5 mins ago
Bravo, Marta! Truly excellent. A ray of light in such dark times!
10 hours ago
Donors continue to give money for a CAUSE, not for RESULTS. Money has gone to the aid industry on the basis of mostly unfulfilled promises. See also (click) here .
16 hours ago
The Development Illusion
The aid industry ranking is designed to show which wealthy nations are the world’s most generous benefactors. It is a sleek, data-heavy exercise that claims to measure how countries promote development beyond their borders. It is earnest, elaborate, and almost entirely beside the point.
The Index, like so many donor-friendly scoreboards, is built on an improbable assumption: that the quantity and “quality” of aid tell us something meaningful about development. The numbers are certainly tidy. They track how much money rich countries give, how concessional it is, whether it is politically “tied,” and how those flows compare to what a nation of similar income ought to provide. Add some regression lines and income-adjusted rankings, and the whole construction acquires an air of econometric gravitas.
Yet none of this brings us any closer to understanding whether development is actually happening. A country can score brilliantly on the Index while presiding over aid systems that leave the intended beneficiaries almost entirely untouched. To the mother of four living in an unpaved alleyway in Lusaka, the Index’s OLS-adjusted generosity rankings have roughly the same practical value as a horoscope. For the malnourished children in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania, regions that have hosted nutrition programmes, pilot interventions, and visiting consultants for decades, the correlation between donor virtue signalling and improved nutrition is, at best, weak.
The problem is not merely one of mismeasurement. It is conceptual. The Index tracks inputs, not outcomes. It measures donor effort, not development progress. It is, fundamentally, a mirror in which wealthy nations admire themselves for being fractionally more virtuous than their peers. The incentives are clear: governments enjoy the positive press, NGOs enjoy the validation; think-tanks enjoy the renewed relevance. Meanwhile, African economies, on average, continue to diverge from the rest of the world, their relative positions slipping even as the aid flows hum steadily along.
The reliance on the 0.7% target, a number from a different era for a different world, reveals the extent of the problem. After half a century, only a few countries meet it, and almost none can plausibly argue that their contributions have moved the development needle in a structural sense. Vast sums have been allocated, yet few African health systems function reliably; education systems routinely fail to teach; states often collect less tax than they spend on their own civil servants. These are not failures of charity. They are failures of politics, institutions and incentives, the very things the Index politely avoids.
Donor rankings are serious attempts to understand why some countries prosper and others do not. Development outcomes are produced not by generosity but by governance, productivity, investment, and the slow accumulation of institutional competence. Aid might help in an emergency or in a crisis. But as a driver of long-term development, it is wildly oversold, and this Index helps sustain that illusion.
Rich countries will no doubt continue to congratulate themselves for hitting this or that benchmark. They may even use the Index to justify budget allocations or moral grandstanding. But none of this will make the Tanzanian child less stunted, or the slum dweller’s clinic more functional, or Africa’s economies more competitive. Development is not a function of how good donors feel about themselves. The global poor deserve more than a spreadsheet of donor virtue.
The aid industry ranking is designed to show which wealthy nations are the world’s most generous benefactors. It is a sleek, data-heavy exercise that claims to measure how countries promote development beyond their borders. It is earnest, elaborate, and almost entirely beside the point.
The Index, like so many donor-friendly scoreboards, is built on an improbable assumption: that the quantity and “quality” of aid tell us something meaningful about development. The numbers are certainly tidy. They track how much money rich countries give, how concessional it is, whether it is politically “tied,” and how those flows compare to what a nation of similar income ought to provide. Add some regression lines and income-adjusted rankings, and the whole construction acquires an air of econometric gravitas.
Yet none of this brings us any closer to understanding whether development is actually happening. A country can score brilliantly on the Index while presiding over aid systems that leave the intended beneficiaries almost entirely untouched. To the mother of four living in an unpaved alleyway in Lusaka, the Index’s OLS-adjusted generosity rankings have roughly the same practical value as a horoscope. For the malnourished children in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania, regions that have hosted nutrition programmes, pilot interventions, and visiting consultants for decades, the correlation between donor virtue signalling and improved nutrition is, at best, weak.
The problem is not merely one of mismeasurement. It is conceptual. The Index tracks inputs, not outcomes. It measures donor effort, not development progress. It is, fundamentally, a mirror in which wealthy nations admire themselves for being fractionally more virtuous than their peers. The incentives are clear: governments enjoy the positive press, NGOs enjoy the validation; think-tanks enjoy the renewed relevance. Meanwhile, African economies, on average, continue to diverge from the rest of the world, their relative positions slipping even as the aid flows hum steadily along.
The reliance on the 0.7% target, a number from a different era for a different world, reveals the extent of the problem. After half a century, only a few countries meet it, and almost none can plausibly argue that their contributions have moved the development needle in a structural sense. Vast sums have been allocated, yet few African health systems function reliably; education systems routinely fail to teach; states often collect less tax than they spend on their own civil servants. These are not failures of charity. They are failures of politics, institutions and incentives, the very things the Index politely avoids.
Donor rankings are serious attempts to understand why some countries prosper and others do not. Development outcomes are produced not by generosity but by governance, productivity, investment, and the slow accumulation of institutional competence. Aid might help in an emergency or in a crisis. But as a driver of long-term development, it is wildly oversold, and this Index helps sustain that illusion.
Rich countries will no doubt continue to congratulate themselves for hitting this or that benchmark. They may even use the Index to justify budget allocations or moral grandstanding. But none of this will make the Tanzanian child less stunted, or the slum dweller’s clinic more functional, or Africa’s economies more competitive. Development is not a function of how good donors feel about themselves. The global poor deserve more than a spreadsheet of donor virtue.
Fouad commented on "Photo of the Week - Autumn Arrives in Paris : Myra Rudin"
2 days ago
Ah ! Autumn in Gay Paree
That is the place to be,
Walking under a leafless tree,
The cloudy sky you can see.
Surprised , you tend to say Gee,
Isn’t it lovely to have for free,
This gorgeous tableau is the key.
Under your breath you make a plea,
Make it so that it is me,
Who is blessed together with he and she,
Include all of humanity’s sea,
So that the love of Nature is for WE!
That is the place to be,
Walking under a leafless tree,
The cloudy sky you can see.
Surprised , you tend to say Gee,
Isn’t it lovely to have for free,
This gorgeous tableau is the key.
Under your breath you make a plea,
Make it so that it is me,
Who is blessed together with he and she,
Include all of humanity’s sea,
So that the love of Nature is for WE!
OSCAR R FERNANDEZ commented on ""It's as if a nuclear bomb went off": Jamaican communities fight to recover from Melissa : Shared by Tom McDermott"
2 days ago
Not a comment but a statement sent to me by a good friend in Oriente, Cuba. This situation still persists today.
