XUNICEF News and Views

Click here for the full text "Impartiality does not – and must not – mean neutrality," Kofi Annan Summary A week of major developments has underscored the UN’s internal and external struggles over Gaza. UN staff circulated an open letter to the new Special Adviser for the Prevention of Genocide, while the Human Rights Council’s Commission of Inquiry formally concluded that Israel is committing genocide. Staff mobilized in Geneva to honor fallen colleagues, while New York events were suppressed. The Security Council failed again to act due to a U.S. veto, even as the General Assembly granted new recognition to Palestinian leadership. United Staff for Gaza reaffirmed its commitment to conscience and the Charter, rejecting claims that staff solidarity constitutes “political activity.” With Kofi Annan’s words on impartiality versus neutrality as a guide, the group presses forward amid intensifying violence and an upcoming peace conference. Main Points 16 September: Unite...

 

US to Guterres: “UN is systematically anti-Israel and because of that, anti-semitic” Ian Richards on Linkedin https://lnkd.in/p/gssuDvD3   This was the reaction after UN staff held two events this week. One, a vigil in Geneva for 370 colleagues killed in Gaza. (Management blocked a similar one in New York.) The other an internal union meeting on how to apply the new due diligence procurement policy in light of a report by Francesca Albanese accusing many companies the UN works with of profiting from genocide. The event also discussed acceptable speech for UN staff. More in the union reply: https://lnkd.in/dKycVzCy Reuters covered the issue. Extracts below. Full article: https://lnkd.in/djxYsGRC . The United States and Israel have sent complaint letters to top United Nations officials contesting their staff's impartiality over the Gaza war, documents showed, as hundreds of them protested outside the global organization's European headquarters on Thursday. "Today, the ...

Given the high level segment of UNGA starts on Tuesday I thought this article might be appropriate to share with the network. Alan The UN’s grim future -  Going rogue, decay or Trumpification The Economist Click here for the article:  Summary As the UN marks its 80th anniversary, it faces what many diplomats describe as its most severe crisis yet, fueled by Donald Trump’s return to the U.S. presidency. The United States has stopped paying dues, slashed funding for UN agencies by about a third, and withdrawn from bodies such as the WHO, UNESCO, and the Human Rights Council.  The erosion of U.S. support risks opening space for China, Russia, and middle powers to shape the global order. Upcoming leadership changes, including the 2027 secretary-general succession, will determine whether the UN adapts or collapses into irrelevance. Three scenarios loom: Going rogue: The UN turns adversarial toward America if U.S. arrears and hostility deepen, with Palestine as a pote...

At a time when some powerful leaders are denigrating and undermining the UN and multilateralism more broadly, it is good to see some voices suggesting ways in which the UN can survive and innovate.  It would be in the long-term interest of the UN to reduce its reliance on just a few big government donors and find more innovative ways not just to finance but also to apply new techniques and technologies to make the UN and especially its development and humanitarian agencies more effective.   Here is how a US diplomat thinks the UN can survive without the US, at least temporarily, and my rejoinder from a few years ago.  Kul The UN Can Survive Without the US Chris Lu — PassBlue  September 18, 2025  Click here to read PassBlue Summary Chris Lu argues that even as U.S. financial and moral support for the UN retreats, multilateral institutions remain capable of surviving — and even adapting — without Washington. Key steps include reformin...

Dear Friends and Friends who are also Relatives, I am writing again about the war in Sudan, which grinds on, largely off-camera, with its attendant, horrific human suffering. I attach a recent column by Nicholas Kristof on the carnage. His is a strong but almost singular voice calling attention to the Sudanese catastrophe. He refers to the heroic, grass roots efforts of the mostly young Sudanese, often women, who are running the Emergency Response Rooms that offer local help to the suffering: food, medical care, spaces where young children can be children. These are the people for whom I asked your support in my last message, through the Mutual Aid Sudan organization. I attach also that message. Their work has not gone completely unnoticed. They have just won the Rafto prize for their work, awarded by a Norwegian human rights organization. Previous laureates of this prize included Aung San Suu Kyi, Jose Ramos-Horta, Kim Dae-Jung and Shirin Ebadi, who went on to win the Nobel Peace Pri...

