Nuzhat Shahzadi commented on "Reflections By Nuzhat Shahzadi"
14 hours ago
Thanks Horst.
I wish people could celebrate the differences instead of engaging in rage, cruelty snd intimidation. We have the power to create beautiful communities
I wish people could celebrate the differences instead of engaging in rage, cruelty snd intimidation. We have the power to create beautiful communities
Horst Max Cerni commented on "Reflections By Nuzhat Shahzadi"
2 days ago
As usual, Nuzhat, a compelling story, Lovely to be part of your neighborly friendship, and to suffer with you the horrors of war, Why can't people just appreciate each other's differences, instead of imposing their rules. We can learn so much from nature and the way animals interact.
Sree Gururaja commented on "Video of the Week - Taxes by Shasi Tharoor / Instagram and The Hindu"
Apr 2, 2025
Ha ha!
I knew I was being cheeky
For Fouad you certainly are not meek
No challenge too daunting
Where others are faulting
Fouad comes out winning!!
I give you the first place
As none of us can dare
Attempt to win the ditty race!!
Sree
I knew I was being cheeky
For Fouad you certainly are not meek
No challenge too daunting
Where others are faulting
Fouad comes out winning!!
I give you the first place
As none of us can dare
Attempt to win the ditty race!!
Sree
In Response to a comment by Fouad Kronfol
Fouad Kronfol commented on "Video of the Week - Taxes by Shasi Tharoor / Instagram and The Hindu"
Apr 2, 2025
Thanks dear Sree, yes indeed,
I might have to cede,
To Shashi with this poetic feed,
Hope Modi et al Will heed,
Tharoor’s amusing lead,
Taxes and levies may be a need,
But he surely planted a seed,
Expecting it to grow into a weed.
Fouad
I might have to cede,
To Shashi with this poetic feed,
Hope Modi et al Will heed,
Tharoor’s amusing lead,
Taxes and levies may be a need,
But he surely planted a seed,
Expecting it to grow into a weed.
Fouad
Bernt commented on "The Time has Come for Africa: Elon Musk"
Apr 2, 2025
Detlef's brain moves in mysterious ways.
Thomas Haettenschwiller commented on "The Time has Come for Africa: Elon Musk"
Apr 2, 2025
An excellent April Fool's joke, Detlef. My blood pressure started to rise until I thought, Hey, wait a minute! Whaaat? Duh!Your joke reminds me of one on the front page of Nairobi's The Nation newspaper some years ago. The Nation wrote about how obnoxious drivers of unregulated matatu busses were to be sent to Japan for all expenses paid training. The drivers' undeserved good fortune got everybody's blood boiling until The Nation clarified the story on April 2nd.
Unknown commented on "The Time has Come for Africa: Elon Musk"
Apr 2, 2025
April fools joke, I presume
Tom McDermott commented on "The Time has Come for Africa: Elon Musk"
Apr 1, 2025
Perhaps Mr Musk could stay on in each country that 'benefits' from this "generosity" so that he can personally ensure that each Tesla vehicle and each recharging station is running well. No doubt, he will need the help of his entire DOGE team who can at the same time root out any signs of corruption and waste in governments. We can send along little signs saying, "Sent with the lasting gratitude of the people of the USA - "lasting" so long as you never let him return to us "
Apr 1, 2025
UNICEF is to become "even more agile, focused and efficient". That sounds encouraging but may not by itself be sufficient to convince donors. Would it be possible to augment this by writing a short, easily understood report highlighting the organization's most significant, measurable and sustainable development achievements for children in Africa over the past 50 years? Perhaps, focusing on how much better off the children of today are compared with their parents and grandparents 50 years ago because of UNICEF's work.
Thomas Ekvall commented on "The Time has Come for Africa: Elon Musk"
Apr 1, 2025
Had it not been the 1st of April, I would have seen a business opportunity here.
