XUNICEF News and Views

Message from the UNICEF Comptroller Dear Colleagues, Due to supply chain constrains, the United Nations is unable to source additional stock of the current electronic UNLP booklet before transitioning to a new security design and receipt of the first shipment of the next edition of UNLP. Since the post-pandemic lifting of travel restrictions, the Travel and Transportation Section of the UN has seen unprecedented demand that has depleted reserve UNLP stock faster than expected (red UNLP stock is sufficient and not effected). If continued at this rate, there will be no blue UNLP stock available in less than 5 months .  To preserve remaining stock for those who are most in need, the Under Secretary General for Operational Support, Mr. Atul Khare, has just sent a memorandum to all UN heads of entities detailing new requirements for issuance of UNLPs. Effective immediately the following procedures will remain in effect until further notice for all UNLP applications.  New or renewal UNLP

It must by now be obvious to all readers of this blog that most African countries are relatively poorer today than they were at the time of independence. In other words, their share of the global GDP per capita is lower today than it was at the time of independence. Likewise, indexes ranking countries around the world for corruption, democracy, governance, development, impunity, or human rights have African countries not only at the bottom, but often falling further behind the rest of the world. Very few have managed to change this trend. It must be clear that aid is not the solution to Africa’s problems as some European political leaders prefer to think, egged on by the 500,000-man strong aid industry, by far the biggest beneficiaries of aid. These European politicians, including Merkel, seem unaware that the trillions of dollars in various forms of aid to Africa over the past 50 years have had little if any impact. It is naïve to think that more of the same would make any meaningful

A global success story and a legacy to be protected: UNICEF’s role in the virtual elimination of iodine deficiency through Universal Salt Iodization (USI) Nowadays, if you ask a staff member – or anyone – about eliminating iodine deficiency, they likely won’t know about it.  That’s a pity, because it’s one of the most remarkable public health success stories of our time, and UNICEF’s work was at the heart of the effort.  Adequate iodine is crucial to children’s ability to reach their full potential and benefit fully from their education. Insufficient iodine during pregnancy leads to lasting brain damage that can reduce a child’s IQ by 8-15 points. Mild to moderate deficiency at school age can reduce IQ by 3-5 points.  Iodine deficiency existed worldwide, but was tackled by adding minute amounts of iodine to household salt, at a cost of just US 5c per person yearly. Every dollar spent on salt iodization yields an average $30 return through improved childhood learning, leading to greater

  Pour la version f rançaise, voir ci-dessous UNJSPF News - March 2023 UNJSPF Virtual Global Town Hall on 6 April The Chief Executive of Pension Administration, Rosemarie McClean, and the Representative of the Secretary-General (RSG) for the investment of UNJSPF assets, Pedro Guazo, invite all participants from UNJSPF member organizations, all retirees and beneficiaries to a virtual Global Town Hall Meeting on Thursday, 6 April 2023 from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. (New York time).   Click  here  to read the article . 24 March 2023 A message from UNJSPF on the recent banking and market developments In the past weeks, we have witnessed a lot of turbulence in the financial markets, especially related to the banking sector. Our Fund is in a strong operational and financial situation. There were no disruptions in payments to retirees and beneficiaries and none are expected. As at today, the market value of the assets is above US$80 billion dollars, more than 3 per cent higher than the closing of 2

Dear XUNICEF Reunion participants, We look forward to welcoming you in a few months - 25-30 August 2023 to our city. You will be receiving an update email from us soon. If you know other XUNICEFers, please let them know too. It is still possible to join us. Meanwhile, pls have a look at these short videos of Toronto. Hope you will come and enjoy the city and the Reunion/time with former colleagues from all over the world in this multi-national city. Niloufar, Mahendra and Mahboob Two short videos on Toronto

  On weekends, waking up in my room at the UNICEF guest house in Herat sometimes was peaceful. I tried to plough away the weeklong emergency-debris out of my mind. Though officially we were supposed to work 40 hours a week––we did much more. My life was like riding a Ferris-wheel at top speed, constantly. The emergencies never stopped. Just kept piling up. I brought mountains of work back at the guest house––documents to read, sign, heaps of emails to respond to. We had a full office setup at the guest house. My work rolled over to almost 16-18 hours a day, routinely. I slept very little. Got burnt out. I loved my work. The team was very committed. I could sense our work was recognized. From the 3rd year of my being in Herat, I initiated some preliminary discussions with HR NYHQ––began applying. The (semi) positive responses were for posts in emergency duty stations, mainly. Discussed some more. I sensed that the agency wasn’t willing to move me out of Herat. Afghanistan had branded me

Philosophy of ethics helps us to understand and conceptualise an idea which can be applied to benefit human society. But the degeneration of ethics in our society is becoming an issue of serious concern; it is no longer just a philosophical concept. It is beyond philosophy Application of ethical principles does not mean to create utopian countries with a society of saints. It simply means for people to understand the principles and values of ethics that are worth embracing so that we treat individuals with fairness. Same applies internationally while making deals between countries. Rest is up to the individuals and countries contingent on their potentials and resources. We differentiate ourselves from the rest of the animal kingdom with our culture and tradition. Some primates do have certain value systems based on their kinship affiliation but human society excels in every possible dimension when it comes to society, culture and value system. All these principles are designed to gov

In Buddhism the dao refers to the the literal 'way', the return to the universal source, dharma, proper meditation, and nirvana.  But apparently in certain corners of UNICEF, the DAO has taken on other more mysterious meanings.  The following article seems to have been written in a language somewhat akin to English, yet for me at least, it might as well have been written in ancient Pali. What I do understand however is that UNICEF is still investing in blockchain "to fairly distribute power and communication for a globally distributed digital public good.” It also seems to still be handling large sums of crypto-currencies at a time when the rest of the world has fled from them. If anyone can help with a translation, we will be grateful.  In particular, can someone explain the prhase, "building a DAO prototype to fairly distribute power and communication for a globally distributed digital public good." Click here for the original article UNICEF Testing DAO Proto

The Early Childhood Peace Consortium(ECPC) launched a Global Call for Urgent Action and support to protect Children and Families affected by the recent Earthquakes in Turkiye and Syria, calling on the International Community to reaffirm its commitment to Human Rights and the Rights of every child as stipulated in the Convention on the Rights of the Child... Click here for the appeal and here for the interactive brochure With Warm Wishes, Rima The ECPC Calls for Urgent Action and Support to Protect Children and Families Affected by the Recent Earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria We reaffirm our commitments to Human Rights and the Rights of every Child as stipulated in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and in SDG 16. Let us put those commitments into action with our humanitarian response to the disaster in Türkiye and Syria and uphold the Principles of Justice and equity for all. THE SITUATION The world is witnessing an alarming disaster in Türkiye and Syria, following two power