XUNICEF News and Views

The world is becoming ever more divided. The East and the West, the North and the South, children and adults, the big and the small, Trump supporters and Trump opponents, capitalists and communists, socialists and environmentalists, women and men, attackers and the attacked, thinkers and doers, believers and non-believers, the rulers and the ruled. Chasms everywhere. So where, exactly, is the fault line between good and evil?

Moving home after 50 years in 11 different countries It is a life that never settles. It stretches across borders, across decades, across versions of yourself that no longer recognise one another. From the outside, it can look like success: a career built and a materially good life assembled. From the inside, it can feel empty.

Ruins at Hatra, Iraq Recently, I remembered some ‘events’ at check points that we had to pass; a) To get from Amman to Baghdad and b) from Baghdad to Erbil and, of course, in the reverse direction, too Typically, to exit Erbil back to the real world (at that time), took the best part of a week – to get all the permits and so on. It meant that when my mother died in the UK, and I was in Erbil, I was unable to return to attend her funeral, which was sad for me but as all my four brothers were there, the family was well represented. With the distances that we were required to travel, it would have been easier and quicker had we been able to fly everywhere. However, the No-Fly-Zone put paid to air travel for most of the time. Only once during my time in Iraq, did I fly from Baghdad to Amman. It was on the day following the death of Princess Diana in Paris.   Given the situation, since the Check Points were manned by the Iraqis themselves, when UN staff came through, we were not...

We are survivors Human beings have survived from many threats - from wild animals and numerous natural disasters from stone age all the way to modern days. But in the 21st century our survival is under threat

Malcolm Kennedy, 1933 - 2026 Malcolm Kennedy died on Saturday at his care home in Faro, Portugal.

Malcolm Kennedy interviewing Sir Edmond Hillary Kathmandu 1986 for the Bob Geldoff's SportAid event. I first met Malcolm Kennedy in Nairobi Kenya in 1976 when I was doing free-lance graphic design jobs for both UNICEF and UNEP. He was a distinguished, unpretentious New Zealander who was the UNICEF Representative in Somalia.

Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player. That struts and frets his hour upon the stage, And then is heard no more.

 Our host was Umberto Cancillieri, the sumptuous repast was Mediterranean,

I finish playing till the 4th hole.  And then it’s time for me to take a brief respite.

After five years in the making, the Graphix Project will officially launch in May 2026 with the release of our first graphic novel,

In case you missed it - here are the top 10 post viewed the past week- budgets cuts and the JPO experience, senior staff movements, more 10 questions, suggestions , flowers - enjoy!

We met by chance. And just like that we started talking . . . He was a young man––miles and miles away from home. We talked about our lives.

The India unicef retiree association, UPGI shared this: We are deeply saddened to inform you of the demise of Mrs Salma Akhter,

As a former international civil servant, I certainly do not want to comment on the politics or politicians of the host country.

Over the past weeks we have had several new entries to 10 QUESTIONS where we learn something about XUNICEF staff.

“What to do la” is one of my favourite expressions. I heard it often in Bhutan when I worked there in the early part of this century.

Here is Gabi’s and my favorite bench. It was resting beside the Holderbach , not far from our home.

I am pleased to announce the following senior staff appointments.

Law of (in)convenience The Strait of Hormuz, despite many Iranian threats over the decades, has never been closed until now

What IS YOUR NAME and your last assignment with UNICEF? Elizabeth (Beth) Preble. Last full-time UNICEF assignment: Senior Advisor, AIDS Prevention Programme, NYHQ

BATHING THE BABY Every time I hear this ‘statement’, I always wonder who coined it first.

Hi - here are the details for the memorial. There is a link for people to RSVP to attend in person or virtually.  http://www.bit.ly/honouringste phenlewis

Top 10 posts on XUNICEF in the past week - hiking a volcano, more "10 Questions",  failure in Africa, Carol Bellamy on Stephen Lewis Passing... 

 I am delighted to announce the release of my book titled “The Power of Transformative Multisectoral Nutrition Programming: A Guide to its Science, Ethics and Practice”.

 

“Why is Mr. Tim in a new world of his own?” Izara (my six year old granddaughter) asked.  She had picked up my conversation with her dad while we were driving her to school. In Izara’s presence, we try our best not to discuss things that could confuse her or make her stressed or sad. But we give her tiny, healthy slices of reality now and then to help her understand the universe around her. Tim and Grace are our neighbors, in their late seventies. Tim worked his entire life overseas under diplomatic cover (possibly as a CIA operative, I guess). They have been living here since he retired. He is a friendly, kind soul and befriended us right after we moved into this neighborhood. Our houses are separated by a by-lane. Often, he would cross over to our side to talk to me as I played with Izara in our front lawn. We spoke about the joys and challenges of living overseas, their three adult daughters living in three different states, and the grandkids. Izara was two-and-a-half-year-old...

A Chair and a Bench - At a place for dreams Probably everyone has a favorite seating arrangement, and I have two  at home

An Industry Faces Its Own Redundancy For those of us who have spent years in the aid business, often congratulating ourselves along the way, recent coverage in The Economist may make for rather uncomfortable reading. Three articles in its March 21 edition, “Open for Business,” “Get Paid, Not Aid,” and “Meet Africa’s Richest Man”, paint a picture of Africa as a continent which has fared rather well after significant aid cuts and whose future looks increasingly independent of us. One can almost hear the collective throat-clearing across conference rooms in Geneva, New York, and Nairobi. The implication, though, is difficult to ignore: Africa’s economic prospects may improve not because of aid, but despite it. This is awkward. Aid, after all, is not merely a policy tool; it is an industry, complete with career paths, reporting frameworks, and an ability to declare success regardless of outcomes. For decades, we have framed aid as indispensable. Without it, we implied, development would st...