  In 2024, I traveled to Arizona visiting the Navajo and Hopi reservations. The following stylized photos are currently being exhibited at the Beverwyck gallery at the retirement community where I reside.

   

 

Summer in the northern hemisphere ends officially  on Monday 22 September.

Editor's Note: Fouad and Nadia Kronfol celebrated their 56th Anniversary on Thursday. The day was also Fouad's birthday, so - as every year - a time to celebrate a 'double day'. Now looking forward to No. 57 and many many more.....

UNFPA to merge with UN women And other interesting things... Lou Mendez “Shifting Paradigms: United to Deliver” – Secretary-General’s progress report, Sept 2025 Click here for the full document  Summary / Context The UN’s 80th anniversary comes amid conflict, inequality, human rights violations, climate risks, and financial strain. The UN system, built over decades in a piecemeal way, is seen as fragmented and reactive. This report proposes reforms to make the UN more coherent, efficient, accountable, and impactful. Key Proposals Peace & Security – From Silos to Seamless Centers of excellence : Prevention, Peacebuilding & Peace Support (merging work now split between the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs – DPPA – and the Department of Peace Operations – DPO). Women, Peace & Security (merging gender units, in partnership with UN Women). Integration of institutes : UN Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) into the ...

My message on the occasion of the International Day for Peace: I join many religious and civic leaders, urging us all, especially the faith-based community, to speak up more forcefully against the impact of war on children. Kul Gautam stands up for children in war - Arigatou International https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_-XHEk_hrc&t=41s

By Sara Jerving Click here for the article: Devex Summary The Trump administration has unveiled its new “America First” global health strategy, shifting emphasis from NGO-led aid delivery toward bilateral agreements with governments, coinvestments, and private-sector and faith-based partnerships.

  Ex-UN aid chief Martin Griffiths: ‘This is no time for the UN to retreat’ By Stéphane Bussard (Le Temps) Click here for the article: Geneva Solutions Summary In an interview during the UN’s 80th General Assembly, former UN aid chief Martin Griffiths warned that budget cuts alone will not resolve the UN’s financial crisis, stressing the need for strategic vision and cultural change. He argued that humanitarian and development work must merge, responsibilities must shift to local actors, and the UN must prove its relevance through courage and risk-taking.

  "What - no ginger ale?" Myra adds, "Taken right inside Fairway Supermarket on my way out the door. (I'm very quick with a cell phone camera)....."

NEW YORK, 17 September 2025 “It has been four years since adolescent girls in Afghanistan were barred from attending school beyond grade 6. By the end of 2025, more than 2.2 million adolescent girls will have been excluded from education. “With more than 2 million Afghans returned from neighboring countries this year, the number of girls unable to attend school will rise further.

Today, 18 September, is the deadline that the Int. Court of Justice (ICJ) set one year ago requiring Israel to abide by its ruling in the case brought to it by South Africa. This ruling was then endorsed by two-thirds of member states in the U.N General Assembly. This was not a standard GA resolution, but one adopted in an Emergency Special Session under "Uniting for Peace", a procedure "that gives enhanced powers to the General Assembly when the Security Council fails to act ... the law it cites is indeed binding, even if the resolution itself cannot command states to act." (1)

by Patrick Wintour The Guardian Click here for the article Summary The UN is facing a $500 million cut in its 2026 budget following drastic reductions in US funding under the Trump administration, forcing an estimated 20% cut in staff, or about 3,000 jobs, from its 35,000-person workforce.

Greetings and trust that I find you all well! I am pleased to share the attached information sheet on Elephant Hills Hotel, which is our host hotel for the XUNICEF 2026 Reunion.

  ‘Moonshot’ education finance facility aims to turn $1 into $7 in LMICs Sophie Edwards Devex Click here for the article Summary The International Finance Facility for Education (IFFEd) has officially launched after nearly a decade of planning, with a bold goal of turning every $1 in donor funding into $7 for education projects in lower-middle-income countries.

by Marc Dubois ODI Click here for the article Summary Marc DuBois argues that the humanitarian sector is in a deep crisis, triggered by steep U.S. and European aid cuts, but also by long-standing failures to reform.

Who is the White Army, the militia at the centre of renewed conflict in South Sudan? Joseph Falzetta The New Humanitarian Click here for the article Summary The White Army, a loose militia drawn from Nuer communities, is at the heart of escalating conflict in South Sudan that has displaced tens of thousands and raised fears of a second civil war since independence in 2011.