The situation after hurricane Melissa in easternmost province of Cuba is dire. The people are suffering.
The virus spreading is rampant because, since the cyclone passed, the fallen trees and garbage have not been removed, creating a breeding ground for mosquitoes. There's still no electricity in many areas, and the heat is unbearable due to the strong sun and the humidity from the rains. There's no water, let alone potable water, and there hasn't been any water service since before the cyclone hit.
This virus is causing many, many deaths, and the government forbids doctors from documenting it on death certificates so it doesn’t appear in official records.
The virus incapacitates people for several days; they can't even hold a bar of soap to bathe, use spoons to eat, or walk. Fevers reach 40 degrees Celsius and doesn't subside, and there are no medicines available. Due to the fever, vomiting, and diarrhea caused by the virus, people are dying from dehydration.
There's no medication like Gravinol for the vomiting; folic acid, rehydration salts, and fever reducers are desperately needed. The little food available during power outages has spoiled after so long without electricity.
Eastern Cuba is in crisis and news stations reports it.
The situation after hurricane Melissa in easternmost province of Cuba is dire. The people are suffering.
The virus spreading is rampant because, since the cyclone passed, the fallen trees and garbage have not been removed, creating a breeding ground for mosquitoes. There's still no electricity in many areas, and the heat is unbearable due to the strong sun and the humidity from the rains. There's no water, let alone potable water, and there hasn't been any water service since before the cyclone hit.
This virus is causing many, many deaths, and the government forbids doctors from documenting it on death certificates so it doesn’t appear in official records.
The virus incapacitates people for several days; they can't even hold a bar of soap to bathe, use spoons to eat, or walk. Fevers reach 40 degrees Celsius and doesn't subside, and there are no medicines available. Due to the fever, vomiting, and diarrhea caused by the virus, people are dying from dehydration.
There's no medication like Gravinol for the vomiting; folic acid, rehydration salts, and fever reducers are desperately needed. The little food available during power outages has spoiled after so long without electricity.
Eastern Cuba is in crisis and news stations reports it.
20 Nov 2025
This is excellent, thanks for sharing.
19 Nov 2025
Here are the direct links to the CRC text and a summary. Full text https://www.unicef.org/child-rights-convention/convention-text Child-friendly version https://www.unicef.org/child-rights-convention/convention-text-childrens-version and summary https://www.unicef.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/UNCRC_summary-1_1.pdf
Nils Kastberg commented on "Chatting with Chatgpt about why non-violence has not worked for Palestinians: Baquer Namazi"
19 Nov 2025
Thank you for sharing, Bacquer…
Yes, as Kul says, as servant it can be helpful! I heard a preacher who asked ChatGPT: if you were the devil, how would you mislead people of faith? The answer he got gave also a lot to think about… so yes, to serve us with a summary of insights we can review and evaluate, and then see what is valuable to learn from it, as Karin hints…
Best regards to all,
Nils
Yes, as Kul says, as servant it can be helpful! I heard a preacher who asked ChatGPT: if you were the devil, how would you mislead people of faith? The answer he got gave also a lot to think about… so yes, to serve us with a summary of insights we can review and evaluate, and then see what is valuable to learn from it, as Karin hints…
Best regards to all,
Nils
19 Nov 2025
There is a very good review and summary on Wikipedia.
In response to a comment by Horst Max Cerni
19 Nov 2025
Thanks Marta. It was difficult to copy the links, and I only got the Google share with unrelated documents.
In response to a comment by Horst Max Cerni
Kul Gautam commented on "Chatting with Chatgpt about why non-violence has not worked for Palestinians: Baquer Namazi"
19 Nov 2025
Thanks for sharing, dear Baquer.
ChatGPT's response in this case is truly smart and incisive. But alas, that is not always the case.
So, there is no substitute for good old human judgment and discretion.
Let's make AI our servant, not our master! Kul
ChatGPT's response in this case is truly smart and incisive. But alas, that is not always the case.
So, there is no substitute for good old human judgment and discretion.
Let's make AI our servant, not our master! Kul
Karin Sham Poo commented on "Chatting with Chatgpt about why non-violence has not worked for Palestinians: Baquer Namazi"
19 Nov 2025
This is really interesting. It makes me believe that AI can be a useful tool under certain circumstances.
Warm regards
Karin
Warm regards
Karin
Thomas Ekvall commented on "Hammer, Sickle and Nail : Ramesh Shrestha"
19 Nov 2025
Congratulations, you now have at least two readers.
Your essay begins with the hammer and sickle, that emblem of gulags, bread queues, vanished dissidents and tractors that never worked, and you invite us to consider whether the world has been a bit unfair in treating it as a symbol of oppression. After all, you say, humans rely on agriculture and industry, and the hammer and sickle represent those. Quite.
You then treated us to, communism wasn’t really tried, the theory was pure but the practice messy, and anyway, other empires were nasty too. A century of communism didn’t fail. It performed exactly as intended, glorious equality achieved by making everyone equally miserable, except the secret police, who enjoyed excellent healthcare and the best apartments. Your tour of 19th-century European thinkers may add intellectual depth, but reflect on the fact that Communism gave us the Khmer Rouge. You throw in the Obama quote as moral ballast, though I am tempted to suggest that if you are reaching for Barack Obama as your patron saint of restraint, you may wish to read up on recent history.
You then inform us that elected leaders sometimes behave badly, which, while true, is hardly a revelation. Western democracies, imperfect as they are, at least can remove bad leaders.
And as for “democratic dictators” meddling in foreign affairs, yes, countries pursue their interests abroad. The idea that Sudan, the DRC, Syria and Ukraine are primarily the fault of Western democracy rather than local tyrants, Russian expansionism, Iranian militias, jihadist factions, and failed governance requires tunnel vision.
Your essay begins with the hammer and sickle, that emblem of gulags, bread queues, vanished dissidents and tractors that never worked, and you invite us to consider whether the world has been a bit unfair in treating it as a symbol of oppression. After all, you say, humans rely on agriculture and industry, and the hammer and sickle represent those. Quite.
You then treated us to, communism wasn’t really tried, the theory was pure but the practice messy, and anyway, other empires were nasty too. A century of communism didn’t fail. It performed exactly as intended, glorious equality achieved by making everyone equally miserable, except the secret police, who enjoyed excellent healthcare and the best apartments. Your tour of 19th-century European thinkers may add intellectual depth, but reflect on the fact that Communism gave us the Khmer Rouge. You throw in the Obama quote as moral ballast, though I am tempted to suggest that if you are reaching for Barack Obama as your patron saint of restraint, you may wish to read up on recent history.
