XUNICEF News and Views

Three United Nations agencies today issued a stark warning that all indications point to a significant deterioration of the nutrition situation for children and mothers in war-torn Sudan. The lives of Sudan’s children are at stake and urgent action is needed to protect an entire generation from malnutrition, disease and death.

No time to lose as famine stalks millions in Sudan amid intense fighting and access denials  "Time is running out for millions of people in Sudan who are at imminent risk of famine, displaced from their lands, living under bombardments, and cut off from humanitarian assistance.

Foreword UNICEF is built on a foundation of hope. It is the hope that we can create a world in which the rights and well-being of this and future generations of children are protected and upheld. And hope is what fuels our optimism that this mission can be achieved.

In case you were wondering about the title, “No, I do not have a mistress and even if I did, she certainly wouldn’t be named ‘Poppy’”. I am far too traditional for that.

Draft statement shared by Doreen Lobo and Niloufar Pourzand

...and the 6th Global Forum oof the Global Network of Religions for Children. Kul

Stacy Gilbert, a senior US State Department advisor has resigned over what she called a 'patently false State Department report absolving Israel of blocking the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza's people. "“There is consensus among the humanitarian community on that. It is absolutely the opinion of the humanitarian subject matter experts in the state department, and not just in my bureau – people who look at this from the intelligence community and from other bureaus. I would be very hard pressed to think of anyone who has said [Israeli obstruction] is not an issue,” Gilbert said. “That’s why I object to that report saying that Israel is not blocking humanitarian assistance. That is patently false.” Click here for US state department report is false - in the Guardian "Smith and Gilbert bring the total number of Biden administration officials to have publicly resigned over US policy on Gaza to nine, though Josh Paul, the first official to resign, said that at least tw...

Alexander Smith, who has worked as a contractor advisor on maternal child health for the past four years was forced to resign after preparing a slide presentation for an internal USAID meeting on mortality among Palestinian children. His offense seems to be that in one slide he mentions the violations of international law. "Alexander Smith, a senior adviser on gender, maternal health, child health, and nutrition, told the Guardian he was given a choice of resigning or being fired after a presentation he was due to deliver on child mortality among Palestinians was cancelled by USAID leadership." Click here for  USAID official resigns over Gaza war  in the Independent See also : Two more US officials resign  in the Guardian Excerpt: "“I cannot do my job in an environment in which specific people cannot be acknowledged as fully human, or where gender and human rights principles apply to some, but not to others, depending on their race,” he wrote in the letter, according t...

The following is an actual question given on a University of Washington chemistry mid-term. Hat top to Annabelle Mark who is a constant source of this type of material Bonus Question: Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat)? The answer by one student was so 'profound' that the professor shared it with colleagues, via the Internet, which is, of course, why we now have the pleasure of enjoying it as well Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's Law (gas cools when it expands and heats when it is compressed) or some variant. One student, however, wrote the following: First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time. So we need to know the rate at which souls are moving into Hell and the rate at which they are leaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving. As for how many souls are entering Hell, let's look at the different religio...

Giles Fagninou, RD WCARO "......cases of recruitment and use of children in armed groups along with killings and maiming increased by more than 130 per cent between the two time periods." .".....several hundred people were reported killed in Burkina Faso, with reports that more than 220 civilians, including 56 children, were killed in attacks reportedly carried out by the military in two villages on a single day in late February." "Between February and April, over 1,180 security incidents were reported, which claimed the lives nearly 3,400 people." Click here for Global Issues - UNICEF reports surge of violence "Ensuring the protection of children is critical, and the violent incidents in the central Sahel region must stop if children are to realise their basic rights to life under the international Convention on the Rights of the Child and the regional African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. “UNICEF calls on all involved in the ongoi...

Many years ago we visited the newly opened Red Cross museum in Geneva and were very impressed with its exhibits and overall installation. On 8 May as we came out of our hotel in Geneva we were surprised to see a huge 5-7 meter balloon in the small square beside lake Geneva with Red Cross signals all over it. The kiosk set up informed us that this was the anniversary of the Red Cross and all over Geneva there were manifestations celebrating the occasion. We decided to re-visit the museum and spent a delightful few hours enjoying its contents. The ICRC museum sits atop a promontory across the street from the Palais des Nations, the UN Headquarters in Geneva. It is a modern museum with much of its permanent exhibits in interactive mode.It has different sections relating to the main preoccupations of the Red Cross mandate; emergency relief; family reunification; returnees and repatriation; prisoners; etc.Unfortunately I took very few photos of most sections either because it was too dark...

Angela Kearney PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea, 28 May 2024 – UNICEF is intensifying its emergency response in the wake of last Friday’s catastrophic landslide in Enga Province, Papua New Guinea (PNG), which killed hundreds of people, which destroyed critical infrastructure and left thousands homeless.

