XUNICEF News and Views

And to all - a very Happy New Year with hopeful thoughts of peace around the world.... so here's my last photo submission for 2025 from the Big Apple to all of you - thanks! Myra

  Auld Lang Syne - The Choral Scholars of University College Dublin

Talk about absurd rules!  How can the UN 'return' funds it never received? Tom

Israel to Ban Dozens of Aid Agencies from Gaza as 10 Nations Warn About Suffering Jason Burke in Jerusalem The Guardian December 30, 2025 Click here for the article Summary: Israel announced it will stop dozens of aid organizations from working in Gaza within 36 hours for failing to meet new requirements to hand over personal details of Palestinian and international staff.

UNICEF’s Post UNICEF UNICEF is deeply saddened by the preventable tragic death of Ata Mai, a seven-year-old boy, who drowned on 27 December during severe flooding in an improvised camp for internally displaced people in Sudaniyeh, northwest of Gaza City, the most recent child in Gaza to die due to the extreme winter conditions and lack of safe shelters. At least five other children have lost their lives in December after being exposed to such harsh conditions.

  Foreign Aid at a Crossroads: What Comes Next for Children Author: Michael J. Nyenhuis (President & CEO of UNICEF USA) in conversation with Patrick W. Quirk, Ph.D. (Vice President for Global Policy and Public Affairs, UNICEF USA) Publication: LinkedIn Date: December 30, 2025 Click here for the article Summary: UNICEF USA's President and CEO Michael Nyenhuis and Vice President for Global Policy and Public Affairs Patrick Quirk discuss the profound disruption to U.S. foreign assistance in 2025 and priorities for 2026.

Many UN staff and observers question why Tom Fletcher and OCHA are presenting their deal with the Trump administration as a victory. The answer extends beyond OCHA's consolidation of control over US humanitarian funding, though this is undoubtedly part of the calculation. 

"There were moments during the negotiations when I was questioning my life choices. "   Hungarian  Ambassador Zsuzanna Horváth, Chair of the Fifth Committee, " The UN's Largest Budget and Staff Cuts in History: 2,900 Posts Abolished for 2026 Author: Ronny Patz Publication: LinkedIn Date: December 30, 2024 Click here for the article Click here for related article Summary: The UN General Assembly's Fifth Committee adopted by consensus the 2026 UN budget featuring the largest budget and staff cuts in UN history. Effective January 1, 2026, 2,900 UN staff posts will be abolished. While many posts are vacant, significant numbers of staff will face termination, relocation, or reassignment.  Despite approval of the budget, UN Controller Chandramouli Ramanathan expressed concern about paying salaries later in 2026, given depleted liquidity reserves and a potential 22% funding shortfall if the United States doesn't pay its assessed contributions. The US delegation m...

The situation in Yemen is confusing to most outsiders, and likely to many 'insiders' as well. We have grown accustomed to news of the Houthi-controlled north and a 'government-controlled' south.  Yet the reality is far more complicated, as became clear last week when Saudi Arabia bombed the 'government-controlled' port of Mukalla, targeting a UAE arms shipment intended for its proxy forces in the south, the Southern Transitional Council (STC). In theory, forces backed by both the Saudis and the UAE are parts of the same 'government' coalition fighting the Houthis. Much of the confusion over whether Yemen has a government at all goes back to UN Security Council Resolution 2216 (2015), which backed Yemen's territorial unity and provided the basis for international recognition of a 'transitional' government. At the time the Saudis pushed this resolution through with support of the US and other major powers.  Now, over ten years later, the situat...

Nutrition Survey Finds Unprecedented Level of Child Malnutrition in Sudan's North Darfur / UN Describes El-Fasher as "Crime Scene" After First Access Author: UNICEF Press Release / Faisal Ali and News Agencies Publication: UNICEF / Al Jazeera Date: December 29-30, 2025 Click here for the UNICEF article / Click here for the Al Jazeera article Summary A UN team gained access to el-Fasher on December 27 for the first time since the RSF takeover on October 26, describing the largely deserted city as a "crime scene."

"Adapt, Shrink or Die"  State speaks their new form of English. OCHA gains. Is this a rejection of UN style, ie the agencies waste too much time and money with their elaborate program planning?  Even with global media howling, the US appears to remain lead donor. John Gilmartin

  US pledges $2B for UN humanitarian aid as Trump slashes funding and warns agencies to 'adapt or die' Jamey Keaten and Matthew Lee,  Associated Press, December 28, 2025 Click here for the article Summary: The United States announced a $2 billion pledge for U.N. humanitarian aid on December 28, representing a dramatic reduction from traditional U.S. humanitarian funding which has run as high as $17 billion annually in recent years.  The pledge establishes an umbrella fund administered through the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), led by Tom Fletcher, from which money will be distributed to individual agencies based on U.S. priorities. Under the arrangement, individual U.N. agencies "will need to adapt, shrink, or die" according to the State Department.  The funding will target 17 countries initially including Bangladesh, Congo, Haiti, Syria and Ukraine, but notably excludes Afghanistan and Palestinian territories.  The move cap...