Lou M commented on "The Time has Come for Africa: Elon Musk"
Apr 1, 2025
Happy April Fools Day to you too…
Las Vegas star used to be a journal for strippers and escorts 🤣
Las Vegas star used to be a journal for strippers and escorts 🤣
Unknown commented on "The Time has Come for Africa: Elon Musk"
Apr 1, 2025
somewhere near a discarded and repurposed Tesla SUV in rural Uganda you may find some slightly used underwear of mine I also donated some time back- there was no elastic left in the waist band and they had a few holes - but I slept better at night.
Baquer Namazi commented on "From the Editors - Week of 23 to 30 March 2025"
Apr 1, 2025
My most sincere eid greetings to all our dear friends and those they love. Maya the spirit of this auspicious event bring peace, well being and prosperity to all of you and joy to those you love. And may the Eid spirit bring more peace and justice to all citizens of the world, particularly vulnerable children. Baquer
Unknown commented on "DOGE-UN on the UN and UNICEF: Letter by Hugh Dugan"
Apr 1, 2025
Well said, but we have been slow in implementing those "needed reforms". A push might be timely.
In Response to a comment by Unknown
STANEALA BECKLEY commented on "Making a difference - by Staneala Beckley"
Apr 1, 2025
Thank you Zeba, my dear friend. How I cherish memories of UNICEF Pakistan! Much love to you and other colleagues.
In Response to a comment by Zeba Bukhari
Unknown commented on "DOGE-UN on the UN and UNICEF: Letter by Hugh Dugan"
Apr 1, 2025
Dangerous Oligarchs Grab Everything (DOGE). Classic Orwellian letter inserting grains of truth so that people who value being fair and constructively critical will think, “well some of that is true”, but spinning around those grains a web of insinuations, baseless accusations and threats. Gaslighting, bullying. We must examine the motives, call out the autocratic tactics, and counter with truth, truth, truth- including, of course the need for reforms. Yet focus on the threats and resist division, fear and collaboration with destructors.
Unknown commented on "Impact of US aid cuts listed by agency"
Apr 1, 2025
We did, but who would question the vision of the leadership? Birth control was controversial, and economic growth was beyond our mandate.
Thomas Ekvall commented on "Impact of US aid cuts listed by agency"
Apr 1, 2025
Yes, but did we understand that?
In Response to a comment by Thomas Ekvall
Nuzhat Shahzadi commented on "Reflections By Nuzhat Shahzadi"
Mar 31, 2025
Thanks for reading. The horrors are never ending. I can hardly believe that I lived through such times in my girlhood––seems like a horrific fantasy . . .
In Response to a comment by Unknown
Unknown commented on "Impact of US aid cuts listed by agency"
Mar 31, 2025
That is to state the obvious
In Response to a comment by Thomas Ekvall
Unknown commented on "DOGE-UN on the UN and UNICEF: Letter by Hugh Dugan"
Mar 31, 2025
Frankly, some of those "early targets" should have been addressed decades ago.
Mar 31, 2025
Indeed all this should be done. Good headings for a guide. But is this not what UNICEF's public outreach is doing already?
Unknown commented on "Reflections By Nuzhat Shahzadi"
Mar 31, 2025
Thanks for sharing . So sorry for all those horrors of the world.
Thomas Ekvall commented on "Impact of US aid cuts listed by agency"
Mar 31, 2025
A successful child survival program not combined with birth control and interventions to grow the economy increases poverty.
Mar 31, 2025
Is the timing right?
Unknown commented on "Will UN be a Possible Target as US Goes on a Rampage? : Thalif Deen / IPS"
Mar 31, 2025
Presumably, that would enuse US funding
In Response to a comment by Unknown
Zeba Bukhari commented on "Making a difference - by Staneala Beckley"
Mar 31, 2025
Hats off Staneala. A very touching story indeed. Lots of love and warm wishes from Islamabad
STANEALA BECKLEY commented on "Making a difference - by Staneala Beckley"
Mar 30, 2025
Dear Ram, I appreciate your comment. No, I haven't read the book but I'd love to. The title is captivating! Admin, kindly send my email address to Ram. Thank you.