Motherhood is a natural gift bestowed upon women by nature (or God given if you like). But in several cultures motherhood has also become an issue of undue contention against women. 

Instagram post shared by Niloufar Pourzand

Article shared by Kul Gautam Given his rich experience with multiple UN agencies & IFRC in different countries and his prior experience in important positions in Haiti, let's hope and pray that Garry Cornille will be able to bring some modicum of good governance to Haiti. It is a challenging task for anyone in the currently lawless gangster land that Haiti has descended into. Kul

Article shared by John Gilmartin May is brutal in Delhi, 52c is worse than ever. John

Dear XUNICEF friends, Yes! It's going to happen! The 2025 XUNICEF is now scheduled for Monday, February 3, 2025 to Sunday, February 9, 2025.

Resetting the Geopolitical table: Global Shifts and Humanitarian Action in a New, Polycrisis World

Statement shared by Marjan Montazemi Greetings to you from Ottawa,  I found the below statement by some of the world's former leaders quite compelling (including their mention of threats to the UN and multilateralism).

  Click here for UNICEF chief calls for 'end to senseless killing of children' in Rafah  in AA.com Click here for  UNICEF chief calls for 'end to senseless killing of children' in Rafah in Middle East Monitor

  UN Plus, the association of United Nations (UN) staff members living with HIV has been re-established.  Click here to view the relaunched website Originally created in 2005 to advocate for the rights and well-being of UN staff members living with HIV around the world, the association paused its operations in 2021 due to global changes and funding challenges. Now, a newly established nine-member advisory committee from various UN entities and regions around the world is working again to ensure that UN staff members living with HIV have access to medications, health insurance benefits, and mental health support, as well as to actively combat HIV-related stigma and discrimination within the UN system. “I want to express my gratitude for the admirable work that you are doing to revitalize the UN Plus mission,” said Winnie Byanyima, UNAIDS Executive Director. “Together we can make a difference, let’s ensure a safe, supportive UN environment for all, which must include people livi...

Editor's Note : Readers may have seen two articles we posted yesterday concerning the World Health Assembly and the seeming deadlock over the draft agreement on preparations for future pandemics.  If you missed them, click here and here.    I asked John Gilmartin to give us his views on the issues, and particularly the issue between developed countries and less developed over vaccine sharing.   Here is John's reply.  If you have thoughts to share, please comment. Hi Tom, Honestly, I don’t follow the many many WHO meetings that touch on vaccine supply and related issues. I’m not a diplomat. I’m now an old out of touch 'supply guy.’ My battles in the global vaccine supply arena were around concepts like CVI, the Children’s Vaccine Initiative, polio eradication, and local manufacture which became a somewhat important side issue during the Summit for Children. The founding of GAVI, which I think in hindsight was a brilliant idea, contributed to the succes...

 Instagram posts shared by Niloufar Pourzand

Video shared by Fouad Kronfol

Article shared by Fouad Kronfol Francesca Albanese has presented her final report on the massacre of the Palestinian people - - Not the first time she discusses her findings....but still the same story and conclusions. Good for our Francophone colleagues to hear. « La Palestine se trouve dans une spirale de violence extrême. Au cours des sept derniers mois, le rythme et l’intensité avec lesquels cette violence apparemment inarrêtable a éclaté à Gaza se sont étendus au reste du territoire occupé, confirmant qu’aucun Palestinien n’est en sécurité sous le contrôle de l’armée israélienne », a averti Francesca Albanese." Cliquez ici pour l'article en français Cet article est aussi disponible en: Espagnol Click here for  the final report of Francesca Albanese - Anatomy of a Genocide - Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, Francesca Albanese in ReliefWeb

Catherine Russell, Chief of the United Nations Children's Fund, joined Pope Francis and some 70,000 children, many from war torn countries, along with parents, local celebrities, and hundreds of UNICEF volunteers at Rome’s Olympic Stadium.

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell today ended a three-day visit to Rome where she met with Pope Francis and joined thousands of children at the Vatican’s first children’s day event to help galvanize global action for the millions of children affected by poverty, conflict, and climate crises.

"If there’s one thing the COVID-19 pandemic taught us, it’s that we weren’t ready for it. If there’s another hard lesson we learned, it’s that getting everyone to agree on how to respond to a pandemic was seemingly impossible. 

IHR Working Group Co-Chairs and WHO DG The Working Group on the International Health Regulations (IHR) , which aimed to clear the way for an agreement on global pandemic preparedness, faced a significant setback this week. 

Greetings from Kathmandu. I  have written a new book, titled "A 2 Z Handbook for NGOs"