XUNICEF News and Views

"UNRWA is the main UN agency providing essential services and protection to Palestinians in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and is the backbone of the humanitarian response in Gaza. As the Secretary-General has said, ‘there is no alternative to UNRWA.’

Porches and lawns in our neighborhood have been taken over by enormous spiders, dancing goblins and dangling skeletons. It's not an alien invasion - just Halloween arriving once again, this year in its most commercial incarnation yet.

Article shared by Baquer Namazi The whole world, the UN and even the US government have reacted very negatively to this one more act of impunity. Yet the present Government in Israel continues its genocidal actions. I am relying more and more on the many justice seeking Jewish humanists in US and in Israel to place sufficient pressure on Israel to cease and desist.

On a beautiful August day, I landed in Nairobi with my son, Shabab (at 13 he was almost a six-footer). Moving continents wasn't easy––long flights, new environment, different culture–– with a challenge-mixed optimism I tried to embrace Kenya, Africa, at large. We were met by a big-guy wearing a warm smile––a Kikuyu admin -staff from operations. In a new land he seemed like our Oasis. We were booked at the Jacaranda hotel, West Lands––a heartwarming, boutique hotel enclosed by Jacaranda trees rioting in lavender blossoms. Before we travelled, Shabab and I had agreed to have separate rooms––no connecting doors . . .

HEATED is one of my favorite sources on the climate crisis. I am sending you today's essay (30 October) for two reasons. First, it refers to a UN report that obscures the true climate impact of meat production. Wish they had gotten it right.  Click here. Second, our little dog I've referred to before, Tindy, is featured at the end as "Catch of the Day"!

Truth and reality Truth and reality are two topics philosophers often debate about. Philosophers define reality as something that exists which we can see (objective reality) and feel (subjective reality which could be contextual such as fever). If you can see or feel, it is the reality. Truth is the belief of the reality that exists – something based on the facts. Truth and reality are the two faces of a coin. With the meteoric rise of information technology, especially with the artificial intelligence (AI) people are now experiencing a virtual reality which lives in cyberspace, snooping on individuals. It is likely that this third reality will be greatly endangered and may even kill the objective and subjective reality of the human psyche which has been an integral part of human beings since birth. Children gradually develop their emotions based on subjective and objective reality as they grow up. Virtual reality has the capability of manipulating and distorting both the subjective an...

Statement shared by Niloufar Pourzand Statement: The Elders express their alarm at the escalating crises facing the world: a proliferation of conflicts, abuse of human rights and insufficient progress on protecting the planet. The foundations of the post-1945 international order are rotting through neglect, complacency and sabotage, exacerbating the profound lack of trust between countries and a rise in violent conflicts. Hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians are dying as a result.

A Canadian cousin of Mary's has been the recipient of a verse which I wrote in 1978, would you believe ? It is about Halloween which seems to have taken on a real commercial profile these days. It was written for our kids to explain Halloween and now being used for the next generation down. Attached are two pages of 'Halloween' from some hand-written verses of mine.

Cher-e-s XUNICEF, J’inaugure ici une communication avec le réseau des anciens de l’UNICEF, étant à quelques jours de mon départ en pré-retraite à la fin de ce mois d’octobre. Je l’inaugure aussi en français, alors que l’essentiel des communications de cette publication sont faites en anglais. Comme je n’ai pas le talent de Tom, avec son billet impressionnant à l’occasion de la Journée des Nations Unies, et que je n’ai pas encore passé « le rideau », je vais uniquement introduire mon intention.

Article shared by John Gilmartin I admit some headlines grab my attention. “Poo milkshake” !!?? Babies. Microbiome.  This is from Nature yesterday and is not a joke. Helsinki and their ministry of health are world class and willing to try things that others won’t or don’t.   My grandmother used to say, ‘you’ll eat a peck of dirt before you’ll die.' John

Greetings from Dhaka and belated Happy UN Day 2024.  Thanks and regards Masood from Dhaka. ........ Celebrations of UN Day 2024 and 50th anniversary of Bangladesh membership at UN, jointly organized by UN Retiree Association of Bangladesh (AFUNSOB) and St. Joseph International School, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Dear members of XUNICEF, A well-credentialed writer, Wendy Holden, is writing a book about Audrey Hepburn called “Intimate Audrey” which gives personal insights into her most pivotal experiences. She is working with Audrey’s son, Sean. She is hoping to talk with people who were with Audrey in her 1990 Vietnam trip and/or closely involved in the planning. We can see from some pictures that she was accompanied by Jean Dricot and Jack Glattbach at certain times of the trip.

