Migration

It is five months since States met at the International Migration Review Forum (IMRF) to assess implementation of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) and agree priorities to accelerate action. The Annual Meeting of the UN Network on Migration in October brought together nearly 700 participants, including over 160 in person, from governments, UN agencies, and stakeholders to outline next steps. 

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