Unknown commented on "Making a difference - by Staneala Beckley"
Mar 30, 2025
Thank you, Paula. It was a pleasure to work with Sree!
In Response to a comment by Paula Claycomb
STANEALA BECKLEY commented on "Making a difference - by Staneala Beckley"
Mar 30, 2025
Thank you, Pilar. How have you been? Yes, we need good and happy teachers!
In Response to a comment by Pilar
Unknown commented on "Will UN be a Possible Target as US Goes on a Rampage? : Thalif Deen / IPS"
Mar 30, 2025
Decide quick before Trump nominates his daughter to replace the current Executive Director of UNICEF
Ram Prasad Koirala commented on "Making a difference - by Staneala Beckley"
Mar 30, 2025
Dear Staneala: What an inspiring story, 'Where there is a will there is a way' kind. I do not know if you were able to browse the link that Kul Gautam shared in this platform sometimes back about my book 'Colossal Love: My Life's Journey'. I thought you might be interested to go through it. Can I request to administration for email address of Staneala with her permission. Kind regards.
Thomas Ekvall commented on "Recruitment Freeze in UNICEF"
Mar 30, 2025
"Ringfencing available vacancies for colleagues on abolished posts". We do look after ourselves!
Mar 30, 2025
An ideal location for a new UN HQ would be Jerusalem. After all it was declared by the UN an" international city"; it stands at the crossroads of three continents; it is located at the edges of the West and the Global South; it is the genesis of the 3 monotheistic religions; it has always been a symbol of Peace; it is surrounded by a remarkable pool of human talent many of whom are multi-lingual; it is relatively less expensive than NY, GVA ,Vienna; communications and travel to and from all regions are easy. All it takes is resolving one of the world's most intractable issues !
Fouad Kronfol commented on "Recruitment Freeze in UNICEF"
Mar 30, 2025
Having experienced 3 agency-wide management reviews, a Ditty to describe these uncertain times !!
BRR! BRR! UNICEF is facing a deep freeze,
Brought by a veritable gale, not a breeze,
Shaking the organization to its lees
Affecting workers, managers and all trustees.
So the DP&C are busy as bees,
Studying the forest and its trees,
Down to the pod with its peas,
To examine what or who they can squeeze.
Using IT, AI and all other techie keys,
This despite the personnel's pleas,
Dont throw the babies with the water please!
The Task Force has pointed with ease
At levels that Managers can seize,
To decide who goes; the he's or she's ?
Before the Agency goes down on its knees,
Let us separate those from these,
Reminding us that includes many oldies !!
BRR! BRR! UNICEF is facing a deep freeze,
Brought by a veritable gale, not a breeze,
Shaking the organization to its lees
Affecting workers, managers and all trustees.
So the DP&C are busy as bees,
Studying the forest and its trees,
Down to the pod with its peas,
To examine what or who they can squeeze.
Using IT, AI and all other techie keys,
This despite the personnel's pleas,
Dont throw the babies with the water please!
The Task Force has pointed with ease
At levels that Managers can seize,
To decide who goes; the he's or she's ?
Before the Agency goes down on its knees,
Let us separate those from these,
Reminding us that includes many oldies !!
Sree Gururaja commented on "Thailand / Myanmar - Update on Colleagues in Thailand : Bruce Kennedy and Guy Scandlen"
Mar 30, 2025
I just heard from Victor Karunan who lives in Bangkok - he is safe
Unknown commented on "Impact of US aid cuts listed by agency"
Mar 30, 2025
To "have such discussions more often" would call for an understanding of the world, geopolitics, power structures, local politics and economics.
In Response to a comment by Detlef Palm
Unknown commented on "Impact of US aid cuts listed by agency"
Mar 30, 2025
The elite in Africa sent money out of their countries, and taxpayers in the West replaced it. Did we ever flag that?