  Richard Cash who played a major role in the development of ORT has passed away at age 83. "“What he was trying to teach us was that you can have an impact in the real world,” said Nabi. “You can drive an innovation in a way that is helping people in real time, rather than publishing papers about it when there really isn’t anything happening on the ground”

  Our feature This week Luis Oliveros takes us on a visit to Jardin El Capricho (The Whimsical Garden) in Madrid and introduces us to the two black swans that used to live there. Luis also tells us of the "strange fantastic green light" that one sees in the park on cloudless days. Click here.

 

Bill Hetzer visited Neill McKee in Albuquerque, New Mexico on October 18, 2024 and they reminisced about the good old days in UNICEF. Bill was the Chief of Internet, Broadcasting and Photo Services in UNICEF, New York, for many years and Neill met him when Bill organized a conference on animated film for development in Prague, Czechoslovakia in March 1990, just after Neill had joined UNICEF Bangladesh as Chief of the Information and Communication Section.

  If you have trouble reading this e-mail, please  click here . UN Health & Life Insurance Section - Premium Holiday     Dear ASHI participant,   We hope that you and your family are well.

Two weeks ago Paula Claycomb gave us a lovely meditation on how to deal with gloom and doom ( Hope for Paula, the Cynic ). Like many of us, Paula becomes depressed when she thinks about the future health of Planet Earth and its inhabitants. Paula went on to offer her prescription - spending time with good friends, playing with pets, and replacing the daily overload of news articles with the reading of positive books and articles. She even listed several positive articles from News & Views as good ‘pick-me-ups’. Thanks Paula.

Another week of terror for families and children as the wars in Gaza, Lebanon, and Sudan continue; the Generals' Plan and the siege of northern Gaza, an historian's view of US culpability in Israel's wars, and much more.  

Luis Oliveros writes "my father's lenses (1960s or 50s, I don't even know ) - which I can only adapt to my modern Nikon with great difficulty - and the light at a nearby park nearby (in Madrid, El Capricho) never cease to amaze me." El Capricho (the Caprice, or the Whim) is small,. It used to be a private park and only opens on weekends. I have gone many times, and if it is not cloudy, you always get the same strange fantastic green light. There used to be two black swans, one of them fell sick and was taken to the "Swan hospital".

While immunization may appear as the sole business of health authorities, it requires a collective inter-sectoral coordination work with families and other vital sectors.

 Message of the Secretary-General The United Nations was built by the world, for the world. Since 1945, it has been the place for countries to unite behind global solutions to global problems.

Appeal shared by Robert Cohen Dear colleagues It would be good to post this on the website. We can't let this important organization die for lack of funding. 

  Dear Oscar, On behalf of his family and friends in Benin, could you please post the below announcement on our blog. Best regards. Paul Adovohekpe.

Announcement shared by Mary Racelis Dear Friends, Here is the Final CO-PEACE Concept Note, worked on by a stalwart core group over many months. Many of you have contributed to it at some point. We have dated it October 24 in commemoration of United Nations Day.

Announcement shared by Doreen Lobo Dear AFICS/NY members: The Governing Board of AFICS/NY is pleased to forward to you the announcement recently made by the UN's Health and Life Insurance Section (HLIS) that a one-month premium holiday is to be applied at the end of this month to those participating in the Cigna Dental Insurance plan and the UN Worldwide plan.

The idea of wellbeing Psychologists define wellbeing as a combination of self-feeling good and functioning well with positive emotions such as happiness and control over one's life. It implicitly embraces physical and spiritual wellbeing.

“Excellencies, colleagues … good afternoon. It is good to be with you for this important discussion on the deepening humanitarian crisis in Haiti.