You then inform us that elected leaders sometimes behave badly, which, while true, is hardly a revelation. Western democracies, imperfect as they are, at least can remove bad leaders.
And as for “democratic dictators” meddling in foreign affairs, yes, countries pursue their interests abroad. The idea that Sudan, the DRC, Syria and Ukraine are primarily the fault of Western democracy rather than local tyrants, Russian expansionism, Iranian militias, jihadist factions, and failed governance requires tunnel vision.
19 Nov 2025
I met Simone thanks to my wife Nadia. When we first came to NY she contacted friends from her Egypt days and soon we had a small group of ladies including, Susy Assaf, secretary to WHO Rep. at UNICEF, Josey Sargologlo, at the UN Library, Arlette Leoncavallo at the UN NGO office and Simone at UNICEF. These became the core of our social contacts while we lived in NYC.I got to know Simone better professionally during my Africa Section days as she was working with RD Bertram Collins in WCARO Abidjan. This was a posting that she enjoyed very much as she made an impact with many African colleagues throughout the region. Our relation and friendship grew when Executive Director Jim Grant appointed me to DOP. Simone was already in the division and I depended upon her for all matters related to General Service staffing. Through her I got to know and appreciate the large number of personnel of lower grades and their importance in maintaining the workings of the organization. Management often did not give sufficient care to these staffers who carried out many of the tasks that helped make UNICEF the UN's most effective and efficient agency.
After retirement we kept in touch with Simone through our frequent visits to NY and she visited Montreal at least once. Simone was also a keen and regular participant in WAWIG and XUNICEF Reunions, which gave us other occasions to continue our friendship. Our last get-together was in Fort Meyers, Florida, at the home of Oscar and Susie Fernandez .
for a lively lunch. After that our contacts were less frequent but regular until we learned that she was ill and had moved to Naples in a home.
Simone was a one of a kind person who did not go unnoticed by those who met her. She was bright, a hard worker, very concerned by her responsibilities, both professional and family related. She also had an acute sense of humour and a
very special and singular laughter which resonated all around her. She became a close co-worker and part of my team that ran DOP during my tenure of four years.
We have wonderful memories of Simone and will always keep her in our thoughts. Nadia and I express our sincere sympathies to her family. May She Rest in Eternal Peace.
After retirement we kept in touch with Simone through our frequent visits to NY and she visited Montreal at least once. Simone was also a keen and regular participant in WAWIG and XUNICEF Reunions, which gave us other occasions to continue our friendship. Our last get-together was in Fort Meyers, Florida, at the home of Oscar and Susie Fernandez .
for a lively lunch. After that our contacts were less frequent but regular until we learned that she was ill and had moved to Naples in a home.
Simone was a one of a kind person who did not go unnoticed by those who met her. She was bright, a hard worker, very concerned by her responsibilities, both professional and family related. She also had an acute sense of humour and a
very special and singular laughter which resonated all around her. She became a close co-worker and part of my team that ran DOP during my tenure of four years.
We have wonderful memories of Simone and will always keep her in our thoughts. Nadia and I express our sincere sympathies to her family. May She Rest in Eternal Peace.
19 Nov 2025
It is sad that the study suggested in number 3 was not undertaken many decades ago. It could have formed the basis for another UNICEF framework that could have prevented children from suffering the worst consequences of warfare.
19 Nov 2025
Given the events in Tanzania, what do former or current UNICEF staff think:
1. Development aid should increase, because now is the time to stand by the side of Tanzanian children..
2. Development aid should be suspended or ending, as argued here (click).
3. No changes to current development aid. However, some project funds should be allocated to UNICEF headquarters in Nairobi to commission a multidisciplinary research team to prepare a PowerPoint presentation demonstrating that bullets and batons negatively affect the morbidity and mortality of young people.
1. Development aid should increase, because now is the time to stand by the side of Tanzanian children..
2. Development aid should be suspended or ending, as argued here (click).
3. No changes to current development aid. However, some project funds should be allocated to UNICEF headquarters in Nairobi to commission a multidisciplinary research team to prepare a PowerPoint presentation demonstrating that bullets and batons negatively affect the morbidity and mortality of young people.
19 Nov 2025
These changes are similar to those Spain enacted a few years back, resulting in about one-third of the pension being paid in tax. Considering the benefits of living in a nice and pleasant place with low crime rates and excellent climate, it is fair and well worth it even if you do not benefit from the state-provided healthcare.
Unknown commented on "The World’s Moral Map Is Not What You Think by Thomas Ekvall"
18 Nov 2025
Sorting out historical reparations is like trying to untangle a ball of yarn after a litter of determined cats has been at it. In theory, the goal is noble; in practice, it is a diplomatic, economic, and ethical booby trap with no safe route through.
Take slavery. If African Americans are owed compensation for the horrors of the Atlantic slave trade, do we exclude the descendants of those shipped eastward into Arabia or further east? What about the vastly larger numbers driven to Brazil and the Caribbean—do they join the queue, or form one of their own? The arithmetic alone would demand several new departments of government and the full capacity of large supercomputers.
Colonialism offers no cleaner lines. If Kenya is to be compensated by Britain, should Greece submit an invoice to Turkey? And who possesses the authority to adjudicate the precise value? Even contemporary claims are a swamp. What would fair compensation for Tibet even look like—back pay for a stolen country, or a voucher scheme for cultural obliteration?
The problem isn't that history is tragic, but that tragedy is universal. Almost every nation has been both victim and villain at different points in the timeline. The idea that one could construct a neat global spreadsheet of grievances and balance the accounts is a profound fiction. Remembering the past is essential. Trying to price it, however, is a task best left unattempted.
Take slavery. If African Americans are owed compensation for the horrors of the Atlantic slave trade, do we exclude the descendants of those shipped eastward into Arabia or further east? What about the vastly larger numbers driven to Brazil and the Caribbean—do they join the queue, or form one of their own? The arithmetic alone would demand several new departments of government and the full capacity of large supercomputers.
Colonialism offers no cleaner lines. If Kenya is to be compensated by Britain, should Greece submit an invoice to Turkey? And who possesses the authority to adjudicate the precise value? Even contemporary claims are a swamp. What would fair compensation for Tibet even look like—back pay for a stolen country, or a voucher scheme for cultural obliteration?
The problem isn't that history is tragic, but that tragedy is universal. Almost every nation has been both victim and villain at different points in the timeline. The idea that one could construct a neat global spreadsheet of grievances and balance the accounts is a profound fiction. Remembering the past is essential. Trying to price it, however, is a task best left unattempted.
In response to a comment by Unknown
17 Nov 2025
Excellent review. What is the link for the Convention? Is there a short summary that could be posted on FB?
