XUNICEF News and Views

Violence escalates in Syria; 'Peanut butter' saves lives in Mali; UNICEF flies in supplies to respond to the outbreak of Coronavirus disease; And, school support amid rising conflict in Burkina Faso. Violence escalates in SyriaThis year marks the ninth year of horrific war in Syria. Since December last year alone, more than 500,000 children have been displaced by escalating violence in the northwest region of the country. With the majority of Syria’s population living below the poverty line, the freezing winter months are a trial of hardship and survival for children. With the conflict unabating, newly displaced families - already tired from days of walking - now face the harsh cold, a lack of food and clean water and desperate living conditions in makeshift camps. As temperatures plummet, UNICEF is on the ground, providing hygiene kits, safe drinking water, warm clothes for winter, and screening and treatment of malnutrition, as well as education and psychosocial support. A c

 The big news of the month - from 1 April a 4.2% increase in US dollar based pensions due to a cost of living adjustment. Have you subscribed to the UNJSPF newsletter? Read the update for the address. Cost of Living Adjustment as of 1 April 2020 In accordance with the UNJSPF Pension Adjustment System, there will be a 4.2% cost-of-living (COL) increase to the US dollar track of periodic benefits effective 1 April 2020. Since the last adjustment date of 1 April 2018, the United States Consumer Price Index (US CPI) published in the United Nations Monthly Bulletin of Statistics has moved 4.2% over a two-year period from December 2017 to December 2019. Please note that there was no adjustment to the US dollar track last year as the US CPI movement over a one-year period from December 2017 to December 2018 was less than the 2% threshold for COL adjustment. Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) letters with further details will be issued by the end of April 2020. All beneficiaries who have regis

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY #IWD2020 #EachforEqual March 8, 2020 An equal world is an enabled world. How will you help forge a gender equal world? Celebrate women's achievement. Raise awareness against bias. Take action for equality. See the website with links to related information For those in or near New York see the plans to commemorate the day on Friday, 6 March. See also the link to RSVP or to watch on UN TV Observance of International Women’s Day Friday, 06 March 2020 - 10:00am to 1:00pm United Nations Observance of International Women’s Day 2020 I am Generation Equality: Realizing women’s rights Friday 6 March 2020 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. General Assembly Hall United Nations Headquarters RSVP here Speakers include: H.E. António Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations H.E. Sanna Marin, Prime Minister of Finland H.E. Mher Margaryan, Chair of the 64th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women Dr. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director, UN Women Dr.

Here’s a new twist in the debates over breastfeeding. Researchers are now trying to grow breastmilk in the lab, since so many mothers have trouble breastfeeding because of workplace demands, lack of maternity leave, etc. And so instead of working to resolve those problems, the answer is more industrial products! Take care, Janet A small start-up called Biomilq recently announced it has managed to grow human mammary cells that make at least two of the most common components of breast milk: a protein called casein and a sugar called lactose. This is the first step, the company hopes, to making human milk outside the human body. Breast milk is of course far, far more complex than just casein and lactose. It is made up of at least hundreds of different components: a multitude of proteins, fats, and sugars, but also antibodies, hormones, and beneficial bacteria. Biomilq ’s founders, Leila Strickland and Michelle Egger, say that they seek to eventually make milk that is “nutritionally” bu

UNICEF India Retirees Retreat –– Hyderabad 2020 Download this report in PDF form by clicking here. The Reunion of UNICEF India pensioners has been happening for the last eight years. This year’s – 2020 – Reunion, 4th to 6th February, sixth in a row was in Hyderabad, a city in South India. Hyderabad was an independent state during British times and was ruled by the Asaf Jahi Dynasty the erstwhile Nizams of Hyderabad. Mir Osman Ali Khan was the last Nizam of Hyderabad State in British India . Regarded as the wealthiest person in the world during his lifetime, his portrait was on the cover of Time magazine in 1937! This Reunion was organised by DADA (elder brother) Mr. Subhash Dasgupta ably helped by Alfred, Kundu, Uma Murthy and Ruth Sarala Benjamin. Dada and his organising Team –Uma, Kundu, Dasgupta, Alfred and Sarala By the evening of 3rd February folks started arriving at the beautiful Mrugavani resort a little on the outskirts of Hyderabad. At dinner excited shrieks were heard, fr

Friends: Definitely not going back to my old EMOPS function, but sharing what i picked up in the BC network for family preparedness in case of a city lockdown - just adjust to your culinary preferences. Unimaginable I know but so was the closing of China’s borders - the “black swan” always happens Read the full article in Modern Survival Blog Take care out there Lou Pandemic Survival | How Much Food Do I Need It’s all about the calories. Balance and nutrition is important too. But lets focus on calories. Why? Because that’s the primary reality of having enough food to survive. 2,000 calories per day, per person. That’s a typical “good enough” number for most. So how do you get a sense as to how many calories you might need (or already have) for food storage at home? It can be deceptive — in that you might think you have enough — but do you? The following meal plan averages about 2,000 calories per day: Breakfast (~500 calories) Calories include 1 glass of milk (~100 calories) (3) Panca

Dear friends/colleagues, As we had mentioned earlier, Ramesh has kindly agreed to facilitate a visit to Ottawa for those Toronto Reunion attendees interested. A few have so far express such an interest. We urge the rest of you to consider it and let us (including of course Ramesh) know by the end of March to give him enough time to organize it accordingly. Pls see Ramesh's message below, thanks and best, and thanks to Ramesh, Niloufar (on behalf of also Mahendra and Mahboob) Hi! Niloufar and colleagues, I have contacted few hotels and the most promising one seems to be Holiday Inn. For now, I asked for a group of 25 to 30 individuals and got a quotation for 15 rooms on shared basis. The room rate is same for single or double occupancy. Below are details: Room rate per night C$ 155.00 plus applicable tax (13%HST) Breakfast not included; C$ 19.00/breakfast The hotel is located downtown, close to the Parliament hill, city centre, walking distance to museum, theater, restaurants, et

I am delighted to inform you that I have appointed Jean Gough as Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean Region. Jean’s UNICEF career spans over 27 years and includes an array of leadership roles, heading offices across four regions. Most recently, she served as Regional Director, South Asia following her positions as Representative, Nigeria; Special Representative to the State of Palestine; Deputy Regional Director, Latin America and the Caribbean; and Representative, Barbados and Eastern Caribbean. Jean, a civil engineer by training, brings extensive expertise in programme management, emergency response, and resource mobilisation and partnerships. As a proven manager, Jean has shown great commitment to UNICEF’s mission and its people over the years and demonstrates immense skill, tenacity, and a warm spirit in all that she does. I have every confidence that Jean’s exceptional leadership and interpersonal style, together with her in-depth understanding of UNICEF programm

He was just a kid at the time. It was 2007, and his family was registering for benefits at a refugee camp in Uganda, where they'd settled after fleeing civil war in South Sudan. He didn't tell anyone at first, but in that moment he knew in his heart that he wanted to learn to code, he says. More than a decade later, Mayen is garnering international recognition from Facebook and the global gaming community for an innovative video game that brings players into the life of a refugee. The latest version of the game — called "Salaam," which means "peace" in Arabic — will be released on Thursday. Building empathy for refugees is especially pressing "under an administration that overtly expresses anti-immigrant sentiment and promulgates harmful policies against refugees and immigrants," says Rachel Landry, acting director of refugee resettlement and asylum policy and advocacy at the International Rescue Committee. Mayen says Junub plans to premiere the ne