XUNICEF News and Views

I have been following the situation of children in Iran regularly but as recent events unfolded after the death of Mahsa Amini, I did increase my scouting for news about Iran.  I am uniquely attached to Iran and to Iranian people because I worked there as Representative ad interim for 16 months. During that time, I got to appreciate the difficulties and subtleties of relating to Government officials.  Working in Iran was not easy and is not going to be easier, as this article from The Lancet exposes new challenges for UNICEF. You can get to the original text by clicking  here .  The arrest of Mahsa Amini by the Moral Security Police in Iran on Sept 13, 2022, for wearing her hijab improperly, and her death from traumatic brain injury on Sept 16, 2022, induced a widespread wave of angry protests by Iranians and international reactions. The Iranian protesters believe that Mahsa's brain injury was caused by beating and a blow to the head, but the Iranian Government considers her brain

Anurita Bains Associate Chief HIV/AIDS Around 110,000 children and adolescents (0-19 years) died from AIDs-related causes during 2021, according to the latest UNICEF global snapshot on children and HIV and AIDS. Meanwhile, another 310,000 were newly infected, bringing the total number of young people living with HIV to 2.7 million. Ahead of World AIDS Day, UNICEF warns that progress in HIV prevention and treatment for children, adolescents, and pregnant women has nearly flatlined over the past three years, with many regions still not at pre-COVID-19 service coverage. This comes on top of an existing and growing gap in treatment between children and adults. “Though children have long lagged behind adults in the AIDS response, the stagnation seen in the last three years is unprecedented, putting too many young lives at risk of sickness and death,” said UNICEF Associate Chief of HIV/AIDS Anurita Bains. “Children are falling through the cracks because we are collectively failing to find an

Click here for the original article Action is needed right now to end sexual violence in conflict Almost a decade ago, more than 150 countries joined the global declaration of commitment to end sexual violence in conflict . They promised to bring perpetrators to justice, to put survivors’ needs first, and to take other practical steps to end impunity. These were lofty goals and there has been some progress, including a few prosecutions at the national level, the adoption of the Murad Code and the establishment of the Global Survivors Fund . But it has not been nearly enough to meet the needs of survivors, or to deter perpetrators from using rape as a weapon of war in almost every new conflict in the past decade. Despite the commitments governments made, we have not seen significant, lasting action at the global level. This is deeply painful and frustrating. Conflict-related sexual violence has been reported in at least 18 countries in the past year alone, from the Americas to Asia a

The following photos and poems are from a fundraising appeal by Oxfam - click here for details and how to contribute. Five years after the Rohingya people were forced to flee their homes, almost a million displaced people still live in Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh, accounting for the world’s largest refugee camp. Each one of them has a powerful story to tell, so Oxfam asked a group of Rohingya artists to submit visual art, photography, writing, and poetry to share these stories with the world. Each piece speaks to the enduring humanity, dignity, and resilience of the Rohingya people.   "In this journey, we have been walking toward justice and a life where we can enjoy all rights that a human being has on this planet, and we will keep walking until we reach this goal." — Ro Abdula Ro Abdula took this photograph after the refugee camp was fenced in with barbed wire. "My life has become like a prisoner trapped in a jail, where we have to stay in a limited area and can't

I'm sure that many former colleagues, particularly those who worked with him will relate to the accounts. Regards Peter Chen   Transcript of Podcast Melissa Fleming 00:00 From the United Nations, I'm Melissa Fleming. My guest today is a Swedish-Italian diplomat who has worked for the United Nations for 40 years. Staffan de Mistura 00:09 48, actually. Melissa Fleming 00:10 48 years. Tackling some of the world's toughest crises in Syria, in Afghanistan and Iraq to name just a few. And now he is the Secretary-General's Personal Envoy for Western Sahara. Welcome, Staffan de Mistura. Staffan de Mistura 00:30 Thank you, thank you very much. I’m glad to be here. Believe me. Melissa Fleming 00:42 48 years with the United Nations. That's quite an achievement. Was there a moment early in your career when you thought this is what I must do? Staffan de Mistura 00:54 Yes. And it was very early. I was hardly 18. And I was a student. And my father had met a wonderful person from

Dear All It is with deep regret that I inform you of the sad demise of Mr. P.N. Sharma on 24 November 2022 at Faridabad, Haryana after a brief illness. Mr. Sharma joined UNICEF Chandigarh office on 15 February 1972 and when the office was closed, he was reassigned to Admin & Finance Section, New Delhi. He retired on 31 December 1997. Mr. Sharma is survived by his wife, Ms. Sudha Sharma, son, Mr. Sudhakar Sharma, daughters Ms. Sneh Sharma, and Ms. Priti Sharma. Members who wish to send condolence message may email directly to  sudhakar.n.sharma@gmail.com mob 9873800461 Thanks S. Ramadass Secretary UPGI

  The two editors of the XUNICEF News and Views,, Detlef and Gianni had a lovely time together in Rome where they had a delicious dinner quintessentially Roman. Detlef was accompanied by his wife, Gaby and daughter Josi 

UNICEF has issued a statement about the situation of children and their protection in Iran, see https://uni.cf/3H06taa and here below for the full text: NEW YORK, 27 November 2022 – "UNICEF condemns all violence against children and calls for an end to all forms of violence and abuse that have reportedly claimed the lives of over 50 children and injured many more during the public unrest in Iran. "UNICEF also remains deeply concerned about continued raids and searches conducted in some schools. Schools must always be safe places for children. "UNICEF has directly communicated our concerns to the authorities in Iran since the first cases of child casualties occurred in response to the protests. "The Islamic Republic of Iran is a party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and has an obligation to respect, protect and fulfil the rights of children to life, privacy, freedom of thought, and peaceful assembly. "UNICEF urges the authorities to respect the ri

I first left Edinburgh as a young graphic designer and travelled to Uganda in 1970 and stayed there two years teaching art in a school in Mbale. I found great rewards in doing portraits of people and great fun in showing the results to those that sat for me or posed quickly for sketches. Later I began working for UNICEF in Nairobi… and they required me to illustrate as best I could - all the things that UNICEF wanted parents and young mothers to know about protecting and caring for their children. I found the interests of people peaked when I illustrated the differences in the various ethnics groups. (In those days line drawings were printed in better quality than photographs and most young mothers were pre-literate… visual aids were often the first/only means of communicating health messages.) Even in the direst of circumstances - in refugee camps for example- I found drawing someone’s portrait and showing them - produced laughter and widespread discussion. I found if I drew accurate

Welcome to a brief overview of articles that appeared last week on our website. Please don't stop here - be sure to browse the full list of articles that appeared this week. xunicefnewsandviews.blogspot.com Our Feature of the Week Portraits from Ethiopia by George McBean A recent trip to visit his son and his family in Ethiopia gave George an opportunity to paint portraits of many of the people he met along the way.  Here he offers us a glimpse of the faces of local taxi drivers, security guards, street coffee sellers, gardeners, tour guides, wives and children he met.  As George says, "all of whom responded with laughter when I showed them their portraits. (Even the tortoise seemed to chuckle)."  Click here. Our Columnists This Week Ken Gibbs - That Pesky Learning Curve ---Again! Fouad Kronfol - Soliloquy #79 UN Edifices Detlef Palm - The UNICEF Virtual Reality Ramesh Shrestha -  Malala and Greta Iran - Social media criticism over what many perceive as  UNIC