Unknown commented on "The World’s Moral Map Is Not What You Think by Thomas Ekvall"
17 Nov 2025
It is fair to trace contemporary social injustices back to historical wrongs such as transatlantic slavery and colonialism. These legacies established enduring hierarchies of power that continue to shape the modern world. In this framework, the world is divided into oppressors and the oppressed. White people and white culture, embedded in Western capitalism and militarism, are positioned as the dominant group, exercising power in ways that primarily benefit themselves. This exercise of power sustains the system of white supremacy.
From this perspective, racism is not simply hatred but a systemic relationship of unequal power. Because white people hold global privilege rooted in centuries of dominance, only they can be racist in the systemic sense. Non‑white groups, even when expressing race‑based hostility, begin from a position of oppression and powerlessness. Racism is therefore understood as the manifestation of power, not merely prejudice. Within this logic, white individuals occupy only two possible positions: racist or anti‑racist. To remain passive is to perpetuate racism; to resist actively is to oppose it. In this view, whiteness itself is inseparable from structures of oppression.
From this perspective, racism is not simply hatred but a systemic relationship of unequal power. Because white people hold global privilege rooted in centuries of dominance, only they can be racist in the systemic sense. Non‑white groups, even when expressing race‑based hostility, begin from a position of oppression and powerlessness. Racism is therefore understood as the manifestation of power, not merely prejudice. Within this logic, white individuals occupy only two possible positions: racist or anti‑racist. To remain passive is to perpetuate racism; to resist actively is to oppose it. In this view, whiteness itself is inseparable from structures of oppression.
Kul C Gautam commented on "Opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum : Shared by Fouad Kronfol"
17 Nov 2025
Thanks, Fouad, for sharing this truly exquisitely choreographed spectacle of the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum dedicated to ancient Egyptian civilization!
Gautam Banerji commented on "The ED's 1992 visit to Iraq: Rob Carr"
17 Nov 2025
Very well stated! It can come only from one who had experienced the ground realities of those troubled times. I wish the commentator had chosen to write by his name rather than remain anonymous.
I joined UNICEF Baghdad just a year before Rob did in the North, I in June 1991 at the UNICEF country office in Baghdad,, close on the heels of the ceasefire and with a semblance of negative peace on the ground. Programme support to the North with regular field visits was an essential part of my responsibility. To that extent I remain familiar with the constraints that Rob speaks of. Nevertheless, it was a challenge well enough and that's what made it so 'wonderful', borrowing again Rob's word to describe the experience.
Gianni Ezio Murzi was our Rep and with Ed Lannert as the RD in Amman and Nigel Fischer as his Deputy, we were in safe hands in those troubled times. I recall an incident (which Gianni I am sure will recall) when a UNV in our team (a trained and seasoned nurse } returned from her daily visit to a local hospital in the evening, in distress and in tears, to report that she witnessed a young woman's tragic death in the emergency ward since the doctors could not carry out a Caesarean section owing to lack of anaesthetics. The report itself was overwhelming. I walked up to Gianni to seek help. He replied: "Go ahead, pick up the phone, and call both Amman and Ankara, whichever can be the source to rush an emergency supply."
I did. It worked. Amman hesitated. Ankara rushed in a truckload of Nitrous Oxide cylinders by road. This token gesture of ours set the trend for many INGOs to follow.
There are many more anecdotes relating to my Iraq days, not all negative. I had a great friend and colleague in Sidiq Ibrahim at the Baghdad office, a tall, handsome Sudanese who grew up in the UK. Both Gianni Murzi and Rafah Aziz (another great friend) will certainly recall our association with Sidiq. One day, Sidiq and I were at a local coffee shop, outdoor, witnessing a bunch of street children in their wild revelry nearby. They were all under ten by age and war victims, witness to violence and conflict through their childhood. Sidiq (who spoke fluent Arabic) could call over one of the little ones and tried showering some acts of kindness. The little child resisted and recoiled, which surprised me. On reflection I could understand he has lost trust in humanity. That does not heal with band-aid!
Going back to our 'anonymous' commentator, we do often intellectualise on global issues, but miss out much on the human dimension behind them. I love being the foot-soldier, muddying my boots on the ground to fight the good fight with all our might.
There's much to do in our little ways! I am a small man. For me as a development worker, somewhat old fashioned maybe, but still inspired by the German-born, British economist, E.F. Schumacher, the small has always remained beautiful.
I joined UNICEF Baghdad just a year before Rob did in the North, I in June 1991 at the UNICEF country office in Baghdad,, close on the heels of the ceasefire and with a semblance of negative peace on the ground. Programme support to the North with regular field visits was an essential part of my responsibility. To that extent I remain familiar with the constraints that Rob speaks of. Nevertheless, it was a challenge well enough and that's what made it so 'wonderful', borrowing again Rob's word to describe the experience.
Gianni Ezio Murzi was our Rep and with Ed Lannert as the RD in Amman and Nigel Fischer as his Deputy, we were in safe hands in those troubled times. I recall an incident (which Gianni I am sure will recall) when a UNV in our team (a trained and seasoned nurse } returned from her daily visit to a local hospital in the evening, in distress and in tears, to report that she witnessed a young woman's tragic death in the emergency ward since the doctors could not carry out a Caesarean section owing to lack of anaesthetics. The report itself was overwhelming. I walked up to Gianni to seek help. He replied: "Go ahead, pick up the phone, and call both Amman and Ankara, whichever can be the source to rush an emergency supply."
I did. It worked. Amman hesitated. Ankara rushed in a truckload of Nitrous Oxide cylinders by road. This token gesture of ours set the trend for many INGOs to follow.
There are many more anecdotes relating to my Iraq days, not all negative. I had a great friend and colleague in Sidiq Ibrahim at the Baghdad office, a tall, handsome Sudanese who grew up in the UK. Both Gianni Murzi and Rafah Aziz (another great friend) will certainly recall our association with Sidiq. One day, Sidiq and I were at a local coffee shop, outdoor, witnessing a bunch of street children in their wild revelry nearby. They were all under ten by age and war victims, witness to violence and conflict through their childhood. Sidiq (who spoke fluent Arabic) could call over one of the little ones and tried showering some acts of kindness. The little child resisted and recoiled, which surprised me. On reflection I could understand he has lost trust in humanity. That does not heal with band-aid!
Going back to our 'anonymous' commentator, we do often intellectualise on global issues, but miss out much on the human dimension behind them. I love being the foot-soldier, muddying my boots on the ground to fight the good fight with all our might.
There's much to do in our little ways! I am a small man. For me as a development worker, somewhat old fashioned maybe, but still inspired by the German-born, British economist, E.F. Schumacher, the small has always remained beautiful.