It bubbles and writhes, it hisses with toxic breath like something that refuses to sleep.     Every so often, it groans and squelches, with a guttural sound — the death rattle of a dragon, or the final gasp of a broken machine refusing to die.  Two meters from our tent, yellow, foul-smelling sulfuric fumes rise rhythmically from a fissure in the earth.  Now, sharp cracking sounds rip through the air —the unmistakable sound of stones being flung. For a breathless instant, we wonder: Perhaps… it’s not just the mountain exhaling. Perhaps the lava is moving toward us.

The sun rises for all, at a glance, seemingly for ever, every day, no? for most, the sun even rises on tears and on smiles, again and again, no? when for many, the sun shall never rise again, We all saw it coming, and dared not believe,… cuz for some the thrill is to kill, with blasphemous will, with barberous whims, with bunker-blustering profanities, on tv, for each of us to see, instilling hatred where there exists love, inflicting injury where there belongs togetherness, A contagious disease then…? Yes, intentionally destroying integrity where values were built, socio-paths - on some continents more than on others - fabricating absurd misogyny and racist homophobia, - as if in competition! Or with some obnoxious orchestration? [ just imagine if this were true! ] Dismantling the Essence of Man, Deliberately. Extremes so extreme, humans shall not ever comprehend, obliterating elemental discernment, inventing new violence, fabricating treason where there is no Reason. An ugly, viciou...

Thank you to the many of you who have been in contact with the XUNICEF Blog over the last few weeks as some of us “new editors” (Joachim Theis, Rob Carr, Soji Adeniya and Tim Sutton) find our feet.

 From: AFICS Association of Former International Civil Servants < afics@un.org > Date: Thu, Apr 9, 2026, 07:16 Subject: UNJSPF: Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) in April 2026 To: AFICS Association of Former International Civil Servants < afics@un.org > Dear AFICS/NY Members, I am pleased to inform you that the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund (UNJSPF) has announced that, in accordance with the provisions of the UNJSPF Pension Adjustment System and based on consumer price index data published by the UN Statistics Division, there will be a  2.7 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) to the US dollar track  with respect to periodic benefits. The increase will be effective 1 April 2026, and the initial month’s COLA adjustment will be reflected in April pension benefits, payable in arrears at the end of the month. Further information is available on the UNJSPF’s website:  https://www.unjspf.org/newsroom/retirees-and-beneficiaries-cost-of-living-adjust...

Charity or a deal? A notion of helping the needy as a virtue based on the principle of humanism existed since ancient times across all religions.

1) What is your name and what was your last assignment with UNICEF?  Tim Sutton, Representative in Sri Lanka. 2) How old do you feel? Don‘t want to put a specific number on it – it varies a little day by day – but generally somewhere in the mid 30s.

April 4, 2026 Stephen Lewis Was a Singular Man on a Mission By Stephanie Nolen A few weeks ago in Lusaka, I spent some time with old friends: activists I met nearly 25 years ago, reporting on the H.I.V. epidemic. Back then, they were young people locked in a desperate fight for survival.

What IS YOUR NAME and your last assignment with UNICEF?   Ivan Yerovi, Representative in Angola How old do you feel?   48 Where do you live?   Quito, Ecuador

On the way to the gym I always walk by this view in Tirana and it really made me think about how we’re evolving (or should be) at UNICEF. It’s a cool spot where you see a tiny stone monument from the 1800s (the Kapllan Pasha Tomb) sitting right underneath a massive, modern skyscraper (the TID Tower/Maritim Plaza).

  Former ROSA team members (left to right) Frances Turner, Cecilia Lotse, Angela Kearney and Gillian Mellsop have been enjoying time together in New Zealand.

SHE-MAIL MEETS HE-MAIL What follows is about e-mail, e-mail addresses and common sense which need to work well together if one was working abroad as a consultant.

What IS YOUR NAME and your last assignment with UNICEF? Richard Morgan. Special Advisor to the Executive Director on the SDGs How old do you feel? As of today, around 60, although I am 70.

What has been your last assignment with UNICEF? Thomas Ekvall — Representative in Khartoum. How old do you feel? Older than I am, and less patient.

What IS YOUR NAME and your last assignment with UNICEF? Tony Bloomberg, Representative DRC. How old do you feel? I am 77 years old and don't kid myself that I'm younger.

What IS YOUR NAME and your last assignment with UNICEF? SOLOFO RAMAROSON, Chief of Planning & Social Policy, Haiti How old do you feel? 70's Where do you live? Imerinafovoany - Talatamaty , Madagascar

What IS YOUR NAME and your last assignment with UNICEF?  Soma De Silva, Regional M&E Advisor, ROSA How old do you feel?  Sometimes 35, sometimes 85. Chronologically, 80. Where do you live? Colombo, Sri Lanka.

  Warm greetings to our colleagues celebrating Easter and Passover. As we observe these traditions of renewal and hope, let us reaffirm our shared commitment to a peaceful world.

What is your name and your last assignment with UNICEF? Sikander Khan, Principal Advisor, PFP

Realistic optimism  A distinguishing characteristic of human beings is to remain optimistic even during the direst times.

What IS YOUR NAME and your last assignment with UNICEF? Milada Pejovic, Administrative Assistant, EMOPS, NYHQ

As our University academic year here in Toronto is coming to an end and my students (of 3 courses at York University and the University of Toronto - Munk School of Global Affairs) and I celebrated the successful culmination of our classes with reflections/feedback and drinks/snacks together and some quality/special moments together - the US/Israel have struck over 30 Iranian universities during this tragic/illegal war of aggression against Iranians and Iran.