Going through a box of UN First Day Covers which I acquired at an auction a few years ago, I found these two covers that have an interesting story:  

By Lauren Rumble Associate Director Gender Equality for UNICEF As the seasons shift, and autumn leaves fall here on the streets of New York, I am so proud to share UNICEF's new Gender Equality Action Plan.

By Jan Egeland Today, we - a broad alliance of civil society actors, non-governmental organisations, political foundations, and think tanks - gather in Berlin, for the conference: Today, we - a broad alliance of civil society actors, non-governmental organisations, political foundations, and think tanks - gather in Berlin, for the conference: Sudan: Thinking Peace and Humanitarian Protection from a Civilian Perspective.

By Peter Moore The Colorado Sun Click here for the article Summary Dr. Mohamed Kuziez, a Syrian-American pediatrician from Aurora, Colorado, volunteered in Gaza earlier this year, where he treated children amid the devastation of bombed hospitals and mass civilian casualties.

 

United Nations revises 2026 regular budget proposal, pairing cost reductions with initial reform measures United Nations News Click here for the article Summary The UN has presented revised estimates for its 2026 programme budget, proposing over $500 million in reductions alongside the first reform steps of the UN80 Initiative. The revisions include a 15.1% cut in resources and an 18.8% reduction in posts compared with 2025, with the support account for peacekeeping operations also reduced.

I belong to the lucky generation I was among the millions born a decade after the end of WW2. Looking at our contemporary society I consider my generation to be the luckiest but unfortunately, I cannot vow the same for the future generations.

Joint UNHCR, UNICEF, IOM Factsheet on Migrant and Refugee Children Arriving in Europe in 2024 Deepak Kumar Dey, PhD - UNICEF Expert / Programme Governance and Child Rights and one of the authors.

WEDDING BELLS Long, long ago when we were young – before we became migrants – we decided that living together had a number of advantages.  For Mary, one of those advantages was that she could determine what we should eat, and when.  For me, it was that I was generally discouraged from being in the kitchen except when washing up was required. 

A Collection of Recent Insights into Super-Aging Advice on how to live longer while staying healthy seems to appear everywhere — often in bite-sized lists that are easy to skim but hard to follow. 

Opinion | My U.N. Commission’s Finding: Israel Is Committing Genocide Navi Pillay The New York Times, September 16, 2025 Click here for the article Summary: Navi Pillay, chair of the U.N. Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, concludes that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza between October 2023 and July 2025.

I just got out of a virtual town hall meeting of UN staff and former staff with Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

UN Human Rights Council 16 September 2025 Click here for the article Summary: A new report by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry concludes that Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023. The Commission found that Israeli authorities carried out four of the five genocidal acts defined by the 1948 Genocide Convention, including mass killings, imposing starvation through siege, destroying healthcare and education systems, and preventing births.

UN Staff for Gaza is a recently established association of current and former members of United Nations Staff and related personnel, acting in our private capacities. The initiative serves as a channel for colleagues around the world, regardless of their areas of work, to contribute to speaking out against the perpetration of mass atrocity crimes in the Gaza Strip and held defend the UN Charter.

by Vijay Prashad / IPS Click here for the article Summary: At its 80th anniversary, the UN faces deep structural limitations and political paralysis, highlighted most starkly in its inability to stop what Prashad calls the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

By George Laryea-Adjei , Director of Programme Group at UNICEF Two weeks ago, our Executive Board endorsed UNICEF's Strategic Plan for 2026–2029. It comes at a critical moment. Conflicts, climate shocks, economic uncertainty and shrinking resources threaten to roll back hard-won gains for children. In such times, advancing children’s rights demands collective resolve, evidence-driven choices and investment at scale.

Comment by Samantha Cocco-Klein As a New Yorker and international humanitarian, I have always been thrilled that the United Nations is based in my hometown. But with the Trump Administration slashing all funding to the UN and International Organizations, and many agencies such as UNICEF and UN Women looking to move people out, what does the US and NYC stand to lose?