In response to a comment by Unknown
Zeba Bukhari commented on "The ED's 1992 visit to Iraq: Rob Carr"
16 Nov 2025
That's a beautiful account of shared memories, especially of Mr. James Grant . We were blessed to have him as our leader. There was never another one like him. Warm wishes to you and Sundus from Islamabad.
Rob Carr commented on "The ED's 1992 visit to Iraq: Rob Carr"
16 Nov 2025
Thanks Ken - i travelled all over when I was first with IRC and then UNICEF - and was taken through the hellscape that was Halabja. Every night around dinner time - local TV would replay the footage of the families lying dead wherever they were standing the day Halabja was bombed with chemicals. It was hard to watch - and the message was NEVER FORGET. And in my story there is ALOT of context and history missing. That village we visited had been razed FOUR TIMES - why? One could do many PhDs on this time in history and the unique place in history where Kurds straddle and stuggle with so many things at once.
Robert Carr commented on "The ED's 1992 visit to Iraq: Rob Carr"
16 Nov 2025
Thanks for the comments. It was a euphoric time to be Kurdistan, Iraq--working side by side with brave Iraqi kurds who gave it all as they took their first steps without a harsh government on their necks. Iraq had a rough time for next 2 decades - but the self governing Kurdish governorates did well relative to the rest of the country - the rest being ravaged by sanctions and the horrible occupation from 2003 and the to and fro and the rise of extremism. The northern areas graciously hosted refugees who fled Syria--lending a hand. Kurdish fighters helped lead a manhunt to find and eliminate ISIS. And as usual, the bravery of these people was not recognised by the west. It was a once in a lifetime chance to be on the ground floor of big change - I will never forget it.
16 Nov 2025
Interestingly, CNN's Fareed Zakaria today had a section on development aid not working in his weekly Global Public Square program. It is an hour-long program dealing primarily with key political issues of the day. He used similar statistics and arguments as in the above article.
Unknown commented on "Challenging AI : Baquer Namazi"
16 Nov 2025
Second part:
5. Decentralization and Distributed Power
Avoiding monopolies: There is a risk that a few corporations or governments could control AI and use it for their own advantage, rather than for the collective good. By promoting decentralized development of AI technologies, we can reduce the risk of power imbalances and ensure broader societal benefits.
Open-source AI: Open-source AI projects allow the public and global communities to engage in AI development and oversight. This fosters transparency, innovation, and equitable access to AI resources, making it less likely that AI will be used for exploitation or harmful purposes.
6. AI Literacy and Public Awareness
Education: Increasing public understanding of AI, its capabilities, and its risks is essential. The more informed people are about the impact of AI, the better they can contribute to discussions about its regulation, development, and societal impact.
Inclusion in decision-making: Policymakers, business leaders, and technologists should actively include a diverse set of voices in AI discussions, especially marginalized communities who could be disproportionately impacted by AI systems. This promotes equity and ensures that AI benefits everyone.
7. Continuous Monitoring and Evaluation
Real-time monitoring: AI systems should be subject to continuous monitoring to ensure they remain aligned with their intended goals. Ongoing audits and evaluations can help identify any risks or unintended consequences early on, before they escalate into larger problems.
Long-term impact assessment: There should be systems in place to assess the long-term societal impact of AI. This includes considering effects on jobs, social structures, and global inequalities. For example, AI's impact on the labor market should be carefully evaluated to prevent large-scale unemployment and ensure that displaced workers are supported.
8. Encouraging Positive AI Innovations
Fostering responsible innovation: Companies and researchers should be encouraged to focus on AI applications that directly improve human well-being. This includes areas like healthcare, education, environmental sustainability, and reducing poverty, rather than developing technologies purely for profit or control.
AI for social good: There should be incentives and support for projects that apply AI in ways that solve pressing global problems, such as combating climate change, improving access to healthcare, and advancing education for all.
Conclusion: A Balanced Approach
To ensure that AI remains a tool for prosperity and not a source of danger, we need a combination of careful regulation, human oversight, technological innovation, and ethical leadership. The goal is not to halt progress but to guide it in a direction that maximizes benefits while minimizing risks. If we manage AI thoughtfully and inclusively, it can contribute significantly to solving global challenges without compromising human safety, dignity, or autonomy.
What are your thoughts on how we can best move forward with this balance? Would you emphasize any of these strategies more than others?
5. Decentralization and Distributed Power
Avoiding monopolies: There is a risk that a few corporations or governments could control AI and use it for their own advantage, rather than for the collective good. By promoting decentralized development of AI technologies, we can reduce the risk of power imbalances and ensure broader societal benefits.
Open-source AI: Open-source AI projects allow the public and global communities to engage in AI development and oversight. This fosters transparency, innovation, and equitable access to AI resources, making it less likely that AI will be used for exploitation or harmful purposes.
6. AI Literacy and Public Awareness
Education: Increasing public understanding of AI, its capabilities, and its risks is essential. The more informed people are about the impact of AI, the better they can contribute to discussions about its regulation, development, and societal impact.
Inclusion in decision-making: Policymakers, business leaders, and technologists should actively include a diverse set of voices in AI discussions, especially marginalized communities who could be disproportionately impacted by AI systems. This promotes equity and ensures that AI benefits everyone.
7. Continuous Monitoring and Evaluation
Real-time monitoring: AI systems should be subject to continuous monitoring to ensure they remain aligned with their intended goals. Ongoing audits and evaluations can help identify any risks or unintended consequences early on, before they escalate into larger problems.
Long-term impact assessment: There should be systems in place to assess the long-term societal impact of AI. This includes considering effects on jobs, social structures, and global inequalities. For example, AI's impact on the labor market should be carefully evaluated to prevent large-scale unemployment and ensure that displaced workers are supported.
8. Encouraging Positive AI Innovations
Fostering responsible innovation: Companies and researchers should be encouraged to focus on AI applications that directly improve human well-being. This includes areas like healthcare, education, environmental sustainability, and reducing poverty, rather than developing technologies purely for profit or control.
AI for social good: There should be incentives and support for projects that apply AI in ways that solve pressing global problems, such as combating climate change, improving access to healthcare, and advancing education for all.
Conclusion: A Balanced Approach
To ensure that AI remains a tool for prosperity and not a source of danger, we need a combination of careful regulation, human oversight, technological innovation, and ethical leadership. The goal is not to halt progress but to guide it in a direction that maximizes benefits while minimizing risks. If we manage AI thoughtfully and inclusively, it can contribute significantly to solving global challenges without compromising human safety, dignity, or autonomy.
What are your thoughts on how we can best move forward with this balance? Would you emphasize any of these strategies more than others?
