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We learned from his niece, Dina Britain, this morning that Samir Sobhy died today in Cairo.
We knew he had been ill for a while, still the news came as a shock.
Samir was a very good man. A man with strong convictions and many qualities including a sense of humor. He was also a very loyal and good friend.
In addition to his passion for UNICEF to which he gave his all when he worked for it, he had many other interests. After retirement he devoted himself to his other passions.
Samir was a poet who loved Haiku, an artist, an architect, and he wrote children’s stories.
He loved nature. In his house in Siwa, a lovely Egyptian Oasis full of fresh and salt water springs near the Great Sand Sea, he created a lovely desert garden of palm trees and greens which he tended with the help of a gardener who came on a donkey. And in his barn in upstate New York, he dug a pond and planted flowers.
He loved New York.
He was a private man but those of us who knew him loved him very much.
With warmest regards.
He was a private man but those of us who knew him loved him very much.
With warmest regards.
Mehr
From Dina Britain
It is so nice to hear from all the wonderful people who knew my uncle over the years. He was so active, never remained still and he was passionate about everything he did. He certainly had a very good life and was able to fulfil his desires.
Best regards
Dina
Best regards
Dina
From the Editors
Please copy any messages to missing-you-xunicef@googlegroups.com. We will consolidate any received at that address and send them on to the family.
Death - from Samir's 'Haiku-Inspired Poems'
Les Saisons - from Samir's 'Poemes pour les Jeunes'
To visit Samir's art website - click here
and the Amazon website of his books - click here
From Doreen Lobo on behalf of the Editors
Samir Sobhy
We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of our XUNICEF colleague and friend, Samir Sobhy.Samir had a distinguished career with UNICEF – both at NYHQs and in the field. Samir was a man of strong convictions, with a wonderful sense of humor.
Our XUNICEF network discovered a hidden treasure in Samir’s artistic abilities… paintings, drawings, marbling, graphics, poetry including Haiku-inspired ones, and an author of children’s books.
His amazing art collection was featured in XUNICEF’s September 2019 Edition of Arts & Artists of UNICEF and we showcased his art works again, this past November.
Samir started drawing at a very young age and started painting in water color and later in oil when about 11. Samir integrated the cultures of the various countries where he served UNICEF as can be seen from their influence on several of his art works. From this we realize that Samir was indeed, a rare individual who balanced his dedication to and passion for the well-being of the world’s children with his passion for the arts.
Samir, Rest in Eternal Peace.
Our XUNICEF network discovered a hidden treasure in Samir’s artistic abilities… paintings, drawings, marbling, graphics, poetry including Haiku-inspired ones, and an author of children’s books.
His amazing art collection was featured in XUNICEF’s September 2019 Edition of Arts & Artists of UNICEF and we showcased his art works again, this past November.
Samir started drawing at a very young age and started painting in water color and later in oil when about 11. Samir integrated the cultures of the various countries where he served UNICEF as can be seen from their influence on several of his art works. From this we realize that Samir was indeed, a rare individual who balanced his dedication to and passion for the well-being of the world’s children with his passion for the arts.
Samir, Rest in Eternal Peace.
From Habib Hammam
ReplyDeleteIt is so sad to learn of the passing of Samir Sobhy. As a UNICEF colleague, he was a man of ideas and convictions, a skillful negotiator, always positive but never a pushover. I appreciated him especially as a person doing his own thing, a humanist and an artist and as a person who knew how to appreciate life.
His eloquent poem on impending death has much of darkness and of doubt. Unlike his ever positive spirit for which indeed he will be remembered by those of us who knew him. We are all travelers. Travel well my friend.
Habib Hammam
From Rima Salah
DeleteDear Habib,
Very, very sad news,
How did this happen and where was he in Egypt or in New York?
May He Rest In Peace 🙏
Keep safe,
Love to you and the family,
Rima
From Kiari Liman Tinguiri
ReplyDeleteRIP Samir. You are and will be missed.
Kiari
DeleteFrom Lenin Guzman
It is so sad. Samir was a wonderful representative and great friend. I will miss him a lot.