  WB/UNICEF paper shows progress in reducing extreme poverty among children stalled from 2019 to 2022; Mpox vaccine study begins in DRC; S. Africa study shows heavy alcohol use among fathers affects pregnancy outcomes; India highlights adolescent obesity and malnutrition; Odisha launches Vitamin A and deworming drive. 1. WB / UNICEF - Global Trends in Child Monetary Poverty Daylan Salmeron-Gomez, Solrun Engilbertsdottir, Jose Antonio Cuesta Leiva, David Newhouse, and David Stewart World Bank Group & UNICEF, July 2023 Click here for the article: [URL_HERE] Summary: – Extreme child poverty fell from 20.7% in 2013 to 15.9% in 2022. – 49.2 million children were lifted out of extreme poverty, but ~30 million fewer than expected without COVID-19 disruptions. – Progress stalled: the 2022 rate (15.9%) is the same as 2019, reflecting three years of lost gains. – In 2022, 333 million children lived below $2.15/day; 829 million below $3.65/day; 1.43 billion below $6.85/day. – C...

“ Punctuation is the act or practice of inserting standardized marks or signs in written matter to clarify the meaning and separate structural units.” Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary Another English prof wrote: Today Prof Smith cannot teach his classes. A student making a joke deleted the C, thus Today Prof Smith cannot teach his lasses, The Prof came by and deleted the L, so, Today Prof Smith cannot teach his asses. ************** Man says woman is impossible to understand Man, says woman, is impossible to understand Let's eat kids! Let's eat, kids. A prisoner, said the judge, is guilty. A prisoner said the judge is guilty.

So good to see the rule of law reaffirmed in Brazil. And Nepal today got its first female Prime Minister - a former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court with a reputation for impeccable integrity, chosen by Nepal's Gen Z and supported by many of us.  Kul

On September 12, 2025, the four members of 'the Quad' - United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt—each holding varying degrees of influence over both Sudan’s regular armed forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF)—issued a joint roadmap aimed at ending the brutal war that has raged since April 2023.  The statement came out of meetings on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly between the foreign ministers of the four countries.   The joint statement backed the unity of Sudan, but it was unclear whether the warring parties were willing to engage.  The army currently controls Sudan's east, north and center, while the RSF holds most of the Darfur region, where it has declared a parallel government fueling fears of a de-facto partition. The Quad plan calls for: a three-month humanitarian truce , during which aid access must be opened, civilians protected, and indiscriminate attacks halt; follow-up with a permanent ceasefire ;...

  UN at 80: Reform or Ritual? Daryl Swanepoel – Inclusive Society Institute Click here for the article Summary On its 80th anniversary, the UN faces a crisis of legitimacy, with over $5 billion in arrears, a paralyzed Security Council, and growing reliance on ad hoc coalitions.

More on the demise of multilateralism and what will or can replace it. It is not too optimistic but at least analyzes the causes and actors that are important players. It does not say much about the UN, except for the Bretton Woods agencies. Fouad On a Dying Multilateralism Walden Bello July 1, 2025 Click here for the article: On a Dying Multilateralism Summary Walden Bello, a Filipino academic and activist who is a professor at the University of the Philippines in Manila, argues that the postwar U.S.-led multilateral system is collapsing, with institutions like the WTO, IMF, and World Bank sidelined or paralyzed. He cites the U.S. boycott of the Finance and Development Summit in Seville and the Bonn Climate Summit as emblematic of this retreat. The WTO never recovered from the 2003 Cancun collapse, and IMF/World Bank reforms remain blocked by U.S. veto power. Meanwhile, climate finance efforts are woefully inadequate compared to the scale of loss and damage facing the Global Sou...

  A group I am singing with in Chiang Mai is looking for some Palestinian songs to add to our repertoire. I would be very grateful if any one could suggest the names of songs (and You Tube sites?) of songs such as: 1.  Love Songs; 2.  Children's songs; 3.  Lullabies 4.  "game" songs? 5.  Animal songs Or any songs you feel might be appropriate for us to sing.   The group is called "Global Harmonies" and we sing in many languages.  Right now, we are working on Burmese (Myanmar) songs, an Icelandic one, and lots of Georgian, Bulgarian ones.  Plus Tamil and Hindi AND Khi-Swahili, Khosa, one in Tri - from Ghana, etc. Of course, we don't understand every word. Sadly missing are Arabic or - specifically - Palestinian songs. All suggestions are most welcome.?   Thank you so very much. Guy Scandlen