Unknown commented on "Challenging AI : Baquer Namazi"
16 Nov 2025
Interestingly, when I asked the exact same question to ChatGPT I got the following response (broken into 2 parts as apparently comments can only be a certain max langth):
Ensuring that AI is used for human prosperity without the risk of it taking over or causing harm is one of the most pressing challenges humanity faces as AI technology advances. To achieve this, several key principles and strategies should be in place to guide the development, deployment, and governance of AI:
1. Clear Ethical Guidelines and Regulations
Establishing global standards: There needs to be international cooperation on creating regulations that set ethical boundaries for AI development. These guidelines would address concerns like privacy, fairness, accountability, and transparency, ensuring that AI systems act in ways that benefit humanity as a whole.
Ethics in design: AI systems should be designed with built-in ethical considerations. This means implementing values like justice, equality, and respect for human rights into the algorithms and decision-making processes.
2. Human-AI Collaboration
Human oversight: AI should be used as a tool to augment human intelligence, not replace it. Having human oversight over critical decisions made by AI, especially in sectors like healthcare, education, and law enforcement, ensures that human values are always taken into account.
Complementary roles: AI can be used to handle repetitive tasks, analyze large datasets, or offer insights, while humans remain in control of strategic decision-making and managing moral and social implications.
3. Transparent and Explainable AI
Transparency in decision-making: AI systems should be designed to be transparent and explainable, meaning that their decisions can be understood and traced by humans. This is especially crucial in fields like healthcare and criminal justice, where the consequences of AI-driven decisions are significant.
Accountability: There must be mechanisms in place to hold AI developers and organizations accountable for the actions of their AI systems. If an AI system makes a harmful or biased decision, there should be clear accountability for correcting it and preventing future issues.
4. Robust Control Mechanisms
Preventing runaway AI: As AI becomes more capable, we need to develop safety measures to prevent any unintended "runaway" behavior. This could include "kill-switches" or control mechanisms that allow humans to intervene if AI begins acting in harmful or unintended ways.
Alignment with human values: Ensuring that AI systems are aligned with human values, especially when it comes to complex systems like autonomous weapons or AI in warfare, is critical. One approach is to focus on "value alignment" research, which aims to build systems that understand and reflect human ethical standards.
Ensuring that AI is used for human prosperity without the risk of it taking over or causing harm is one of the most pressing challenges humanity faces as AI technology advances. To achieve this, several key principles and strategies should be in place to guide the development, deployment, and governance of AI:
1. Clear Ethical Guidelines and Regulations
Establishing global standards: There needs to be international cooperation on creating regulations that set ethical boundaries for AI development. These guidelines would address concerns like privacy, fairness, accountability, and transparency, ensuring that AI systems act in ways that benefit humanity as a whole.
Ethics in design: AI systems should be designed with built-in ethical considerations. This means implementing values like justice, equality, and respect for human rights into the algorithms and decision-making processes.
2. Human-AI Collaboration
Human oversight: AI should be used as a tool to augment human intelligence, not replace it. Having human oversight over critical decisions made by AI, especially in sectors like healthcare, education, and law enforcement, ensures that human values are always taken into account.
Complementary roles: AI can be used to handle repetitive tasks, analyze large datasets, or offer insights, while humans remain in control of strategic decision-making and managing moral and social implications.
3. Transparent and Explainable AI
Transparency in decision-making: AI systems should be designed to be transparent and explainable, meaning that their decisions can be understood and traced by humans. This is especially crucial in fields like healthcare and criminal justice, where the consequences of AI-driven decisions are significant.
Accountability: There must be mechanisms in place to hold AI developers and organizations accountable for the actions of their AI systems. If an AI system makes a harmful or biased decision, there should be clear accountability for correcting it and preventing future issues.
4. Robust Control Mechanisms
Preventing runaway AI: As AI becomes more capable, we need to develop safety measures to prevent any unintended "runaway" behavior. This could include "kill-switches" or control mechanisms that allow humans to intervene if AI begins acting in harmful or unintended ways.
Alignment with human values: Ensuring that AI systems are aligned with human values, especially when it comes to complex systems like autonomous weapons or AI in warfare, is critical. One approach is to focus on "value alignment" research, which aims to build systems that understand and reflect human ethical standards.
Unknown commented on "The ED's 1992 visit to Iraq: Rob Carr"
16 Nov 2025
The 1991 uprising emerged directly from the aftermath of the Gulf War, when President George H.W. Bush publicly encouraged Iraqis to take action against Saddam Hussein. This call to action proved crucial in prompting the widespread rebellion that followed. The Kurdish rebellion proved particularly successful in the northern regions, where insurgents quickly captured several cities. However, the initial success was short-lived. Iraqi troops soon recaptured the Kurdish areas, ruthlessly subduing the rebellion.
Unknown commented on "The World’s Moral Map Is Not What You Think by Thomas Ekvall"
16 Nov 2025
The World Value Survey determined if some is racist based on one question: "Would you mind living next door to someone from a race different to your own"? In politically correct northern Europe, few would answer that question in the affirmative.
In response to a comment by Unknown
Ken Gibbs commented on "The ED's 1992 visit to Iraq: Rob Carr"
16 Nov 2025
The anonymous commentary to Rob Carr’s article is passionate but may be missing some relevant aspects of the situation in the Middle East. Like, “Why would Saddam care so much for his people that he found it necessary to wage an 8 year war against his Iranian neighbour with huge death tolls on both sides – when one remembers that the majority of (southern) Iraqis were Shia Muslims like the vast majority of Iranians ?” and “Why would Saddam find it essential to try to destroy Iraqi Kurds in the way in which he did ? (Check out the history surrounding the failed 1991 Kurdish revolt, the Anfal and the nerve agent attack on Halabja on 16th March, 1988.)
To me, Halabja was significant. As I was leading the WatSan response in the Food for Oil programme in 1997/98 in northern Iraq, I was concerned that all areas of Kurdish Iraq should benefit equally. Halabja was as far west as we could go (without entering Iran) and our staff had not visited it to see what the situation was 9 to 10 years after the attack. My Kurdish national colleagues were really apprehensive that we should not delay too long in the area but what we saw was sobering. I was told that the whole area around Halabja was, at that time, controlled by fundamentalists who saw any visitors as ‘the enemy’ so it was not possible to have a discussion with them; but what we saw in the town remains vivid in my memory. No birds were seen anywhere in Halabja. No grass nor trees was growing anywhere in the town. Not a single flower was seen anywhere. The town itself was a mix of abandoned houses and rubble much as it had been immediately after the attack. How many other villages remained like this after those attacks controlled by Chemical Ali ? And how to attempt to provide all and any necessary infrastructure that Saddam had effectively destroyed not only to the Halabjas but to every other settlement in the Kurdish north ?
