XUNICEF News and Views

According to the article, the US will soon make an 'initial payment' of its dues.  Something is better than nothing and we can be pleased to see some movement at long last.  It is also nice to see that Trump views the UN more positively than we thought.  Tom

Fort Snelling National Cemetery - Minneapolis Opinion | The Greatest Generation fought fascism. Let's not forget their lessons.

Dear Marta, I believe this is very wise advice to S-G Guterres, especially coming from a very pro-UN historian, Stephen Schlesinger, the author of “Act of Creation: The Founding of The United Nations,” which won the 2004 Harry S. Truman Book Award. This is one of the finest books I have read on the origins of the UN, and a must-read for all aficionados of the UN. I believe Guterres has much to gain and nothing to lose by reaching out to Donald Trump at this critical juncture for the UN. As Schlesinger says, "Guterres owes it to his constituents, 193 countries, and the entire world to make the call. Trump has publicly invited him to do it. If he doesn’t, he’ll never know whether he could have reversed the UN’s troubled straits. It’s only a few numbers to punch on the keypad to put the call through. He should do it to preserve the institution that he has spent almost 10 years running. It will be his greatest legacy — and, if he does not, his greatest shame". I hope you and Jo...

Avery, You are my guardian angel and hope for the future. The phrase “Ubuntu “ is one of my favorites. It was used by the former South African leader Nelson Mandela after he was released from 27 years in prison.  Thanks for bringing back his memory and reminding me of the significance of “Ubuntu”. Uncle Jimmy (Jim Mohan) IOC President's speech - Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games Opening Ceremony Source: Olympics.com (IOC official website) Click here for the Speech :   Date: February 6, 2026 Key Context:  This was Kirsty Coventry's first opening ceremony speech as IOC President. She became the first woman to officially declare an Olympic Games open. The ceremony took place today at San Siro Stadium in Milan. "In Africa, where I'm from, we have a word: ubuntu. It means: I am because we are. That we can only rise by lifting others. That our strength comes from caring for each other.  No matter where you ...

Good Evening All, Here is another piece from Lancet I think useful to XUNICEF.   What's interesting for me to to see Prof/Dr Stanley Plotkin among the authors cited.  You've heard me already reminiscing about Maurice Hillelman the head of Merck vaccine research in the 70's 80's and still active in the 90's (Maurice was at the Children's Summit, so was Jonas Salk), but here is Stanley Plotkin summing up the impact of vaccines in the USA mainly since the 1960's, and then nicely discussing the future impact of current changes.  All this in one readable tight paragraph.  Here's a sample;  " Routine childhood immunisations prevented an estimated 32 million hospitalisations and over 1 million deaths in the USA from 1994 to 2023. 3  As a result, the USA has been a global leader in vaccine policy, "   Dr. Plotkin is the author of Vaccines, which is now in its eighth edition and used widely in the field. What is the value of preventing 32 million child...

Here is something different from Tik Tok Sree This image captures a moment from a performance by the French dance group Murmuration, choreographed by Sadeck Waff. The group is known for its mesmerizing performances characterized by flawless precision and synchronization. Their choreography features intricate hand and arm movements, creating stunning visual patterns. The choreographer's real name is Sadeck Berrabah, and he is of Algerian descent.

Dear friends, This is thoughtful from the New Humanitarian. Antony

President Trump Signs Funding Bill Click here for the Linkedin post by Ian Richards Click here for the Better World article "President Trump signs spending bill that restores regular budget funding for international organisations.

Here's the CNN summary of Lancet's global health study. John Gilmartin

Then and Now In the past our history books have recorded our antiquities based on local culture, religion, art, race, social issues, economy, wars & conflicts, peace & reconciliation, wealth & poverty, etc. In our lifetime we all have experienced changing lifestyles of people over the decades in keeping with changing personal, family & kinship relations and exogenous factors such as income, mobility, individual freedom, family bonds and local and international political events including wars and conflicts.

Lancet have evaluated the effects of official development aid cuts at USAID as well as several other major donor organizations.  The short answer, Devastating. Millions of deaths especially among children under five. If these estimates are close to correct, we will witness a new holocaust.  In my experience reading estimates of deaths caused by various catastrophic events, the early estimates will be lower than the actual deaths.

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.  

Rather than try to present let alone summarize this long report, I am including an article from the Guardian which sets out the major findings from the report. Tom

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.

I have posted this message on my Linked-in.  Perhaps you can post similar message on whatever social media you use.

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...