Dear Readers and Contributors,
After eight wonderful years of bringing you News & Views, we write with heavy hearts to announce the closing of News & Views in March 2026.
Unless new volunteer editors step forward, we will publish our final edition in March—fittingly, after reaching our eighth anniversary and after covering stories and photos from the February 2026 Reunion in Zimbabwe.
We've loved this work: Staying connected with you, our global community of former colleagues spread across 100 countries, has been deeply rewarding. Each week, we've watched you share your knowledge and opinions, celebrate achievements, and maintain the bonds forged during your UNICEF years. It's been our privilege to serve as your platform.
Why it's time: The reality is simple—we're all getting older, facing health challenges, and juggling family responsibilities. Despite previous calls for help, no volunteers have so far come forward. We cannot continue indefinitely, and we want to close thoughtfully rather than abruptly.
The door remains open: This is our final invitation. If you—or a small team—would like to take News & Views forward, we'll enthusiastically support the transition. You might reimagine the format, try new approaches, or keep what works. We're happy to share everything we've learned about the "nuts and bolts" of production. Just reach out soon, so we have time to work together on the handover.
Our gratitude: Thank you for reading, contributing, commenting, and making this newsletter meaningful. You've been wonderful partners in this venture.
We hope to stay connected through other means—or better yet, to celebrate a new editorial team taking News & Views into its next chapter.
With warm regards and appreciation,
Your Volunteer Editors
Detlef Palm
Doreen Lobo
Fouad Kronfol
Gautam Banerji
Tom McDermott
You're closing down just when it is getting interesting!
ReplyDeleteDear Tom, and colleagues of the editorial team.
ReplyDeleteI join so many other colleagues in expressing a heartfelt gratitude to you, Tom and the team, for your gracious and generous labor of love in producing and sharing the XUNICEF News & Views for 8 long & productive years. It has really brought together our large family of UNICEF retirees in a fellowship of great information sharing and camaraderie. Without the News and Views, many of us would not have been in touch and would have lost our contact with what is happening in our dear UNICEF & the UN.
We all realize the burden of producing the Newsletter, and many of us do not have the skills or the bandwidth to volunteer to do so. Still, as Lou Mendez and others have suggested, perhaps there is a way through a Facebook or WhatsApp group for us at least to circulate the newsfeed from UNICEF and the UN, some of the headline news of what is happening. I really hope that some of our digitally-savvy retiree colleagues might volunteer to set up such a group. It may not be as exciting as the News & Views, but it could be better than none.
Once again, my deep gratitude and blessings to Tom & Team for the tremendous contribution you have made in uniting us in a network of solidarity, showing there is a meaningful life after UNICEF.
Dear Tom and the Team of Editors, thank you so much for keeping us, the UNICEF retirees, connected through the XUNICEF News & Views. Thank you for your hard and tireless work to keep the UNICEF family of retirees united. For eight years I was looking forward to reading the XUNICEF weekly. The Newsletter kept us in the loop with what was happening in UNICEF and in the world. It is hard to imagine that this lifeline with UNICEF will be discontinued soon. I hope that there will be more volunteers among friends and colleagues who will be willing to take over this big responsibility in the future.
ReplyDeleteWith much gratitude and appreciation for everything that you have done for all of us, I wish you good health, happiness and success in everything that you will be doing.
To all: Have a peaceful and joyful holiday season and a happy new year!
Milada
Oh this is sad news indeed. We so look forward to reading this weekly. Perhaps you could bring out a newsletter every month or quarter if possible?
ReplyDeleteThank you Tom and the editorial team that have worked hard to keep us connected and updated on Unicef/UN activities. Totally understand the time and energy you all have expended and the need to hand over. Unless we have a younger group take over, I like the recommendation that we at least have a Facebook or what’s app group constituted for ongoing information sharing and camaraderie. Perhaps the existing team with the help of computer savvy members can initiate this before you close up in March. Merci!
ReplyDeleteWith 3000 UNICEF staff on abolished posts and about 300 of us pressed to "voluntarily separate" and this had to happened at short notice and we must separate by 31 Dec - (i.e next week) surely someone could step in and help on this?. I just started retirement almost 2 weeks ago - would be interested to help but could not do this alone - we are traveling for the next year searching for a base - so won't be settled anywhere or with lots of idle time. but I would need to know - what is the TOR to manage this? Could it be scaled back if it is too onerous? Rob Carr
ReplyDeleteAn organisation’s standing, relevance, and credibility are nothing more than the sum of its people and its leadership. That rule applies as much to the UN and its agencies as to any private firm or public body. For decades, those working in structures such as the UN Development System have known that their contribution to meaningful development outcomes was marginal at best. Endless reform initiatives followed, but most amounted to little more than bureaucratic theatre: new frameworks, new acronyms, new reporting lines—rearranging deckchairs rather than changing course.
ReplyDeleteThe uncomfortable truth is that there was little incentive for genuine reform while funding remained abundant. It was always possible to point to a minor, carefully selected indicator that had improved, thereby justifying generous salaries, lavish benefits, and pension schemes that bore no relation to performance or impact. Only now, as donor money tightens, does a sense of alarm suddenly emerge. That donors have grown sceptical should surprise no one. This reckoning has been a long time coming—and it is largely self-inflicted.
Merry christmas and happy new year
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