Quaker United Nation Office
Connecting Friends' values with the global communityWe are a Quaker presence at the United Nations sharing Friends’ concerns for global peace and justice with the international community.
The Quaker United Nations Office promotes justice, peace and sustainability at the United Nations. Our priorities are based on the concerns of Quakers worldwide. Through different areas of work in Geneva and New York, we seek to ensure that the UN system and community of nations support and uphold the dignity of all, so that justice and peace can flourish, and our shared home can be nurtured.
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.” In his remarks, Gum San noted that the distribution of humanitarian assistance has been exacerbated by the dwindling control of the military junta that seized control during a coup in 2021. He explained that the military has prevented aid from reaching parts of the country not under its control, while diverting aid to its own stockpiles. Beyond the focus on humanitarian issues, Gum San also addressed the ongoing conflict situation between the military and armed resistance groups. He highlighted that the struggle to control the mining of rare earth minerals represents a major driver of conflict, especially in northern Myanmar. Currently, the UN’s Office of Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimates that 20 million people, over one […]
QUNO attends the IPCC Plenary in China
This March, QUNO Representative for the Human Impacts of Climate Change participated in the 62nd Session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). This was held from 24 February – 1 March 2025 in Hangzhou China QUNO under FWCC has been an accredited observer of the IPCC since 2017. We seek to uphold transparency and the integrity of the science, encourage clear messaging on urgent, transformative and rights-based climate action, and ensure clear messaging on risks to some climate options/technologies which fail to transform root causes and/or pose high risks to people and biodiversity. To date we are the only active independently accredited faith-based organization at the IPCC. We present a report of QUNO work at the IPCC, and interventions given during the intensive meetings in China. Image by: ENB IISD
QUNO and the UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn
QUNO Geneva’s Human Impacts of Climate Change (HICC) team, Lindsey Fielder Cook and Johan Cavert, were intensely active at the UN Climate Change meetings in Bonn. These Subsidiary Body meetings (SB62) were held by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) from 16-26 June and are in preparation for the upcoming COP in Brazil. This is the 13th year QUNO has offered quiet diplomacy dinners to a group of high level negotiators from a diverse group of countries. In addition to this effort, QUNO was engaged in negotiations, in two preparatory Constituted Bodies, in several inter-faith efforts, in two press conferences, an off-the-record meeting with climate scientists, in human rights advocacy, in Paris Agreement celebrations (see photo), and in the distribution of QUNO publications on climate science findings. Our work at the SB62 Conference began weeks earlier, in Constituted Body meetings on both Loss and Damage and the Katowice Committee of Experts (Response Measures). Additional preparation included support to the Interfaith Liaison Committee (ILC), which creates spaces for interfaith voices in climate negotiation spaces, and helping draft the Interfaith Call to Action, which was signed by a range of Quaker organizations. As the SB62 began, we started with an […]
Introducing the G20 Peer Reviews
On 25 September 2009, the Leaders of the G20, at their annual Summit (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA), issued a joint statement committing themselves to “Rationalize and phase out over the medium term inefficient fossil fuel subsidies that encourage wasteful consumption”. Over the next several years, the G20 members themselves conducted an exercise in self reporting of their fossil fuel subsidies and reform commitments. Those efforts achieved limited success, with variable degrees of transparency and levels of ambition. (See the two reports by Doug Koplow from November 2010 and June 2012.) By early 2012, however, the OECD had launched its Inventory of Estimated Budgetary Support and Tax Expenditures for Fossil Fuels, which provided far more details than were available in the G20 Members’ self reports. That the G20 should conduct voluntary peer reviews of their reform efforts was proposed by the OECD during Russia’s presidency of the G20, in 2013. The OECD had long and generally positive experiences with peer reviews, so it was a logical tool to recommend. The proposal was accepted and formally established in paragraph 94 of the G20 Leaders’ Declaration issued during their 2013 Summit (6 September 2013, St Petersburg, Russia): “We reaffirm our commitment to rationalise and phase […]
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. Canadian Friends Service Committee holds the mandate from the world body of Friends, through Friends World Committee for Consultation, to lead engagement on Indigenous Issues at the UN. During the Forum, CFSC works in partnership with members of the Coalition for the Human Rights of Indigenous Peoples (the Coalition) to advance Indigenous rights globally. QUNO assists CFSC and the advocacy of Indigenous representatives by offering Quaker House as a welcoming space to gather outside UN meetings. This year, Quaker House hosted caucuses of Indigenous youth; Indigenous representatives; and the Coalition for discussions on the Forum’s theme and on Indigenous peacebuilding. The 24th UNPFII took place under the theme, “Implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples within United Nations Member States and the United Nations system, including identifying good practices […]
Job opportunity: Director, QUNO Geneva
The Quaker United Nations Office in Geneva is looking for its next leader. If this could be you, please read the job pack and consider applying. You must be a member of the Religious Society of Friends to be eligible for this role. Application deadline: Friday 18 July 2025.