From Padmini
ReplyDeleteVery deeply saddened to learn of Samir Sobhy's death! He was such an pro-active colleague when I was in the Mena section. I have many good memories of our working together and our friendship. Not least of all, his special coffee-making equipment that he carried on his trips and treated me too occasionally to excellent coffee!
My heartfelt condolences to his family.
Padmini
From Shahnaz Kianian-Firouzgar
ReplyDeleteSamir was a consummate diplomat and a skilled professional with a high sense of integrity and fairness. I first got to know him in context of UNICEF high level fundraising in the Gulf region in early 80s with Prince Talal. His advice and contributions were invaluable.
My condolences to his family and loved ones.
RIP, Samir!
Shahnaz
From Moira Hart-Poliquin
ReplyDeleteSo so sad - Samir kept in touch , became an impressive artist and writer, he thought and card deeply. I will miss him. Moira
ReplyDeleteFrom Touré Hamadassalia
Mes sincères condoléances à sa famille et à la famille Unicef
Que la terre lui soit légère et que Dieu l accueille dans son paradis éternel
Touré Hamadassalia
From Akila Aggoune
ReplyDeleteRest in Peace Samir.
My sincere condolences to his family.
Unforgettable memory of my first contact with Samir on the occasion of my working visit in DRC..
from Mahendra Sheth
ReplyDeleteVery sad to hear that Samir is no longer with us. May he rest in peace. Sincere condolences to his family.
Mahendra
Basim Kawash
ReplyDeleteVery sad news indeed. Fond memories from the time Samir was in Riyadh Saudi Arabia in 1982. RIP Basim Kawash Amman
From Iyabode Olusanmi
ReplyDeleteSo sad. May his soul rest in perfect peace.
From Eimi Watanabe
ReplyDeleteI join the long list of colleagues who mourn the passing of Samir Sobhy, a talented and wonderful colleague whom I worked with in the Programme Funding Office in the 80s. Perhaps we might remember him by looking at his art work at Samir’s website, https://www.artofsamirsobhy.com/?fbclid=IwAR2l9E3uM50wuCO7_6qHX68LTB2cOiVHgsuNM-3qvhQN5wanZnK87Ul8uno), which Helene Gosselin has called our attention to.
Eimi
Yes, we have lost yet another talented colleague. Our paths crossed when he was in the Programme Funding office in NYHQ and I remember our friendly talks on both professional and other subjects. He was a consummate erudite from the looks of it.While I knew a little about his artistry as a painter I now learn that he was also an author and a poet too. Many others have written about his diplomatic skills and tact in difficult situations. As a fellow MiddlevEasterner I enjoyed his measured viewpoints on many of the touchy subjects affecting our Region.My sincere condolences to his Family. May he Rest in Peace.
ReplyDeleteFouad Kronfol
Montreal
From Ayalew Abai: 13 December 12.37 AM
ReplyDeleteDeeply saddened to learn of the passing of Samir Sobhy. I have had the privilege to work with him when he served as Representative for the Dakar Area Office. He was a highly refined and earnest person who worked with passion, integrity and great energy. May he Rest In Peace.
Heartfelt condolences to his family. Ayalew Abai
From Ali Asghar: December 13, 1.40 AM
ReplyDeleteVery sad news. My heartfelt condolences. May he Rest In Peace.
Best regards. Ali
From Farid Rahman: December 13, 1.47 AM
ReplyDeleteDear Habib,
Deeply saddened to learn about the passing of Samir Sobhy. He was distinguished colleague, thoughtful and articulate with great diplomatic skills and a wonderful sense of humour.
I came to know Samir during hectic times when we were launching ‘Operation Life Line Sudan’ in early 1989. He and Charles LeMunier were
the regular members of JPG’s party on his very frequent visits to Khartoum as Special Assistant to SG on OLS. Samir was the Regional Expert who advised on our tough negotiations with the local government officials.
