Against the backdrop of Asia’s struggle with burgeoning plastic waste, the Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) has published a new report that delves into the complex challenges and potential strategies for addressing this problem in the region. QUNO’s report, ‘Trade and Plastics — Fostering Sustainable Development in South East Asia’, was issued by its Sustainable and Just Economic Systems programme this month (November). It focuses on plastic pollution in Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Vietnam and highlights the pressing need for systemic changes. The report highlights the growing environmental threats and economic losses due to mismanaged waste. It also exposes the intricate interplay between trade policies and sustainable waste management practices. This critical study, conducted by experts from the University of Cambridge, transcends traditional discussions on plastic waste management. It underscores the urgent need to align strategies with the waste management hierarchy—emphasising reduction, reuse, and recycling—to combat the escalating crisis of plastic pollution and its socio-economic ramifications. This study is an essential call to action, urging the implementation of comprehensive policies that integrate waste hierarchy principles. It challenges the current linear economic model, stressing the importance of reducing plastic production, minimising single-use plastics, and promoting sustainable alternatives. Its authors navigate the […]
On September 19th, world leaders gathered at the United Nations in New York for the opening of the 78thSession of the UN General Assembly (UNGA). This particular gathering comes at a time when the need for global cooperation is critical, with multiple crises needing to be addressed in addition to recent and tragic natural disasters that have occurred around the world. This somber backdrop to the UN’s opening led Secretary-General António Guterres to describe this moment as one where, “many of the world’s challenges coalesced in an awful hellscape,” highlighting the failings of the international community in the face of a “sad snapshot of the state of our world – the flood of inequality, of injustice, of inability to confront the challenges in our midst.” QUNO staff carefully monitored statements during these high-level meetings, watching for UN member states that may be open for engagement and partnership during the coming year. Ultimately, building collaboration with diplomats and UN staff represents a key ingredient in our efforts to bolster the UN as a leader for peace. These high-level presentations that happen every September provide the UN with key areas to focus its efforts on during the months to come and offer […]
Young people have over the years participated in Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) programmes in various ways. QUNO’s offices in Geneva and New York annually employ programme assistants for a year to work with its Representatives at the United Nations (UN). Programme assistants research and write about developments in QUNO’s focus areas and assist with quiet diplomacy meetings at Quaker House from where QUNO works in close proximity to the UN headquarters in Geneva and New York. QUNO Geneva also organises the annual Quaker United Nations Summer School (QUNSS), hosting young people from different countries at its office, Quaker House, for a two-week insight on working within an international organisation setting. Apart from these two annual opportunities, QUNO hosts interns who get to know more about its work and participate in various activities. QUNO Geneva recently hosted master’s degree students Bhawna Solanki and Julia Azevedo Sapucaia from the University of Bradford located in Bradford, England. They worked with QUNO programme associate Andrés Naranjo who leads the Sustainable and Just Economic Systems (SJES) programme. While at QUNO from June to August this year, Solanki and Azevedo Sapucaia spent some of their time also at the Geneva-based offices of the Women’s International […]
Ending plastic pollution globally remains a top priority for the Sustainable and Just Economic Systems (SJES) programme at the Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) in Geneva, Switzerland. Recently, SJES participated in the second session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-2) focused on a treaty to end plastic pollution. This initiative of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) concluded in Paris at the beginning of June, gathering various civil society organisations lobbying to end plastic pollution. At INC-2, SJES was represented by programme associate Andres Naranjo and senior technical advisor Ronald Steenblik. They participated in numerous meetings and panel discussions, ensuring QUNO's voice and insights were heard. A highlight of their engagement was Steenblik's address at the “Promoting sustainable consumption and production of plastics” INC-2 side-event on May 29 [recording here]. In his presentation, Steenblik emphasized the crucial role of subsidies in the production and consumption of plastics, which artificially reduce the cost of virgin plastics and skew the market away from recycled plastics and environmentally friendly alternatives. The SJES team also engaged in meaningful discussions with government representatives, sharing concerns and action strategies. A notable interaction occurred with Luis Vayas Valdivieso, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs from Ecuador, who […]
This year, 2023, marks 75 years since the Quakers United Nations Office (QUNO) was founded in 1948. QUNO represents Quakers at the United Nations (UN) and related multilateral institutions, such as the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Operating from offices in New York and Geneva, QUNO works to uphold the original ideal of the UN to strive for sustainable peace and justice. QUNO’s consistent commitment to speaking with integrity, lifting up the voices of those on the margins and bringing to light diverse perspectives, insights, and concerns, has led Quakers to be recognised as trusted partners who create space for new and creative solutions in response to global challenges. This year also marks the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris on 10 December 1948. A milestone document in the history of human rights, the Declaration is a joint articulation of the value of every member of our human family – a core belief for Quakers. QUNO is proud and privileged to carry forward the Quaker traditions of patient, quiet diplomacy at the UN, working for a more peaceful, just and equal world, as embodied in the Declaration. The strength […]
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