Speaking personally, I saw many UNICEF staff who did outstanding work during my time in Erbil. Was it that they just had to use common sense rather than consulting all those UNICEF documents beloved by the Admin staff globally ? Quite probably. We were assisted (in the WatSan response) by many NGOs who had to be trained in the technical requirements and who worked as UNICEF partners. Best of all, the local government rural development organisation had a number of women working in their technical department who showed how women should be included as equal partners in the sort of work that was involved.
I had the good fortune to have a (Kurdish) secretary who was possessed of more academic qualifications than I was – and who had a wonderful sense of humour. He frequently translated for me especially when I was conducting training sessions for the NGOs in the software that was needed for water supply designs. To this day, we still correspond, comparing notes on how our respective retirements are working out. It was a privilege to have worked with him and many of the other Kurdish staff. His name was Saman. . . . .
Thank you Rob for reminding me of a time when I was allowed to work in Iraq.
To me, Halabja was significant. As I was leading the WatSan response in the Food for Oil programme in 1997/98 in northern Iraq, I was concerned that all areas of Kurdish Iraq should benefit equally. Halabja was as far west as we could go (without entering Iran) and our staff had not visited it to see what the situation was 9 to 10 years after the attack. My Kurdish national colleagues were really apprehensive that we should not delay too long in the area but what we saw was sobering. I was told that the whole area around Halabja was, at that time, controlled by fundamentalists who saw any visitors as ‘the enemy’ so it was not possible to have a discussion with them; but what we saw in the town remains vivid in my memory. No birds were seen anywhere in Halabja. No grass nor trees was growing anywhere in the town. Not a single flower was seen anywhere. The town itself was a mix of abandoned houses and rubble much as it had been immediately after the attack. How many other villages remained like this after those attacks controlled by Chemical Ali ? And how to attempt to provide all and any necessary infrastructure that Saddam had effectively destroyed not only to the Halabjas but to every other settlement in the Kurdish north ?
Speaking personally, I saw many UNICEF staff who did outstanding work during my time in Erbil. Was it that they just had to use common sense rather than consulting all those UNICEF documents beloved by the Admin staff globally ? Quite probably. We were assisted (in the WatSan response) by many NGOs who had to be trained in the technical requirements and who worked as UNICEF partners. Best of all, the local government rural development organisation had a number of women working in their technical department who showed how women should be included as equal partners in the sort of work that was involved.
I had the good fortune to have a (Kurdish) secretary who was possessed of more academic qualifications than I was – and who had a wonderful sense of humour. He frequently translated for me especially when I was conducting training sessions for the NGOs in the software that was needed for water supply designs. To this day, we still correspond, comparing notes on how our respective retirements are working out. It was a privilege to have worked with him and many of the other Kurdish staff. His name was Saman. . . . .
Thank you Rob for reminding me of a time when I was allowed to work in Iraq.
Saman commented on "The ED's 1992 visit to Iraq: Rob Carr"
16 Nov 2025
As a Kurd who joined UNICEF five years later, in early 1997, I could not describe those years any better. I started my work at the beginning of the Oil-for-Food Programme (UN Security Council Resolution 986). At that time, the Kurdish-controlled areas were under double sanctions—both the 661 Committee and the Iraqi government. Nothing was allowed to enter: no medicine, no supplies, nothing.
With no electricity and no functioning water networks, people were eventually forced to sell whatever they owned. Even doors were burned for cooking and heating. And as if the double sanctions were not enough, drought deepened the suffering.
People—no matter how old, weak, or sick—had to be loaded onto lorries to cross the buffer line between the Peshmerga and the Iraqi army. They were required to undergo blood tests before being allowed into Iraq. They had to endure unprecedented humiliation simply because they needed to cross the line, often just to seek medical treatment.
Today, Kurdistan is more developed and vastly different from those days—but the same game is still being played.
With no electricity and no functioning water networks, people were eventually forced to sell whatever they owned. Even doors were burned for cooking and heating. And as if the double sanctions were not enough, drought deepened the suffering.
People—no matter how old, weak, or sick—had to be loaded onto lorries to cross the buffer line between the Peshmerga and the Iraqi army. They were required to undergo blood tests before being allowed into Iraq. They had to endure unprecedented humiliation simply because they needed to cross the line, often just to seek medical treatment.
Today, Kurdistan is more developed and vastly different from those days—but the same game is still being played.
Unknown commented on "WatSan pre-training - Part 2 : Ken Gibbs"
16 Nov 2025
Really appreciated this account Ken as it brought back my memories of growing up near Bulawayo. I would have been doing my pre-Gwebi farm "experience" on a farm in Nyamandlovu (Sayers) not that far from you, and we also tried the rocket cloud seeding - with very mixed results, especially seeing our chosen cloud sailing off into the distance!. I don't think this fad lasted long..... Ben Henson
16 Nov 2025
That is interesting. Perhaps the World Value Survey is not accurate, and Denmark is as bad as the rest.
In response to a comment by Unknown
Margherita Amodeo commented on "Fouad, Nadia and Fritz Enjoy A Night Out at the Opera - La Bohème"
16 Nov 2025
One of my favourites. And, please don't tell me that you didn't shed a tear....... Mimix
Unknown commented on "The World’s Moral Map Is Not What You Think by Thomas Ekvall"
16 Nov 2025
I lives in Denmark for more than 23 years and I would not say that Denmark is not a racist country! You are always considered as a foreigner and as back as 1980 becoming a Dane is very difficult not only marrying a foreigner or getting a job because of your name or your photo ! Yes it is not a skin problem like in RsA for example but a true Dane will get the preference.
Unknown commented on "The ED's 1992 visit to Iraq: Rob Carr"
16 Nov 2025
Great account, Rob, thankyou for sharing. Rozanne
Unknown commented on "Ten trends to watch in 2026 : Shared by Shamsul Farooq"
15 Nov 2025
Under Point No. 3 list of provocations, Israel and USA might figure as first and second
Soma De Silva commented on "The ED's 1992 visit to Iraq: Rob Carr"
15 Nov 2025
Children, women, and men - all dispensable pawn in the hands of maneuvering kings and queens. Can UN or anyone else intervene?
Unknown commented on "The ED's 1992 visit to Iraq: Rob Carr"
15 Nov 2025
For half a century, Western policy toward Iraq has been less a principled stance than a choreography of contradiction, an oscillation from indulgence to hostility, from enabling to annihilating. The great irony of the 21st century is that the menace the West eventually vowed to eradicate was, for a crucial decade, its own strategic creation.