Sweden and Germany slash aid budgets to focus on Ukraine and defence spending Kaamil Ahmed,  The Guardian, December 21, 2025 Click here for the article European countries are significantly reducing development aid to focus on Ukraine and defense spending, marking a shift away from traditional humanitarian commitments. 

  In this interview with Amy Goodman at the United Nations, Professor Noam Chomsky discusses the role of the United States in the Israel-Palestine conflict and the legal and tactical avenues for change.

As we turn the page on a turbulent year, let’s resolve to get our priorities straight in 2026. Let’s invest more in fighting poverty and less in fighting wars. Let’s heal the planet and secure a future of peace and justice. Let’s rise together: For justice, humanity and peace. I wish you all a peaceful New Year! António GuterresAntónio Guterres Influencer • 3rd+ Secretary-General of the United Nations

Great to see that the G77 and others were able to head off efforts by the US and EU to eliminate the education grants for staff and maintain salary levels.  Talk about late night compromises - this one came at 3:18 a.m. Tom UN Budget Agreement Reached LinkedIn posts by Ian Richards and Loris C. Date: December 26-27, 2024 Summary: Meeting on Christmas Eve, UN member states adopted a resolution on the common system that rejected proposals to cut staff pay and maintained current education grant provisions. The decision comes as the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC) conducts an ongoing compensation review examining education grants for staff posted abroad and childcare support. The resolution preserves UN staff salaries, which according to Richards are "already well below levels of the US comparator, the EEAS, OECD and NATO." The US government comparator fully reimburses some of the most expensive schools in duty stations, while the UN provides only partial assistan...

For the past several decades, my favorite New York Times columnist, Nick Kristof, has been writing how each passing year has been the best ever for children and humanity, often citing UNICEF statistics.

Project 2026: The Future They Want Is the Past Our Ancestors Fled Team Coffman Chronicle Click here for the article Summary: The Coffman Chronicle analyzes what media sources now call "Project 2026," the Heritage Foundation's continuation of its Project 2025 policy blueprint under the label "Restoring America's Promise." 

For English see below Chers collègues et amis L'année 2025 qui va bientôt rejoindre le passé a été marquée par les guerres et les conflits avec les conséquences en perte de vies humaines et souffrances, par les désastres naturels qui ont frappé plusieurs régions du monde, par les inégalités sociales et économiques qui persistent, le bouleversement de l'ordre international et son impact et l'innovation technologique i.e l'intelligence artificielle….

Probably AI generated, but the message is clear ! Fouad

  Very nice video...to share with colleagues. Fouad

A tribute to the letter "T"                               By  Sashi Tharoor  The tongue’s terrible tendency to tell tall tales totally tarnishes traditional transcommunication theories. The tempestuous tirades traceable to the tongue testify to the traumatic tactics of this tiny tab of tissue.

A very thoughtful, humane, and principled farewell message by the retiring UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi.  Kul

Dear XUNICEF Friends We are grateful to be able to stay in touch with family and friends from around the world, continuing a cherished family tradition that we have maintained uninterrupted since 1984.

Guidance on AI and Children UNICEF Innocenti – Global Office of Research and Foresight, December 2025 Click here for the article UNICEF has released version 3.0 of its guidance on AI and children, promoting children's rights in government and private sector AI policies and practices.

Protecting Children from Biological Weapons in Armed Conflict UNICEF Innocenti – Global Office of Research and Foresight, December 2025 Click here for the article A new UNICEF working paper warns that advances in synthetic biology, genomics, automation, and artificial intelligence are creating new pathways for developing and weaponizing biological agents in armed conflict, with children facing disproportionate risk. 

US and EU aim to kill UN college education subsidy By Colum Lynch, Devex, December 5, 2025 Click here for the article The Trump administration and European Union are pushing to eliminate the UN's educational grant program that provides up to $30,000 annually per child for college tuition to UN staffers working abroad. The benefit, which covers up to half of private American university tuition costs for foreign nationals at UN headquarters and Americans posted overseas, is targeted as part of broader austerity measures. 