Before every negation JPG would hold internal consultations. Ever smiling Samir would often offer a contrary opinion and argue out his point of view with GPG , with great diplomatic skill, and persuasion, (probably honed during his career with the Egyptian Foreign Service). I remember being struck by the courage of this young and fairly junior staff member , with his small stature and delicate frame, challenging and holding JPG at bay. His views were always balanced and well respected.
In those days we met with Sadiq El Mehdi The Prime Minister , flew south to meet John Garang and had many many meetings to hammer out the framework of OLS . Samir made an important contribution to this effort.
On the 30 June 1989 there was a military coup and the government was overthrown by General Hassan el Bashir. I learnt about it at 5 in the morning and rushed to the Hilton Hotel to inform Mr. Grant and party. We turned on the Radio and Samir monitored the Arabic broadcasts giving us a running commentary. We soon learnt that Soldiers had been posted outside the hotel rooms and JPG et al were, defacto, under ‘ house arrest’ ( “ for his own safety”). Just before noon we got a message on our walk talky that all Heads of Diplomatic Missions were required to attend a meeting called by the General.
JPG started getting ready to go, but I stopped him saying that I would attend, and that his joining the meeting could be interpreted as the UN recognising the coup.( As he was the Special Assistant to the SG in addition to being UNICEF’s EX-DIR ) I recall there was a tense discussion and Samir settled the matter by emphatically stating “ Mr. Grant, Farid is right, you should not go”. That night we quietly met the General in the military headquarters and got a chit from him allowing the UNICEF plane to fly out with JPG and Party.
Samir and I developed a close bond of friendship which I have cherished over the years. Lately he took to painting , a passion which I also share. He will indeed be missed
May He rest in Peace
Farid
From Kul Gautam: December 13, 2.11 AM
ReplyDeleteFascinating account, Farid. Thanks for sharing.
I too cherish similarly positive impression of Samir Sobhy's refined diplomatic skills with external partners, while he was quite outspoken in a principled manner internally.
RIP & Deep sympathies to his family and friends.
From Youssouf Omar: December 13, 3.25 AM
ReplyDeleteI am so sad that Samir left us so soon. He was a wonderful soul. I carry very good memories of him as a sincere friend, a very humble man and a good painter !
I pray for him to rest in peace !
Youssouf
From: Tewabech Bishaw : December 13, 4.38 AM
ReplyDeleteVery Sad to hear the passing away of Samit Sobhi. My sincere condolence to his family and friends. May his soul rest in peace.
Tewabech
From: Hamadassalia O. Toure: December 13, 9.18 AM
ReplyDeleteMes sincères condoléances à sa famille et à la famille Unicef
Que la terre lui soit légère et que Dieu l accueille dans son paradis éternel
Touré Hamadassalia
From: Narinder Sharma: December 13, 8.48 PM
ReplyDeleteRIP Sameer. It is sad to see colleagues leaving but that is the truth of this life.
Narinder Sharma
From: Purushottam Pradhan Pradhan - December 13, 9.37 PM
ReplyDeleteVery sad news. May he rest in peace. Sincere condolences to his family.
From: Gourisankar Ghosh December 13 - 9.40 PM
ReplyDeleteRIP SAMIR SOBY
🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼💐
From: Misrak Elias : December 14 - 3.19 AM
ReplyDeleteMay Samir rest in eternal peace. Condolences to his family
Misrak
From: Jim Mohan : December 14: 1.56 AM
ReplyDeleteAhh, Samir a classic human being whose charm and warmth left an indelible mark on me from our days together in the mid ‘80s in the Program Funding Office. Barak Allah Fik. Jim
From: Detlef Palm : December 13 - 2.16 PM
ReplyDeleteI am saddened by Samir’s passing. I met him, albeit briefly, a few times in 1989/1990. He stood out due to his humour and friendliness. May his soul rest in peace.
From: Guy Scandlen : December 14, 9.02 AM
ReplyDeleteI was so deeply saddened to learn of Samir's passing.
After retiring, I had had an opportunity to work for him in Senegal.
Apart from his deeply felt and educated concern for development issues, I found his sense of humour absolutely wonderful.
Once we were speaking of pronouns and I happened to mention the vast lexicon of all personal pronouns used in using Thai.
