12 hours ago
Dear Dev,
Thanks for your message. We have noted your preference for shorter 'whatsapp' type messages and the group are looking at various software platforms that would support this. Two of the past reunion attendees already have Whatsapp groups running and that may be a guide for something similar for XUNICEF.
Warm regards,
Tom
Thanks for your message. We have noted your preference for shorter 'whatsapp' type messages and the group are looking at various software platforms that would support this. Two of the past reunion attendees already have Whatsapp groups running and that may be a guide for something similar for XUNICEF.
Warm regards,
Tom
In Response to a comment by Dev Chopra
Dev Chopra commented on "Good vibes for News & Views beyond March : Tom McDermott"
12 hours ago
Good morning Tom. Appreciate your understanding of issues & the limited time involved for those like me now going forward to 92 with the Lord's Grace. You and your Team have done a great job till now. USA needs the lessons of genuine humility cum democracy is a passing thought l share with a respected Friend. Blessings 🙌 Dev Chopra ✌️
12 hours ago
Thank you Rafah for sharing the good news!
Sharif Shafiq Alam commented on "British Association of Former UN Public Servants (BAFUNCS) Newsletter to Members on Pension and ASHI : Shared by Rafah Aziz"
12 hours ago
Thanks Rafah for sharing the good news!! Looks like there’ll be an increase of 2.7% for dollar trackers effective April 2026. And UK sterling trackers will get 3.4%. Not bad!! Any increase is a welcome change!!
Jim Mohan commented on "Letter to Catherine Russell on the Passing of Dr. William Foege : Shared by Kul Gautam"
12 hours ago
Thanks for sharing the NYTt article. He was indeed a great friend of UNI and a personal friend of our beloved Jim Grant.
Yesterday
Thank you dear Doreen for publishing and Fouad for your comments, both very much appreciated.
In Response to a comment by Fouad
Yesterday
Bravo caro Gianni, wonderful accolade for your work and humanistic support which you well deserve. It is also a pleasure to know that you continue to profess your specialty as well as provide care for 5hose who are less fortunate. May you have the possibility to continue this path for long. Abrazos.
Jan 28, 2026
the last quadrennium the budget of our regional offices was ONE BILLION USD - that came to 50% RR and 50 % OR! That would have been a great place to shed some pounds/kilos with the bloated waistline of UNICEF. Missed opportunity. Regional offices had MASSIVE expansion in the past 15 years for no apparent reason. Another place where UNICEF lost its mind and failed to keep a cool head and do the right thing - now all the staff who did not create this crisis suffer. Very sad.
Sharif Shafiq Alam commented on "Missing You - - Sir (William) Mark Tully, Journalist and Author Dies at 90 : Shared by Girija Devi"
Jan 27, 2026
Bangladesh newspaper pays tribute to Sir Mark Tully!!
In 2012, Bangladesh named him a "Foreign Friend of Bangladesh" for his role in highlighting the true face of the Liberation War to the world.
https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/obituary/news/bangladesh-loses-truth-teller-1971-4090066
In 2012, Bangladesh named him a "Foreign Friend of Bangladesh" for his role in highlighting the true face of the Liberation War to the world.
https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/obituary/news/bangladesh-loses-truth-teller-1971-4090066
In Response to a comment by Sharif Alam
Unknown commented on "Reunion Update #17 - Gala Dinner Marcch 12th"
Jan 27, 2026
Sounds very fun!
Aysel commented on "Central Park - The Gates: Detlef Palm"
Jan 26, 2026
Thank you for sharing the refreshing story and photos of this extraordinary exhibition at the Central Park. I'm one of the visitors at that time. Sorry that I missed that orange fabric swatch mentioned by Myra.
Jan 26, 2026
Very interesting memoir indeed. As you very correctly recapitulated - Marc Tully was a household name in the then East Pakistan across length & breadth during the War of Liberation and thereafter in the turmoil times of Bangladesh. I didn't know he settled in New Delhi after retirement. May his soul rest in peace.
In Response to a comment by Sharif Alam
Sharif Alam commented on "Missing You - - Sir (William) Mark Tully, Journalist and Author Dies at 90 : Shared by Girija Devi"
Jan 25, 2026
So sorry to hear the news of sad demise of veteran journalist Sir Mark Tully! He is fondly remembered by our generation for his honest, bold and dedicated journalism during Bangladesh’s liberation war. We would invariably tune on Radio at 8 PM everyday to listen to BBC Bengali channel where Mark Tully’s translated reporting on war from rural areas would come on air - the only trusted news coverage during the 1971 liberation war. Mark Tully was a household name in Rural and Urban Bangladesh alike.
He did return to Bangladesh to cover the devastating flood that engulfed 60% of the country in 1988, travelled widely to affected areas in speed boats. His reporting was considered most credible in the country at that time.