FYI… first time UNICEF has ever issued a global policy reminder as this. Each CO issues the same policy reminder memo to their providers. Assume there have been circumstances this year that have led to this issuance Lou

Who doesn’t enjoy the Hallelujah Chorus? Here’s a nice story about how desperate Handel was during the composition and first performances of the Messiah. Yes, those were in Dublin, not London.

It isn’t about seeking places where no one has ever been;  someone has always passed through, no matter how far you wander.

 

UNICEF Paris, Villa Borghese (Courtesy Fouad Kronfol) UNICEF Paris: From the earliest period of its operations  the main UNICEF office outside HQ was in Paris which covered Europe, Eastern Mediterranean and Africa. It was in the magnificent estate of Villa Borghese,in Neuilly-sur-Seine near Paris.In 1970/71 UNICEF decided to move the office to Geneva to be closer to WHO and other INGO's and to reduce costs .It completed the move in 1973. In his memoirs Louis Gendron, who was Director of Administration and responsible for the event, has a complete chapter on the issues involved.

The new Gigiri: UN offices in Nairobi

FOR ALL FORMER STAFFERS Editors in XUNICEF are strategic partners, assuring the best use of talents and assets of former staff, in alignment with sound journalistic management practices, goals and priorites to deliver "news and views" about children, development, humanitarian aid and a lot of other stuff.

Thanks, Jo Becker, for pointing out (on LinkedIn) some of this good progress for children in these otherwise highly perilous circumstances. Those of us working for the rights & well-being of children need to be reminded of such progress to keep our spirit up and commitment unwavering. Kul Gautam The original article by Human Rights Watch can be accessed here:

We are survivors Over the millennia Man survived the ice age and stone age, survived living as Hunterer and Gatherer. From 18th century onwards man's ingenuity took us through at least three stages of industrial revolution and in the mid-twentieth century agriculture was transformed through the green revolution to meet the needs of a growing population worldwide. In the 21st century we now have a digital revolution. Human beings have the ability to adjust and accept happily whatever changes come wherever they are. There are still people living in Amazonian jungles. There are people living in villages at an altitude of 5,545 m in Kalapathar (Nepal 2011 census). People living in those isolated locations have their own way of life away from the hustle and bustle of metropolis. We are survivors anywhere, no matter what.

WHO- Historic Declaration on Non-Communicable Diseases and Mental Health - W

From: UNICEF Pensioner's Group India < unicefpensionersgroupindia@gmail.com > Date: Mon, Dec 15, 2025 Dear All It is with deep regret to share the sad news . 1. Mr V.S. Lakshman , retired staff member passed away on 12 December 2025 after brief illness at Mumbai. Mr. V.S. Lakshman worked in Hyderabad, and WES Section Delhi and retired from UNICEF in 1991/1992. Condolences message may be sent to 

Dear colleagues, Further to the decision on consolidation of four regional offices and two headquarters divisions, I am pleased to inform you of the following senior staff appointments: Edouard Beigbeder has been appointed as the Regional Director for Europe, Central Asia, Middle East and North Africa, effective 1 January 2027. Edouard, a national of Serbia, is currently Regional Director for Middle East and North Africa. Prior to this role, he was Representative in Lebanon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Bangladesh and Haiti. Edouard brings over thirty years of progressively responsible experience in UNICEF in both humanitarian and development settings. He has extensive experience in leading teams in complex environments and building strategic partnerships. Edouard holds a Master's degree in Business Management and a Master's degree in Organization and Management of Production.

Mark Kersten Global Dispatches -- World News That Matters December 2024 Click here for the article Summary In 1998, 120 countries adopted the Rome Statute, establishing the International Criminal Court, which opened in 2002 as a permanent institution to prosecute individuals for war crimes and crimes against humanity. 

'Painful, Preventable Deaths': Newborn Mortality in Gaza Soars 75% as Maternal Malnutrition Deepens Author: R Powell Publication: Great Reporter Date: December 14, 2025 Click here for the article Summary: First-day neonatal deaths in Gaza have risen 75% compared to pre-war levels, according to new UNICEF figures covering the final three months of the war, driven by maternal malnutrition, stress, and near-collapse of prenatal and neonatal care.  Low birth weight rates tripled from roughly 5% pre-war to approximately 15% by late 2025, with hundreds of underweight newborns each month. Babies born underweight are 20 times more likely to die than healthy-weight infants, with aid workers encountering newborns weighing less than one kilogram. Chronic food shortages, soaring prices, lack of prenatal supplements, high maternal stress, and restricted clinic access drove the crisis. In October 2025 alone, over 9,000 children under five were treated for acute malnutrition despite ...