At one point I mentioned the formal phrase for "I" when addressing the Thai King - which is translated as "I, who am lower than the dust under the soul of your foot..." Samir, reflected for a brief period and then said: "That might be a good way for people to address UNICEF Reps..." No one agreed.
May he rest in peace. Guy Scandlen
From: Steve Umemoto : December14 : 12.27 PM
ReplyDeleteFarid,
Much appreciate your additional contribution to UNICEF history.
Because of our different regions, I worked with Samir only once around 1983 at the very beginning of his UNICEF career. Jim Grant had called me and told me that Prince Talal wanted to visit the Philippines. I was introduced to Samir (initially from a distance as Jim's man in UNICEF for the Prince) and over the next three months in a sort of carnival of events with the Prince and Imelda Marco as the two leads, Samir and I along with a gentleman named Soliman (the Prince's man for his UNICEF work) were supporting cast members in a show involving New York, rural Virginia, Los Angeles, Riyadh with the grand last act in Manila. In spite of the craziness, I found Samir a continuing font of wisdom, good humor, good judgement, adaptation and calm. I was pleased to learn that he was joining UNICEF for good and regretted not again having the opportunity to work with him. May he Rest in Peace. Steve
From: Richard Jolly: December 14: 2.48 PM
ReplyDeleteDear Steve,
Nice memories. Richard
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteComment by Franziska von Vietinghoff
ReplyDeleteMuch respect to Samir Sobhy. May his soul rest in eternal peace. Samir was a brilliant, modern-day gentleman-colleague who belonged to many worlds.
His artistic vein intrigued me. Once in Dakar, a one-theme exhibition of Samir’s drew visitors from government and artists alike, all coming to express their esteem for Samir personally and to delight in viewing the show. It was the historically significant Gorée Island outside Dakar that had caught Samir the artist’s attention. Not once, but *one hundred times*. From his home in Dakar, he painted the Island and the Atlantic waters surrounding it, in all weathers, all lights, all hours, all seasons. With the use of different media Samir conveyed the Island’s enigmatic moods. One hundred times the Gorée Island on view!
Dakar loved the exhibition and I was raptured, and rather than being Samir’s Headquarters desk officer I wanted to be his art student.
RIP Samir, with much admiration, Franziska
From Saad Houry: December 15, 4.45 AM
ReplyDeleteAnd I thought the year 2020 was already terrible.. till we got news of Samir's passing away. I have very fond memories of him as we were in touch soon after he joined UNICEF in the early 80s. He had left the Egyptian Foreign Service to serve as Assistant to Prince Talal Bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia, who was appointed by the SG as UNICEF Special Envoy. Samir then moved to PFO (currently PPD) around 1983 and later served as Area Representative in Dakar, covering Senegal, Gambia and Cape Verde.
Samir was always elegantly dressed, his trousers held by suspenders that were not needed. His voice was high-pitched, his laugh very loud and, in meetings, he would use this voice and constant arms-waving to convey his messages. In RMTs, he was a voice of wisdom and reason - even if he occasionally lost his temper. He always showed a high degree of professionalism and dedication to the service of children. He hated bureaucracy when it stopped him from moving ahead quickly.
He was tough on himself and others: on the Prince when he had unreasonable demands on Unicef offices, tough on Unicef when it didn't treat the prince with the respect he was owed for all he did for the organization. He was tough on his staff.. but very much loved by them. He had their backs any time anyone outside the office would criticize them.
What many colleagues don't know is that Samir was not only a diplomat and an International civil servant. He was a writer of poems, plays and books; a painter artist; a fashion designer and an architect. Such a talented person..
Be well my friend. May you Rest in Peace.
And as if Samir's passing away wasn't bad news enough, our XUnicef group just got informed that 2020 refuses to end without claiming another colleague who served extensively in West Africa, Dominique Robez-Masson. May she also Rest in Peace.
Warm regards to All. Keep safe, saad
From: Mariam Ndiaye: December 15: 5.33 AM
ReplyDeleteMay all of them rest in eternal Peace. Ameen.
Mariam