XUNICEF News and Views

Read full article Measles - common.wikimedia.org "Measles, often called the most contagious disease on earth, is an airborne virus. If a person with measles walks into a room, the pathogens can linger there for two hours after the person has gone. In the New Square shul, this meant that as many as seven thousand people had shared airspace with the young man from Israel. It was fortunate that the room was so big and even, perhaps, that the women (and their small children) were in the balcony, away from the men and Patient Zero; pregnant women and small children are at the greatest risk. Still, McDonald told me, “people are very close. A cough or a sneeze by someone higher up in the bleachers would have the opportunity to dispense to a great number of people.” "As the summer progressed, the line held. The camps, it turned out, produced no new cases, and the pace of infection slowed, at least in New York. In late July, Rockland County ended its state of emergency. There was one

Commons.wikimedia.org Valerie Harper has passed away at the age of 80.   Rest in Peace and continue to bless us from heaven, dear Valerie Harper!  She was a vibrant and beautiful soul - not only as a performing artist but also as someone dedicated to great humanitarian causes and values -- as a long-standing member of RESULTS.org Board. UNICEF was grateful for her role in mobilizing great public support for the historic 1990 World Summit for Children.  https://www.nytimes.com/2019/ 08/30/obituaries/valerie- harper-dead.html?action=click& module=News&pgtype=Homepage https://www.sun-sentinel.com/ opinion/commentary/fl-op-com- valerie-harper-20190731- wimcbs44xndetmne4lbwxf3sqy- story.html  

Read full article " The disease is no longer considered eradicated in Albania, the Czech Republic, Greece and the UK. "We are backsliding, we are on the wrong track," said Kate O'Brien of the WHO's Immunization Department."

Please find herewith an article which might be of interest to ex-UNICEFers. If you find it relevant please share in our routine web bulletin. Thanks. Ramesh ---------------- Source: commons.wikimedia.org A peace to keep The deployment of a small team of UN ‘guards’ in 1945 to monitor the truce between the Israel and its Arab neighbor gave birth to the present-day UN peacekeeping contingent. Currently there are UN peacekeeping missions in 14 countries charged with maintaining peace and security while protecting civilians, disarm militias, and many other nearly impossible tasks. On many occasions various warring factions such as in Somalia also have attacked UN peacekeepers, while at other times it had to helplessly watch atrocities such as in Rwanda and in Srebrenica. The inability of UN peacekeepers to solve local problems earned them various name calling titles such as ‘United Vacationers’, ‘Beach Keepers’, ‘Parasites’ and even ‘Neocolonial’!  The role of UN peacekeeping missions have

Read full article It was a medical mystery which first surfaced in April - how could 14 young children have been infected with HIV when their parents were not infected?   Now the situation continues to worsen and July figures show 751 infected people, mostly children. WHO donor status report as of 2 June

Read full article "  A United Nations agency, with funding from the U.S. State Department, is transporting thousands of immigrants from the U.S.-Mexico border back to Central America in a program that has drawn the ire of migrant legal advocates. The advocates question whether migrants fully understand their rights when they accept free plane and bus tickets home. The program was in full swing Tuesday in this border city opposite El Paso, where 63 Honduran migrants boarded two buses chartered by the U.N.’s International Organization for Migration, which has transported more than 2,200 Central American migrants home from Juarez and Tijuana so far this year, a spokesman said. The $1.65-million program, called Assisted Voluntary Return, is funded by the State Department through next month, when it’s expected to expand east to the border cities of Nuevo Laredo and Matamoros." 

Read original article Greta Thunberg - Wikimedia Commons "  Just two days after Thunberg   disembarked   from a yacht in New York, following two weeks on rough seas crossing from the UK, young protesters dominated the crowd of up to 1,000 gathered outside the United Nations skyscraper in Manhattan. They came together to demand politicians and older generations take urgent and comprehensive action to reverse the climate crisis." 

Download full pdf here Swiss Committee for UNICEF The learning crisis the world is facing today has its roots in children’s earliest years, when failure to invest in quality early childhood education results in children starting school not ready to learn and succeed. Millions of children are entering education systems already behind in a host of critical skills they need to succeed in primary school. UNICEF and partners call on the global community to take action on five areas that are crucial to achieve transformational and cost-effective change for young children and nations. 

Read original article " The project is called Hygiene is our right, and highlights the rights of children and young people in relation to health, education and gender equality. The shortage of water and hygiene facilities in schools may contribute to higher absenteeism and poorer school results. According to UNICEF*, 43% of girls and adolescents in Mexico point out that during their period they prefer to stay at home than go to school. A national survey** shows that one in five schools lack adequate washrooms and 58% lack water. "With Hygiene is our right we will work with breaking taboos surrounding menstruation and address issues around good hand hygiene, which will increase well-being and equality in schools and society. We will now continue to help improve hygiene routines among children and young people together with UNICEF in Mexico," says Joséphine Edwall Björklund, Senior Vice President, Communications at Essity. "