New Israeli Barrier Will Slice Through Precious West Bank Farmland Julian Borger and Quique Kierszenbaum The Guardian December 13, 2025 Click here for the article :  Palestinian farmers in Atouf village received eviction notices on December 4 giving them seven days to vacate their land for construction of a military road and barrier, the first section of Israel's new 5.5bn-shekel "Crimson Thread" barrier that will eventually run 300 miles from the Golan Heights to the Red Sea.  Almost 85% of the 1,000 dunams (100 hectares) initially targeted are privately owned fertile farmland that Palestinian families have worked for generations, with up to 40 families facing separation from their village and water supply.  Israel's defence ministry says the barrier will "strengthen national security and strategic control of the eastern border," but human rights activists argue the real motive is land seizure and ethnic cleansing, noting that settlements are being bui...

Middle East Monitor December 12, 2024 Click here for the article UNICEF reported that at least 82 children have been killed in Gaza since the October 10 ceasefire took effect, calling it a "staggering pattern" of violence that must stop.  Gaza's media office reports at least 386 people killed and 980 injured by Israeli army fire since the truce, while the UN human rights office documented over 350 attacks near the so-called "yellow line" resulting in at least 121 Palestinian deaths including seven women and 30 children. Israel continues to impose strict restrictions on aid truck entry despite the ceasefire, while overall casualties since October 2023 exceed 70,000 killed and 171,000 injured, mostly women and children. Quotes: "UNICEF knows that reportedly, now, 82 children have been killed in Gaza since the 10th of October, which, again, is a staggering pattern, and it needs to stop." - Ricardo Pires, UNICEF spokesperson "They were all in th...

Attack on UN Forces in South Kordofan Poses New Risks of Sudan's Civil War Spreading into South Sudan Sudan's civil war has become increasingly difficult to follow, as battle lines shift rapidly between the RSF paramilitary and the Sudanese Army. The latest fighting centers on oil fields straddling the Sudan-South Sudan border—resources critical to both countries' survival. The country that was divided in two in 2011 now faces a potential partition into three: western Sudan controlled by the RSF, South Sudan, and a diminished Sudan in the east. Many UNICEF staff have worked in South Kordofan since a water programme office opened there in the late 1970s. Many others have worked further south in Abyei, a major flashpoint between northern and southern Sudan for decades. Ownership of the area around Abyei has been contested between northern and southern tribes for centuries. When South Sudan gained independence in July 2011, Abyei was deliberately excluded from the border agr...

 Title: 'They're trying to get rich off it': US contractors vie to rebuild Gaza, with 'Alligator Alcatraz' team in the lead Author: Aram Roston and Cate Brown Publication: The Guardian Date: December 14, 2025 URL: Click here for the article Summary: Trump administration insiders and Republican-connected businesses compete for Gaza reconstruction contracts worth an estimated $70 billion, with two former Doge officials leading White House taskforce planning. Gothams LLC, contractor for Florida's "Alligator Alcatraz" detention center, emerged as frontrunner before withdrawing Friday citing security concerns after Guardian inquiries. Quotes: "Everybody and their brother is trying to get a piece of this. People are treating this like another Iraq or Afghanistan. And they're trying to get, you know, rich off of it." - Long-time contractor familiar with the process "None of these people are humanitarians or have backgrounds in humanitarian ...

Dear friend: The real gift of RETIRED Life, after having worked over 35 yrs in the UN, is to ruminate on  old Indian epic stories learnt in my school in the 40s and parents, and compare those episodes with the current geopolitics. The result is one such comparative analysis as remembered and described in the attached article in word format.  The message is universal.  Maybe you may like to share with colleagues, and help spread awareness and protect us from selfish polorised world leaders of the present time. Kind regards, V.Muthuswami, Chennai, South India UN Retiree Mobile: 91 98410 26998 Yaksha Prashna & the UN Charter: Two Moral Compasses for Global Order – A Comparative Note Author: V. Muthuswami Publication: Shared personal document Date: December 8, 2025 Click here for the article Summary This analytical essay compares the Yaksha Prashna dialogue from the ancient Indian epic Mahabharata with the United Nations Charter, exploring how both texts addres...

 Recently returning from coastal southern Italy, I can still smell the lemons and taste the gelato.. Apart from beautiful towns like Amalfi and Positano leaning over cliffsides, pasta in every shape and form, lemons and leather, there was also the historical and archaeological sites – famous Pompeii, and Paestum with its Greek temples, among others. Rather than focus on the historical, (which can be found on Wikipedia with photos included), I decided to share photos here of local and neighborhood scenes which usually catch my eye when travelling . It’s hard to omit those lovely towns, however, so included are a few photos of the beauty, landscape, and nature in the region.