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Areas of Work

The Quaker United Nations Office is currently focusing on five main areas of work:

• QUNO and UN Peacebuilding Commission

  While all areas of QUNO’s work are seen as important in building peaceful institutions, countries and individuals, the programme on the Peacebuilding Commission is concerned specifically with linking Quaker peace work on the ground to the peacebuilding work of the United Nations.

  The United Nations Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) was created in 2006 to support the transition of countries from post-conflict to sustainable peace. The PBC, an advisory body of the Security Council and the General Assembly, aims to marshal resources at the disposal of the international community to advise and propose integrated strategies for post-conflict recovery.

• Emerging Conflicts and Crises

  The Emerging Conflicts and Crises program focuses on current situations of violent conflict on the Security Council agenda, as well as lesser known outbreaks of violence that urgently need the attention of the international community. We are principally concerned that a gap often develops between the point at which a violent conflict is discussed at the UN and the point at which action is taken on the ground. This gap, which can extend for years, is related to a number of issues, including: the tension between national sovereignty and humanitarian intervention, the political will of UN Member States, and, the availability of resources. The Emerging Conflicts and Crises program is focused on finding ways to reduce this gap.

• Disarmament & Peace

Since the Quaker UN Offices were established in the early days of the UN, issues concerning the maintenance of peace and security have been at the forefront of our work. Although the particular initiatives have changed over the decades, QUNO continues the struggle to rid the world of weapons and promote the peaceful prevention and resolution of armed conflict. QUNO's work on peacebuilding and disarmament is grounded in the historic Peace Testimony of Friends.

• Human Rights & Refugees

QUNO works to strengthen the promotion and protection of human rights through the United Nations system, with particular reference to the interface between human rights and armed conflicts, the protection of refugees and other Quaker concerns. The questions of the rights of indigenous peoples, gender, violence against children and the impact of the “war on terror” are included in all programme areas.

• Economic Issues

  QUNO follows the work of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the World Trade Organisation (WTO). This programme works to harmonise the impact of trade on the equitable and sustainable use of resources and the impact of trade on labour standards and conditions. QUNO organises seminars for government delegates, NGOs, corporations and WTO, ILO and IMF staff.

• Criminal Justice

  Friends have been involved internationally in recent years on criminal justice issues at two levels. One is European, through the registration of the Quaker Council for European Affairs as a non-governmental organisation at the Council of Europe, the other is world-wide through Friends World Committee for Consultation's recognition as a non-governmental organisation at he United Nations.

Our work priorities are based on the concerns of Quakers worldwide and are determined, in part, by the agendas of the organisations with which QUNO works. Due to limitations on staff time and resources, we cannot cover any more issues than the ones described in this section.