Book review shared by Kul Gautam A thoughtful piece by historian Thant Myint-U (grandson of ex-UN SG U Thant), including a book review of 'Liberating the United Nations' by Richard Falk and Hans von Sponeck.

  THE DOG COOLING OFF One can only suppose that singing simple ‘rounds’ or nursery rhymes, remembering nonsensical proverbs and the like are much the same in any culture as they – in the English tradition at least – are used to teach the very young something of the rhythm of the language. The fact that they may not be logical is quite beside the point. Anyone who meets up with Edward Lear’s ‘The Owl and the Pussy Cat’ could be forgiven for thinking that Lear was seriously unhinged. Or not too different from your typical UNICEF staff member, come to think of it. I speak with authority in this matter because I was a UNICEF staff member, at one time.

Article shared by Fouad Kronfol A well written and vivid personal account of the new era of conflict that has settled in Lebanon and how the population is reacting. It shows how the country's very anima has become perturbed and is affecting the mentality of its inhabitants in ways that were never experienced before.

Announcement shared by NIloufar Pourzand From: Executive Director < executivedirector@unicef.org > Sent: Monday, October 21, 2024 8:47 PM To: Executive Director < executivedirector@unicef.org > Subject: Senior Staff Announcements Dear Colleagues, I am pleased to announce the following senior staff appointments. I know these senior leaders will deliver strong results in their new roles while advancing our core values. As always, we remain committed to achieving diverse and equitable representation in senior staff appointments.

Together with Ian Hopwood, Sheila Barry Tacon and Victoria Quinn, we had a wonderful mini reunion on October 19. Victoria graciously treated us to a splendish lunch at her Washington, DC home, featuring delicious Spanish cuisine. The five of us toasted to the fond memory of her late husband, Ken Williams, UNICEF's famous nutrition and social statistics specialist. Sadly, we lost him in 2022. We shared multiple reminiscences and laughed recalling many funny experiences. As usual, though, we focused on the challenge of creating a better world for children.

Article shared by Fouad Kronfol Very reasonable analysis, she puts the dots on the "i"s .... Fouad

  Our newest sky scraper is « on fire « with sun rays from the east. I am not an early riser, but simply had to piss, Looking out the windows I saw all this, Grabbed my IPad thinking these vistas are not to miss, Mother Nature’s omnipresent beauty, what Bliss!

Shared by Everett Ressler The following is one of the sharpest statements I have heard, worth sharing. Everett Keynote address by the ICC Prosecutor, Karim Khan at the Nuremberg Forum 10 October 2024

The UN Independent Commission of Inquiry has issued a statement declaring that countries providing assistance to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories may be considered complicit in Israel’s actions.

Shared by Angela Raven Roberts Greetings, here is the latest from Alex De Waal, a go at making sense of some key issues to do with aid and trade, as it were...enjoy. Angela

Instagram post shared by Niloufar Pourzand Joyce Gachiri is a recently retired Unicef Education Officer from Kenya. She was a UNV in Afghanistan in the late 1990s. Niloufar

Shared by Margherita Amodeo, Niloufar Pourzand, Ellen Tolmie, Yoriko Yasukawa, and Carina Prakke Dear Colleagues, former UN system staff members, One year on from the appalling terrorist attack on Israel by Hamas, many of us are dismayed at the continuation of horrific violence against civilians in Gaza as well as the expansion of the conflict into Lebanon.

Street Art ––a celebration of life, portraying a cantaloupe of possibilities shared without restrictions, an exploration into deeper reflections around specifics that matter––political, social, cultural, presented to people to appreciate, ponder . . . It’s a personal creative- statement on any stand or just a craft to attract the eyes with an intention to voice a message or simply to beautify the surroundings. Walls A café wall painting to allure customers in Georgetown, D.C. A painted wall of a bike renting store in Georgetown D.C. A painted wall in the historical Church Street, Vienna Town center (greater D.C.). This wall-painting portraying a steam-engine train (invented in 1804) tries to create a nostalgic reflection of the past era. A strip mall close to our house has used colorful paintings depicting regular life to cover the rear walls of stores and restaurants that face the adjacent parking lot. Strip mall wall Each time I step on the sidewalk, the paintings catch my eyes. We ...