In Response to a comment by Unknown
Thomas Ekvall commented on "Impact of US aid cuts listed by agency"
Mar 30, 2025
With aid being cut by some countries in the West, we are scrambling to justify it. Perhaps we should have flagged decades ago that Africa was falling further behind and a different approach was called for. But we did not; we drove our priorities, and the Africans were not asked what theirs were.
We could have been more sensitive to both the donors and the intended beneficiaries and not have spent most of their money on ourselves. We should have hired the best staff our generous pay and benefit package could have attracted and deployed them to the field rather than to HQs and ROs. The corrupt and other criminals in the organisation should have been dealt with by the police and the prosecutors rather than being paid off to leave.
Most of the problems in the aid industry are self-inflicted. We should own up to our failiours and propose a new direction that could help Africa catch up. Either we do it ourselves, or it is done for us, or we fade away.
We could have been more sensitive to both the donors and the intended beneficiaries and not have spent most of their money on ourselves. We should have hired the best staff our generous pay and benefit package could have attracted and deployed them to the field rather than to HQs and ROs. The corrupt and other criminals in the organisation should have been dealt with by the police and the prosecutors rather than being paid off to leave.
Most of the problems in the aid industry are self-inflicted. We should own up to our failiours and propose a new direction that could help Africa catch up. Either we do it ourselves, or it is done for us, or we fade away.
Detlef Palm commented on "Impact of US aid cuts listed by agency"
Mar 30, 2025
We should have such discussions more often. Responsible investments (possibly subsidized by well-meaning governments in industrialized countries), good tax systems, and accountable governance will go a long way towards generating economic growth and reducing aid dependency.
Unknown commented on "Impact of US aid cuts listed by agency"
Mar 30, 2025
On the UN tax convention and funds staying in the countries, if the money flight from Africa had not been there, Africa would have been much richer and less in need of aid.
Gabriele Koehler commented on "Impact of US aid cuts listed by agency"
Mar 30, 2025
Thank you so much, Kulji, for this insight.
This is ruthless policy making, devastating and unspeakably cruel for humanitarian assistance: the 120 million refugees https://www.unhcr.org/refugee-statistics; people dependent of USAID for food grants or medication; for the UN agencies devoted to international norms and standard setting; and for progressive academics; for all museums and other public spaces.
What do friends in the US hear of pushback from Congress, can USAID just be extinguished by executive order?
As regards development cooperation projects, views are mixed. Progressives in the global South have an alternative take, see Jayathi Ghosh here https://www.himalmag.com/podcast/jayati-ghosh-usaid-trump-southasia.
Perhaps we can support the UN tax convention so that funds stay in the countries and governments can finance social development out of their own. https://www.icrict.com/non-classe/its-time-to-tax-power-icricts-message-at-the-vatican/
And we can promote the proposed UN treaty on business and human rights so that transnational corporations would abide by human rights, ILO labour standards, climate and biodiversity rules. https://www.wecf.org/ecofeminist-perspectives-towards-a-un-treaty-on-business-and-human-rights/
That would be alternatives to "aid" - for systemic social, economic, climate and gender justice.
Stay safe, all. Best, Gabriele
This is ruthless policy making, devastating and unspeakably cruel for humanitarian assistance: the 120 million refugees https://www.unhcr.org/refugee-statistics; people dependent of USAID for food grants or medication; for the UN agencies devoted to international norms and standard setting; and for progressive academics; for all museums and other public spaces.
What do friends in the US hear of pushback from Congress, can USAID just be extinguished by executive order?
As regards development cooperation projects, views are mixed. Progressives in the global South have an alternative take, see Jayathi Ghosh here https://www.himalmag.com/podcast/jayati-ghosh-usaid-trump-southasia.