New York
G20 Peer Reviews
QUNO has agreed to act as a repository for the six peer reviews of the Group of Twenty (G20) Members’ efforts to reform their fossil fuel subsidies, as well as related documents. These reviews have been of value to QUNO’s research in the Sustainable and Just Economic Systems, and we are pleased to provide them a repository base. These peer reviews took place in 2016, 2017 and 2018 among pairs of G20 Members, and were organised by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation (OECD) in close co-operation with the economies under review and the participants in the review teams. All six reviews were chaired by Ronald Steenblik, at the time the OECD’s Special Counsellor for Fossil Fuel Subsidy Reform, assisted by staff of the OECD’s Directorate for Trade and Agriculture (TAD), its Environment Directorate (ENV), and its Centre for Tax Policy and Administration (CTP). Ronald Steenblik now works on a pro-bono basis for QUNO’s Sustainable and Just Economic Systems (SJES) programme, where he serves as Senior Technical Advisor. These documents were previously posted on the OECD’s website but disappeared when the previous pages relating to the OECD’s work on government support for fossil fuels and efforts to reform them were replaced by […]
Climate-Sensitive Lens
Complimenting the work of our colleagues in Geneva, QUNO NY has begun to highlight the critical nature of adopting a climate-sensitive lens when analyzing conflict and working for peace. While climate change doesn’t directly cause conflict, it can: Climate-sensitive analysis supports climate-informed peacebuilding and conflict prevention.
Inclusion
Inclusion involves ensuring that all people – especially those historically excluded – can participate in decision-making processes that affect their lives, from local communities to global governance.
Transitional Justice
Coming to terms with a legacy of large-scale violence or past abuses is difficult. One of the UN’s roles is to assist countries in designing and implementing transitional justice measures that ensure accountability, serve justice, and achieve reconciliation.
Supporting the UN’s Role for Peace Globally
QUNO strengthens the UN’s role in building positive peace by focusing on themes such as inclusion, transitional justice, and the need to work for peace through a climate-sensitive lens.
Supporting the UN’s Role for Peace on the Korean Peninsula
QUNO works for opportunities to promote dialogue for peace on the Korean Peninsula following a tense 70-year armistice. Seventy years ago, an armistice brought an end to active fighting on the Korean Peninsula, but it did not bring about a peace agreement or end the war. To this day, tensions on the Korean Peninsula remain dangerously high. At the UN in New York, resolutions and debates regarding the conflict focus on punitive measures against DPRK and a strategy of isolation, particularly through sanctions. Working in partnership with our colleagues at the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) and leaders from other ecumenical organizations, QUNO seeks out opportunities to promote dialogue and engagement for peace on the Korean Peninsula.
Supporting the UN’s Role for Peace in Myanmar
In New York, QUNO works to create a safe space for off-the-record discussions between diplomats, UN officials, and civil society partners regarding the current conflict in Myanmar (or Burma). Quaker House provides a venue where peace practitioners, academics, and community leaders can share their analysis and recommendations regarding strategies for peace in this multi-decade conflict. As a result of these conversations, UN diplomats and officials are able to access new information and insights so that they can formulate responses that prioritize the safety and well-being of communities, and support leaders working for long-term peace.
Supporting the UN’s Role for Peace in South Sudan
Quakers have supported inclusive, grassroots peacebuilding efforts as well as trauma healing, and have encouraged nonviolent responses and resilience in the face of long-term instability. QUNO work at the UN aims to create opportunities and spaces where UN colleagues access the analysis and recommendations of partners carrying out these initiatives that are so essential for lasting peace.
Supporting the UN’s Role for Peace in Sudan
Quaker efforts in Sudan have focused on the need for a long-term path to peace, highlighting the importance of civil society inclusion in the peace process, advocating for nonviolent conflict resolution, and promoting inclusive dialogue and transitional justice. In New York, QUNO provides space so that members of the UN community can learn from this experience as they respond to the evolving situation on the ground.