I had the good fortune of meeting Sir Mark Tully in the 90s a number of times during my years of posting in Delhi. He would occasionally come to India International Center (IIC) old cafeteria in Delhi located across the street from UNICEF office at 73 Lodi Estate, where a few of UNICEF colleagues namely Sam Frederick, Jag Jugessur, late Ramon Lores would go for lunch every day. Brings back the memories of good old days!!!
Rest in Peace Sir Mark Tully. You will always remain alive in the hearts of Bangladeshis of our generation!!
He did return to Bangladesh to cover the devastating flood that engulfed 60% of the country in 1988, travelled widely to affected areas in speed boats. His reporting was considered most credible in the country at that time.
I had the good fortune of meeting Sir Mark Tully in the 90s a number of times during my years of posting in Delhi. He would occasionally come to India International Center (IIC) old cafeteria in Delhi located across the street from UNICEF office at 73 Lodi Estate, where a few of UNICEF colleagues namely Sam Frederick, Jag Jugessur, late Ramon Lores would go for lunch every day. Brings back the memories of good old days!!!
Rest in Peace Sir Mark Tully. You will always remain alive in the hearts of Bangladeshis of our generation!!
Jan 25, 2026
Martin Luther King, Jr., while imprisoned in the Birmingham (Alabama) jail, wrote a 12 page letter to fellow clergy on April 16, 1963.
This excerpt seems relative also to the UN situation:
'We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a
single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.'
This excerpt seems relative also to the UN situation:
'We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a
single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.'
Jan 25, 2026
I broadly agree with the thrust of this. The UN is bruised and imperfect, but still indispensable in ways that are easy to underestimate until it is absent. History, including the CONEFO episode, shows that alternatives to universal multilateralism tend to be short-lived precisely because they lack scale and inclusiveness, which may also hold for The Peace Board.
That said, it is worth being clear-eyed about what the UN is, and is not. International law can not be “enforced” by the UN in the way domestic law is enforced by a state. Its force has always rested on consent, reciprocity, norms, and the long-term self-interest of states. When major powers comply, law has weight; when they do not, the UN struggles. This was true during the Cold War, and it remains true today.
On human rights in particular, the UN can not provide rights; it articulates standards, creates scrutiny, and mobilises moral and political pressure. That may look weak, but over decades it has helped shape expectations, domestic laws, and behaviour more than is acknowledged. The alternative is not a world with “stronger enforcement,” but one with fewer constraints and less accountability.
A temporary US disengagement would do real damage, financially, politically, and symbolically. Yet it would also underline a deeper truth: the UN’s survival has never depended on any single member, however powerful. Multilateralism persists because no major power, including the US, can ultimately insulate itself from pandemics, climate shocks, or wars. Withdrawal may be dramatic; return is usually quiet and inevitable.
In that sense, the UN’s problem is not irrelevance, but adaptation. Reform is necessary, but so is a strong measure of institutional humility. The UN is not a world government. It is a forum that reflects the world as it is, fractured, unequal, contentious, yet still capable, at times, of cooperation. That alone remains valuable.
That said, it is worth being clear-eyed about what the UN is, and is not. International law can not be “enforced” by the UN in the way domestic law is enforced by a state. Its force has always rested on consent, reciprocity, norms, and the long-term self-interest of states. When major powers comply, law has weight; when they do not, the UN struggles. This was true during the Cold War, and it remains true today.
On human rights in particular, the UN can not provide rights; it articulates standards, creates scrutiny, and mobilises moral and political pressure. That may look weak, but over decades it has helped shape expectations, domestic laws, and behaviour more than is acknowledged. The alternative is not a world with “stronger enforcement,” but one with fewer constraints and less accountability.
A temporary US disengagement would do real damage, financially, politically, and symbolically. Yet it would also underline a deeper truth: the UN’s survival has never depended on any single member, however powerful. Multilateralism persists because no major power, including the US, can ultimately insulate itself from pandemics, climate shocks, or wars. Withdrawal may be dramatic; return is usually quiet and inevitable.
In that sense, the UN’s problem is not irrelevance, but adaptation. Reform is necessary, but so is a strong measure of institutional humility. The UN is not a world government. It is a forum that reflects the world as it is, fractured, unequal, contentious, yet still capable, at times, of cooperation. That alone remains valuable.
Jan 25, 2026
You are right about the power imbalance, and everyone in the UN system knew it. A $30 million World Bank portfolio buys access, urgency, and compliance in ways no small grant ever could. That influence is real and structural.
But the UNICEF anecdote actually illustrates something more uncomfortable: governments were not ignoring children; they were ignoring us. The brand mattered emotionally, not fiscally. Ministries listened politely because children are politically sacred, but they made decisions elsewhere, where money, macro constraints, and hard trade-offs lived. Frameworks, DCTs and HACT mattered inside our institution, not inside cabinets.
The World Bank’s sway does not come from superior ideas; it comes from financing scale and balance-sheet relevance. That is power, but it is not coercion. Governments were perfectly capable of saying no, delaying reforms, cherry-picking conditions, or using IFIs' money to advance agendas they had already chosen. Many did so routinely.
