Welcome to the Quaker United Nations Office!

Peaceable Kingdom by Quaker artist Edward Hicks. Copyright©2005 National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. Over the past sixty years, Quakers have sought to support the work of the UN and its vision, like that of Edward Hicks, of a world where opposing forces could live together in peace.

The Quaker United Nations Office, located in Geneva and New York, represents Quakers through Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC). Since the founding of the United Nations in 1945, Quakers have shared that organisation's aims and supported its efforts to abolish war and promote peaceful resolution of conflicts, human rights, economic justice and good governance.

FWCC, which links Quakers around the world, has had consultative status with the United Nations' Economic and Social Council as an international non-governmental organisation since 1948. In July 2002, FWCC was moved from Special Status to General Status. By this move, the UN has recognized that Friends do work of importance in a very broad range of international concerns.

This status allows the QUNO staff to attend many UN meetings, to receive documents and to make written and oral statements and to suggest agenda items to the Economic and Social Council. QUNO staff also work with other multilateral organisations, such as the World Trade Organisation, International Labour Organisation, World Bank, International Monetary Fund and others relevant to our areas of concern. Click here to learn more about our status at the U.N.

Most Recent QUNO Publications:

• French Translation: Children Need Dads Too: Children with Fathers in Prison (English), (Español), (Français), Jennifer Rosenberg, Foreword by Rachel Brett, July 2009 ( (pdf 591 kb)
• European Court of Human Rights fails to uphold international human rights standards, Joint statement of European Bureau for Conscientious Objection, Quaker United Nations Office, Geneva, and War Resisters' International, 27/10/09)
• Geneva Reporter, August-October 2009 (pdf 234 kb)
• Peacebuilding in Geneva : Mapping the Landscape", The Geneva Peacebuilding Platform, 1 January, 2009 (pdf 486 kb)
• Human Rights Council 12th Session Agenda item 3: Conscientious Objection to Military Service 22 September 2009 oral statement of Friends World Committee for Consultation (Quakers) delivered by Rachel Brett (pdf 52 kb)
• In & Around the U.N., September 2009 (pdf 591kb)
• A Curate's Egg UN Human Rights Council: Year 3 19 June 2008 to 18 June 2009, R. Brett, August 2009 (pdf 520 kb)
• Orphans of Justice - In search of the best interests of the child when a parent is imprisoned: A Legal Analysis (English), (Español), Jean Tomkin Foreword by Rachel Brett, August 2009 (pdf 680kb)
• The Geneva Declaration on Armed Violence and Development: An International Newsletter. Issue 7, July 2009. Available in English, French and Spanish
• Arabic translation: Assessing the Development Impacts of Intellectual Property Negotiations, Proposals, Reforms and Agreements: A concept note, (English) (Arabic), Graham Dutfield,February 2006.
• Arabic Translation: Multilateral Agreements and a TRIPS plus World: The World Intellectual Property Organisation - WIPO (English) (Español) (Arabic), Sisule Musungu & Graham Dutfield, December 2003 (pdf ~365kb)
• Annual Report - QUNO Geneva, 2008 (pdf 1.97 mb)