Friends at the Bar by Sagafi-nejad Nancy Black;

Author:Sagafi-nejad, Nancy Black; [Sagafi-Nejad]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 3407271
Publisher: State University of New York Press
Published: 2011-02-24T00:00:00+00:00

The Quaker United Nations Offices in New York and Geneva

Friends had a presence at the League of Nations, and now continue important endeavors with the League's successor, the UN. Consistent with their commitment to world peace, Friends now maintain a presence at UN headquarters in New York and Geneva. Both Quaker United Nations Offices (QUNOs) have general consultative status at the UN through their relationship with Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC) and through the UN Economic and Social Council, enabling them to make oral and written statements at the UN. The FWCC and the AFSC work with QUNO–NY as stewards of Friends testimonies of truth, peace, and social and economic justice at the UN and its New York-based agencies. The primary areas of work in both New York and Geneva revolve around issues of peacebuilding, disarmament, human rights, refugees, and economic and criminal justice. Over the decades, the QUNOs have done both facilitative and prescriptive work.

QUNO–NY, located near the UN Secretariat, is overseen by the FWCC and the AFSC, and employs six part- and full-time staff. Since 1953, QUNO–NY has facilitated dialogue among UN diplomats, staff, and representatives of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) by offering Quaker House for informal off-the-record conversations on difficult issues before the UN. Over the decades, its primary task has been to prevent and de-escalate conflict. Some of the QUNO–NY work has included various civil society initiatives of the UN, peace in the Middle East, the Earth Summit, World Conference on Women, the Law of the Sea Treaty, North and South Korea relations, and issues pertaining to small arms and light weapons. Quaker House also hosts small seminars and conferences and once served as the residence of the QUNO–NY director and family.

Not far from the Palais des Nations, the Quaker UN office in Geneva is located in historic La Maison des Quakers, also home of Geneva Friends Meeting. QUNO Geneva concentrates on issues of criminal justice, human rights, and peacebuilding. In its postconflict work, it attempts to look at a given country and its needs in a holistic way.

One recent endeavor is support for the UN Peacebuilding Commission (PBC), created in 2005 to aid postconflict countries as they move toward sustainable peace. The PBC, a body of thirty-one member states, has devised peacebuilding strategies for Burundi, Central African Republic, Sierra Leone, and Guinea-Bissau. The PBC is a forum for the government of the target country, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and other civil society organizations to coordinate efforts and renew their commitment to peace. QUNOs link their own peacebuilding efforts to those of the UN and the PBC. QUNO–NY has held several informal dialogues on important issues before the PBC such as restorative justice and reconciliation through dialogue, attended by representatives of UN member states, UN agencies, and NGOs. The office in New York coordinates its work with PBC with QUNO–Geneva; for example, in the summer of 2009, a daylong evaluative session on the PBC was held in Geneva. Both offices will continue their support of this new UN commission's important and innovative work.

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