XUNICEF News and Views

Tim Journey William Kenneth Journey, always known as ‘Tim’ Journey, born Jackson Mississippi, USA on 2nd August 1943, died at his home in Richmond, Virginia on 27th December, 2025, aged 82. Tim trained as a biologist but had such a good grounding in science that he could be equally at home in biology as in fluid dynamics, and he was given to dabbling in any matters that interested him. He could speak a couple of languages. When he did his time as a Peace Corps Volunteer, he was sent to Guatemala where – for some time - he lodged with the Madam of the local bordello. He obviously had a soft spot for her – and she for him – but he maintained that the only advantage of this arrangement was easy access to beer. He worked for a period as a stevedore in Bremerhaven, extending his German learned at his university. On completion of his contract, he was found to have contracted TB, and was hospitalised where the sister-in-charge of his ward helped him overcome boredom by sourcing books for hi...

Dear Participants  With just about 5 weeks more to go before our reunion, we are sending the below reminder on malaria prevention.  

I would appreciate hearing from readers on whether News Links should continue.  Daily readers of recent News Links posts have ranged from 10 to 15 people.  This number of readers may not justify the work of compiling the articles on either a daily or weekly basis. 

Trump says he can solve UN financial problem 'very easily' Sophia Cai Politico February 1, 2026 Click here for the article **Summary** President Trump claimed he could resolve the United Nations' financial crisis but declined to say whether the United States would pay the billions of dollars it owes the international body. 

Mukesh Kapila Click here for the Linkedin post Unfortunately much of my professional career has been about exposure to actual or possible #genocide . And I have said many times that the careless, casual, and crafty ways in which partisan politicians, thoughtless activists, and for-hire lawyers use the label by dropping it here, there, and everywhere means that it's original meaning and purpose - to punish, deter, and prevent egregious crimes against humanity - has been lost. No wonder that no genocides have ever been prevented and the related area of international criminal law and justice is held in such contempt by perpetrators. The irony in this is that the punishment for acts of genocide or equally cruel constituent acts not classified as genocide - is exactly the same: long imprisonment in civilised law-abiding national and international jurisdictions. But the inadvertent effect of shouting genocide at the drop of a hat - admittedly in frustration by pained victims and the...

Title: "Graceful Leadership" by Dr. Will Parks - An unapologetic message of hope and optimism Author: Arthur van Diesen (LinkedIn post about book by Dr. Will Parks) Publication: LinkedIn Date: January 30, 2026 Click here for the article Amazon link Summary:  Arthur van Diesen reviews "Graceful Leadership" by fellow UNICEF senior leader Will Parks, describing it as more than a professional memoir—a manifesto on leadership shaped by kindness, empathy, and principled belief in human capabilities. Van Diesen argues that traditional command-and-control leadership structures are failing in an increasingly fragmented world. Parks advocates for a leadership style prioritizing radical empathy, quiet courage, and principled resilience, tested through decades of humanitarian work in crisis zones. Van Diesen emphasizes that Parks' commitment to leading from the heart emerges not despite the brutality witnessed in humanitarian settings, but because of it, demonstrating that ...

 

A small reunion of UNICEF retirees in Amman took place on Tuesday, January 27th.  First from left are: * Marlen Helal executive assistant to many Jordan representatives,  * Reem Najjar who worked at both Regional and Jordan office,  * Mary Khoury who retired and lived in the USA for many years but decided to settle in Jordan,  * Amal Zaboura worked at Regional office,  * Muna-Christine Said whose last post was in Egypt,  *  Lamia Shaban who worked with many Deputy Regional Directors,  * Lori Issa who worked at the Regional office before moving to other international posts and is living in the USA. Lori was visiting and we had this reunion to see her after over 20 years. * Sulafa Hamdan who worked at the Regional office and retired from Yemen Office.  * Finally Mary Sidawi who was the executive assistant of 7 Regional Directors. 

Unbelievable cruelty against women & girls as Taliban plunges Afghanistan into a new nadir in the name of Islam, justifying enslavement of women. Yet little outrage from the leaders of @OIC_OCI & others professing respect for human rights.  Yet little outrage from the leaders of Islamic countries and others professing respect for human rights.  Hard to believe this is happening in the 21 st  century.  Kul

 

The following letter from the President of FAFICS was sent to members of AFICS.  Note that the full letter follows the summary below.  UN General Assembly Requests Comprehensive Review of UN Pension Scheme Author: Jerry Barton, FAFICS President Publication: FAFICS (Federation of Associations of Former International Civil Servants) Date: 26 January 2026 Summary: The UN General Assembly, as part of its approval of the Pension Fund's budget on 31 December 2025, invited the Pension Board to conduct a comprehensive review of the entire UN pension scheme.

Advancing Every Child’s Right to Identity Mia Dambach Iris Amaldi Executive Director Child Identity Protection On 28 January, I briefed the Committee on the Rights of the Child members on the child’s right to identity, with particular focus on birth registration.