Perhaps we can support the UN tax convention so that funds stay in the countries and governments can finance social development out of their own. https://www.icrict.com/non-classe/its-time-to-tax-power-icricts-message-at-the-vatican/
And we can promote the proposed UN treaty on business and human rights so that transnational corporations would abide by human rights, ILO labour standards, climate and biodiversity rules. https://www.wecf.org/ecofeminist-perspectives-towards-a-un-treaty-on-business-and-human-rights/
That would be alternatives to "aid" - for systemic social, economic, climate and gender justice.
Stay safe, all. Best, Gabriele
Unknown commented on "Will UN be a Possible Target as US Goes on a Rampage? : Thalif Deen / IPS"
Mar 30, 2025
US, Russia, China - permanent members charged with maintaining peace in the world : never again! have torn up the charter anyway, so time to move it and re-commit somewhere else with a reconstituted security council
Unknown commented on "News Links - 23 - 29 March 2025"
Mar 30, 2025
These newly retired people could get ideas; they could imagine that USD 60,000 would be pretty handy.
Mary Sidawi commented on "From the Editors - Week of 23 to 30 March 2025"
Mar 29, 2025
Would like to convey my best wishes to colleagues and their families who will be celebrating Eid Fitr after the holy month of Ramadan. May it bring peace and stability to the world.
Mary
Mary
Guy Scandlen commented on "Thailand / Myanmar - Update on Colleagues in Thailand : Bruce Kennedy and Guy Scandlen"
Mar 29, 2025
Tim Schaffter and his wife, Diana, live in a high rise in town. (You may remember before he retired he was the Rep in North Korea.)
Their building was quite damaged: ceilings on the outside hallways fell, etc. They spent a night or two in a hotel. You may want to write to them. Then of course a lot of UNICEF Thai staff. Some of them have been posting on Facebook.
Thanks for keeping in touch.
Guy
Their building was quite damaged: ceilings on the outside hallways fell, etc. They spent a night or two in a hotel. You may want to write to them. Then of course a lot of UNICEF Thai staff. Some of them have been posting on Facebook.
Thanks for keeping in touch.
Guy
Paula Claycomb commented on "Making a difference - by Staneala Beckley"
Mar 29, 2025
What a lovely, poignant story. Thank you, Staneala and Sree.
Niloufar Pourzand commented on "Thailand / Myanmar - Update on Colleagues in Thailand : Bruce Kennedy and Guy Scandlen"
Mar 29, 2025
Good you are safe. So is Tharn.
Unknown commented on "Will UN be a Possible Target as US Goes on a Rampage? : Thalif Deen / IPS"
Mar 29, 2025
There was a firm offer from the German Government to UNICEF for office space in Bonn when the Government offices moved to Berlin around 2000 - Many of us felt at the time that this would be a sensible move - perhaps we can still do so since apparently space is available as mentioned by Detlef
Thomas Ekvall commented on "News Links - 23 - 29 March 2025"
Mar 29, 2025
Those, on this blog, who are convinced that aid should continue along the lines of the past 50 years may wish to reflect on Africa and Sweden's taxpayers.
In 2024, Sweden spent roughly $ 5 billion on aid. With a population of about 11 million, it amounts to over $ 450 per person annually. Less than 4 million of the country's population are working and paying taxes, which means that the average worker pays more than $1,250 a year to aid.
Sweden has more or less provided this amont of aid, in today's money, for more than 50 years. Therefore, the average worker who retires in 2025 at the age of 65 and started working at the age of 18 has contributed nearly $ 60,000 to aid during his/her working life.
How do you explain to these now-retiring workers in Sweden that Africa, which has received most of their money, is relatively poorer today than they were 50 years ago and that extreme poverty is on the rise? Surely, that was not the plan. They may wish to know how their hard-earned money was used.
You need to convince the Swedish youngsters who start to work this year that they should also spend the equivalent of $ 60,000 during their working lives on aid. That will be dificult, many are foreign-born and more hardnosed and not as naive and gullible as the now retiring native Swedes.
It is long overdue to admit that aid over the past 50 years did not help Africa catch up. The aid industry failed both Africa and the taxpayers in the West. A radically different approach is called for.
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