Before Iraq became a byword for brutality, it was, awkwardly for later liberation narratives, a rare Middle Eastern development success. In the 1970s, the Ba’athist state channelled oil revenues into a sweeping modernisation drive. Literacy soared, women entered universities and industry at rates that would embarrass several contemporary US allies, and GDP per capita multiplied sevenfold. Western capitals quietly admired the secular strongman who promised order in a turbulent region.
Then the Iranian Revolution upended the script. With the Shah gone and a theocracy rising next door, Saddam Hussein became an indispensable buffer. What followed during the Iran–Iraq War was not passive tolerance but active, calculated support. Washington supplied battlefield intelligence with astonishing specificity. European firms exported “dual-use” technology that was, in practice, essential to Iraq’s chemical and biological weapons programmes. The same governments that would later condemn Saddam’s arsenal had, only years earlier, approved the shipments that built it.
When the war ended and Iraq was left exhausted, indebted, and far less useful, the West executed a dramatic reversal. Saddam’s catastrophic invasion of Kuwait in 1990 provided the moral pretext. Yesterday’s quiet partner became today’s unambiguous villain. The 1991 military campaign had legitimacy; what followed did not. The UN sanctions regime, driven by Washington and London, became one of the most comprehensive acts of economic strangulation ever imposed. Iraq could not import chlorine for water treatment, basic medical equipment, or even certain school materials. Everything became “dual-use”; nothing was innocent. The humanitarian toll was predictable, vast, and largely ignored.
And then came 2003. Western leaders spoke as though Saddam had appeared fully formed as an existential threat, his weapons programmes a mysterious danger conjured out of the desert. Absent from the narrative was the obvious truth: the Iraq they sought to destroy was the Iraq they had earlier built up, armed, encouraged, and then economically shattered.
The Iraq War did not erupt from a sudden moral awakening. It grew from decades of selective morality, where strategic utility dictated virtue and vice. Iraq was backed when convenient, starved when expendable, and invaded when politically convenient.
Before Iraq became a byword for brutality, it was, awkwardly for later liberation narratives, a rare Middle Eastern development success. In the 1970s, the Ba’athist state channelled oil revenues into a sweeping modernisation drive. Literacy soared, women entered universities and industry at rates that would embarrass several contemporary US allies, and GDP per capita multiplied sevenfold. Western capitals quietly admired the secular strongman who promised order in a turbulent region.
Then the Iranian Revolution upended the script. With the Shah gone and a theocracy rising next door, Saddam Hussein became an indispensable buffer. What followed during the Iran–Iraq War was not passive tolerance but active, calculated support. Washington supplied battlefield intelligence with astonishing specificity. European firms exported “dual-use” technology that was, in practice, essential to Iraq’s chemical and biological weapons programmes. The same governments that would later condemn Saddam’s arsenal had, only years earlier, approved the shipments that built it.
When the war ended and Iraq was left exhausted, indebted, and far less useful, the West executed a dramatic reversal. Saddam’s catastrophic invasion of Kuwait in 1990 provided the moral pretext. Yesterday’s quiet partner became today’s unambiguous villain. The 1991 military campaign had legitimacy; what followed did not. The UN sanctions regime, driven by Washington and London, became one of the most comprehensive acts of economic strangulation ever imposed. Iraq could not import chlorine for water treatment, basic medical equipment, or even certain school materials. Everything became “dual-use”; nothing was innocent. The humanitarian toll was predictable, vast, and largely ignored.
And then came 2003. Western leaders spoke as though Saddam had appeared fully formed as an existential threat, his weapons programmes a mysterious danger conjured out of the desert. Absent from the narrative was the obvious truth: the Iraq they sought to destroy was the Iraq they had earlier built up, armed, encouraged, and then economically shattered.
The Iraq War did not erupt from a sudden moral awakening. It grew from decades of selective morality, where strategic utility dictated virtue and vice. Iraq was backed when convenient, starved when expendable, and invaded when politically convenient.
Karin Sham Poo commented on "Fouad, Nadia and Fritz Enjoy A Night Out at the Opera - La Bohème"
15 Nov 2025
What a wonderful thing to do, so happy to hear about that
Editors commented on "Contest - What is the World's Coolest UNICEF Office? : Richard Bridle"
15 Nov 2025
Thanks for the first entry in "the Coolest UNICEF Office". We will post the photos from all entries next week.
In response to a comment by Mark Henderson
Mark Henderson commented on "Contest - What is the World's Coolest UNICEF Office? : Richard Bridle"
15 Nov 2025
Dear Xunicef editors:
Taking up Richard Bridle’s challenge, here are a set of photos following the UNICEF Haiti premises from 2010 to 2012. I was chief of WASH there from March 2010 to December 2012.
The UNICEF office in the quartier of Debussy was damaged in the earthquake and demolished. For two years, operations were run out the tent and container village set up at the airport MINUSTAH log base until a move to Petionville. The Debussy office has since been rebuilt to earthquake proof standards.
Feel free to edit the number of photos.
Best regards.
Mark
15 Nov 2025
@ Detlef. You claim that UNICEF and the donors focused amateurishly on treating the symptoms of malnutrition. If that is so, they did a poor job of it in the Southern Highlands in Tanzania, according to "unknown", who worked there. Nevertheless, a focus on growing the economy would likely have had a better impact on the nutritional status of children than either nutritional frameworks or feeding programmes, if history is anything to go by.
In response to a comment by Thomas Ekvall
15 Nov 2025
@Thomas. The nutrition frameworks were drafted, so I believe, in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania. Those who wrote them are no longer with us, or are not reading this blog. There is a value in analytical models that help explain a situation (for instance the immediate causes of a nutritional condition), or more generally help to organize thoughts and causalities. Although the conceptual frameworks pointed to the most fundamental structural, societal and essential causes of underdevelopment, development organizations such as UNICEF, including its donors, preferred to focus – rather amateurishly – on treating the symptoms.
In response to a comment by Thomas Ekvall
15 Nov 2025
Thanks, Rohini. I wonder if those in favour of reparations for colonialism and other abuses also think the people in Scania have a case?
In response to a comment by Rohini De Silva
15 Nov 2025
Thank you, Gautam. Yes, the debate has been good. But one cannot help but observe the silence of those who were drafting rights-based nutritional frameworks in New York. These conceptual blueprints were being written when malnutrition registered alarming spikes in regions like the Southern Highlands of Tanzania, where UNICEF had a strong presence. This chasm between theoretical sophistication and on-the-ground reality merits scrutiny. The question, therefore, is not if this observation lacks understanding of African development’s complexities, but rather the reverse. Does the intellectual framework itself possess the necessary humility to address it? The failure of high-level policy to translate into tangible results on the ground suggests a profound disconnect.
In response to a comment by Thomas Ekvall
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