  WHO statement on notification of withdrawal of the United States 24 January 2026   Statement   As a founding member of the World Health Organization (WHO), the United States of America has contributed significantly to many of WHO’s greatest achievements, including the eradication of smallpox, and progress against many other public health threats including polio, HIV, Ebola, influenza, tuberculosis, malaria, neglected tropical diseases, antimicrobial resistance, food safety and more.

Walls of Tears ( a.ka. Walls of Shame) are needed in every city as a reminder of the lives of children so needlessly lost. Good project for XUNICEF volunteer community action? Tom Wall of Tears: 50ft Brooklyn mural pays tribute to children killed in Gaza David Smith, The Guardian, January 30, 2026 Click here for the article Summary Artist Phil Buehler has created a massive memorial installation in Brooklyn, New York, honoring 18,457 children killed in Gaza between October 7, 2023 and July 19, 2025.  The Wall of Tears, a 50-foot long, 10-foot tall mural on waterproof vinyl, lists the children's names in the order they died, based on Gaza health ministry data. The installation includes photographs and stories of individual children drawn from Guardian and Washington Post reports.  The memorial opened Thursday at 12 Grattan Street in Brooklyn, timed to coincide with the second anniversary of the death of five-year-old Hind Rajab, who bled out among six family members' bodies...

I am happy to report some good news about possibilities for News & Views to continue beyond the end of March. We invited all members of XUNICEF to participate in an online discussion on Wednesday January 28th on the question, "Replace or Continue News & Views after 31 March".  We included a link to a very short questionnaire asking whether members would like the publication to continue and if so, whether they would agree to help in managing or leading after the end of March.

The results of this newly published study show that the risks of mortality during pregnancy in the US are far higher than previously thought. This result feeds into the continuing debate in the US over the supposed risks of abortion, but it also should add to thinking about the risks of pregnancy globally. Tom

Here's something for XUNICEF readers.  This ISW update is describing how Ukrainian children caught up in the invasions, first 2014 taking Crimea, then 2022 taking some of the eastern border territories, are now being turned into Russian soldiers fighting and dying in combat against their homeland.   This issue seems to get no coverage in the media, nor in UN related reports that I'm aware of.  

 

Interesting info about UNJSPF in BAFUNCS newsletter Rafah Pensions to rise in April UN pensions on the Dollar track will rise by 2.7 per cent in April 2026, while those on the local Sterling track will go up by 3.4 percent. These figures reflect the movement in the consumer price indices of the USA and the UK, respectively, in the 12 months to December 2025.

Please find herewith my tribute to Dr. Bill Foege, who left this world this past weekend, but whose legacy continues to inspire many of us.  Kul Gautam Tribute to Dr. William Foege: A Giant of Global Public Health by Kul Chandra Gautam ∙ This weekend, the world lost a true giant of global public health. Tributes are pouring in from public health scholars and leaders around the world, mourning the passing of Dr. William (Bill) Foege, a pioneer of the vaccination strategies that helped eradicate smallpox, a highly contagious, often disfiguring, and deadly disease that killed an estimated 300 million people in the 20th century alone. The global eradication of smallpox stands among humanity’s greatest public health triumphs. In a sad coincidence, his passing came shortly after the United States announced its withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO), a decision that deeply distressed Dr. Foege, as it did most of the world’s leading public health experts and institutio...

Shocking news! Oscar Dear friends, It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Howard G. Dale, a British citizen and long-time resident of Briarcliff Manor, NY. Howard enjoyed a long career at UNICEF New York, where he met Eirah Gorre-Dale, to whom he was married for almost 40 years until her passing in 2020. “H” as he was known by his family, was an avid photographer https://www.hgdphotography.org/portfolios and cat lover. Condolences to the family can be made on his personal Facebook account https://www.facebook.com/howard.dale.52 . In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Briarcliff Manor Historical Society, where Howard dedicated so much of his time and energy over the last few years https://www.briarcliffhistory.org/donate . He is survived by two daughters and five grandchildren. There will be a small, informal gathering of family and friends on Saturday, 31 January in Briarcliff Manor - details will be posted on https://www.facebook.com/Jgorreborjavidal

In my pre-UNICEF days I worked for a couple of NGOs including CARE in Bangladesh, so I have always appreciated the efforts of CARE and other NGOs to widen our awareness that there are many crises that never make the headlines. Note that 9 of the 10 crises they identify are in Africa.   Tom CARE Crisis Report: Ten Overlooked Humanitarian Crises That Didn't Make Headlines in 2025 Michelle Nunn, President and CEO of CARE; Charlene Pellsah Ambali, Assistant CARE Country Director in Zimbabwe CARE January 28, 2026 Click here for the article Click here for the report Summary CARE released its tenth annual Crisis Report analyzing global online media coverage of humanitarian crises from January 1 to September 30, 2025.

 

Congratulations to Gianni Murzi whose article Hospital of Hope was recently publishedd by Dodho Magazine.  The article builds on a narrative and stunning photos of the hospital at Chokwe Mozambique during a time crisis in TB and HIV when Gianni was serving as a young doctor responsible for the hospital and the surrounding region.