In January, Susan Bragdon, QUNO's Representative for Food & Sustainability, was one of 46 experts invited to Advancing the 2030 Agenda: Interlinkages and Common Themes at the HLPF 2018, an expert group meeting (EGM) organized by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) in New York. The EGM was asked to look at the interconnections between the Sustainable Development Goals under review at the High-level Political Forum (HLPF) in 2018 and the rest of Agenda 2030, and discuss concrete implications for policies, programmes and partnerships. Susan moderated a panel discussion on sustainable production and consumption and with all the panels, participants were challenged to reach beyond their respective areas of expertise, explore interactions across goals and targets. The work continues virtually now as the participants support UN DESA in mapping pathways that leverage progress in multiple areas and help shape an understanding of common challenges and shared objectives. The outcome of this meeting and continuing work will feed into the 2018 HLPF as an important substantive input for Member States.
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 […]

![Susan EGM[2] Susan EGM[2]](https://quno-dev.globalsolidarity.foundation/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Susan-EGM2.jpg)