Supporting the UN’s Role for Peace in Regional Contexts
QUNO facilitates opportunities for civil society representatives, academics, and members of affected communities to share their perspectives and insights so that UN partners can better support people-centred and sustainable peace in specific country and regional contexts.
Geneva
G20 Peer Reviews
QUNO has agreed to act as a repository for the six peer reviews of the Group of Twenty (G20) Members’ efforts to reform their fossil fuel subsidies, as well as related documents. These reviews have been of value to QUNO’s research in the Sustainable and Just Economic Systems, and we are pleased to provide them a repository base. These peer reviews took place in 2016, 2017 and 2018 among pairs of G20 Members, and were organised by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation (OECD) in close co-operation with the economies under review and the participants in the review teams. All six reviews were chaired by Ronald Steenblik, at the time the OECD’s Special Counsellor for Fossil Fuel Subsidy Reform, assisted by staff of the OECD’s Directorate for Trade and Agriculture (TAD), its Environment Directorate (ENV), and its Centre for Tax Policy and Administration (CTP). Ronald Steenblik now works on a pro-bono basis for QUNO’s Sustainable and Just Economic Systems (SJES) programme, where he serves as Senior Technical Advisor. These documents were previously posted on the OECD’s website but disappeared when the previous pages relating to the OECD’s work on government support for fossil fuels and efforts to reform them were replaced by […]
Climate-Sensitive Lens
Complimenting the work of our colleagues in Geneva, QUNO NY has begun to highlight the critical nature of adopting a climate-sensitive lens when analyzing conflict and working for peace. While climate change doesn’t directly cause conflict, it can: Climate-sensitive analysis supports climate-informed peacebuilding and conflict prevention.
Inclusion
Inclusion involves ensuring that all people – especially those historically excluded – can participate in decision-making processes that affect their lives, from local communities to global governance.
Transitional Justice
Coming to terms with a legacy of large-scale violence or past abuses is difficult. One of the UN’s roles is to assist countries in designing and implementing transitional justice measures that ensure accountability, serve justice, and achieve reconciliation.
Supporting the UN’s Role for Peace Globally
QUNO strengthens the UN’s role in building positive peace by focusing on themes such as inclusion, transitional justice, and the need to work for peace through a climate-sensitive lens.
Supporting the UN’s Role for Peace on the Korean Peninsula
QUNO works for opportunities to promote dialogue for peace on the Korean Peninsula following a tense 70-year armistice. Seventy years ago, an armistice brought an end to active fighting on the Korean Peninsula, but it did not bring about a peace agreement or end the war. To this day, tensions on the Korean Peninsula remain dangerously high. At the UN in New York, resolutions and debates regarding the conflict focus on punitive measures against DPRK and a strategy of isolation, particularly through sanctions. Working in partnership with our colleagues at the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) and leaders from other ecumenical organizations, QUNO seeks out opportunities to promote dialogue and engagement for peace on the Korean Peninsula.
Supporting the UN’s Role for Peace in Myanmar
In New York, QUNO works to create a safe space for off-the-record discussions between diplomats, UN officials, and civil society partners regarding the current conflict in Myanmar (or Burma). Quaker House provides a venue where peace practitioners, academics, and community leaders can share their analysis and recommendations regarding strategies for peace in this multi-decade conflict. As a result of these conversations, UN diplomats and officials are able to access new information and insights so that they can formulate responses that prioritize the safety and well-being of communities, and support leaders working for long-term peace.
Supporting the UN’s Role for Peace in South Sudan
Quakers have supported inclusive, grassroots peacebuilding efforts as well as trauma healing, and have encouraged nonviolent responses and resilience in the face of long-term instability. QUNO work at the UN aims to create opportunities and spaces where UN colleagues access the analysis and recommendations of partners carrying out these initiatives that are so essential for lasting peace.
Supporting the UN’s Role for Peace in Sudan
Quaker efforts in Sudan have focused on the need for a long-term path to peace, highlighting the importance of civil society inclusion in the peace process, advocating for nonviolent conflict resolution, and promoting inclusive dialogue and transitional justice. In New York, QUNO provides space so that members of the UN community can learn from this experience as they respond to the evolving situation on the ground.
Supporting the UN’s Role for Peace in Regional Contexts
QUNO facilitates opportunities for civil society representatives, academics, and members of affected communities to share their perspectives and insights so that UN partners can better support people-centred and sustainable peace in specific country and regional contexts.