So I agree: the IFIs are not innocent bystanders. But neither are they puppet masters, engineering unsustainable debt. What we are really describing is domestic political short-termism interacting with large pools of available capital. If we blur that distinction, we replace analysis with a narrative in which responsibility conveniently shifts outward.
But the UNICEF anecdote actually illustrates something more uncomfortable: governments were not ignoring children; they were ignoring us. The brand mattered emotionally, not fiscally. Ministries listened politely because children are politically sacred, but they made decisions elsewhere, where money, macro constraints, and hard trade-offs lived. Frameworks, DCTs and HACT mattered inside our institution, not inside cabinets.
The World Bank’s sway does not come from superior ideas; it comes from financing scale and balance-sheet relevance. That is power, but it is not coercion. Governments were perfectly capable of saying no, delaying reforms, cherry-picking conditions, or using IFIs' money to advance agendas they had already chosen. Many did so routinely.
So I agree: the IFIs are not innocent bystanders. But neither are they puppet masters, engineering unsustainable debt. What we are really describing is domestic political short-termism interacting with large pools of available capital. If we blur that distinction, we replace analysis with a narrative in which responsibility conveniently shifts outward.
In Response to a comment by Thomas Ekvall
Unknown commented on "Human errors at tipping point? 2 of 2: Ramesh Shrestha"
Jan 25, 2026
Thanks for this - points are well taken. No one twisted governments arms for sure - but I would hardly call IMF or WB innocent in the chaos of development the past 50 years, Plenty of blame to go around - but ultimately governments are responsible. INTERESTING , when I was DepRep in Albania, one of our strongest staff got a fat job with the World Bank. She went from micro managing 50,000 dollar DCTs to a 30 million dollar portfolio. She would come by for coffee and had one point - NO ONE IN GOVERNMENT THOUGHT ABOUT UNICEF ONCE WE WALKED OUT THE DOOR--our DCT and HACT and frameworks were irrelevant and the only reason they spoke to us was out of politeness to the brand. She said with such a portfolio she never needed to make an appointment or beg for any government support or attention. This gives WB immense sway over governments - for good or for bad.
In Response to a comment by Thomas Ekvall
Ramesh Shrestha commented on "Human errors at tipping point? 2 of 2: Ramesh Shrestha"
Jan 24, 2026
Thank you.
In Response to a comment by Thomas Ekvall
Jan 24, 2026
Ramesh, thank you for the clarification. By now, it is clear that we are not actually disagreeing on facts so much as on interpretation.
There is no question that international financial institutions have made mistakes, particularly in the design and sequencing of structural adjustment programmes in the 1980s and 1990s, and that these sometimes imposed real social costs. Likewise, the concentration of market power in parts of the tech sector and the shift toward rent-based business models deserve scrutiny and sensible regulation. On these points, criticism is not only legitimate but welcome.
Where we diverge is in the broader diagnosis. I do not see capitalism, technology, or AI as forces that are hollowing out democracy or condemning the majority to hardship. I see them as powerful tools that, left entirely unchecked, can produce distortions, but when embedded in functioning institutions, competition policy, and democratic accountability, have repeatedly delivered rising living standards, better public services, and greater individual agency. The challenge, as always, is governance, not inevitability.
I suspect we both agree on the essentials: markets need rules, technology needs oversight, and public institutions must adapt rather than retreat. History suggests that societies do eventually make these adjustments, often imperfectly, sometimes late, but usually without the civilisational rupture that pessimistic narratives anticipate.
With that, our positions are clear, and it may be good to leave it there. I appreciate the exchange.
There is no question that international financial institutions have made mistakes, particularly in the design and sequencing of structural adjustment programmes in the 1980s and 1990s, and that these sometimes imposed real social costs. Likewise, the concentration of market power in parts of the tech sector and the shift toward rent-based business models deserve scrutiny and sensible regulation. On these points, criticism is not only legitimate but welcome.
Where we diverge is in the broader diagnosis. I do not see capitalism, technology, or AI as forces that are hollowing out democracy or condemning the majority to hardship. I see them as powerful tools that, left entirely unchecked, can produce distortions, but when embedded in functioning institutions, competition policy, and democratic accountability, have repeatedly delivered rising living standards, better public services, and greater individual agency. The challenge, as always, is governance, not inevitability.
I suspect we both agree on the essentials: markets need rules, technology needs oversight, and public institutions must adapt rather than retreat. History suggests that societies do eventually make these adjustments, often imperfectly, sometimes late, but usually without the civilisational rupture that pessimistic narratives anticipate.
With that, our positions are clear, and it may be good to leave it there. I appreciate the exchange.
In Response to a comment by Thomas Ekvall
Ramesh Shrestha commented on "Human errors at tipping point? 2 of 2: Ramesh Shrestha"
Jan 24, 2026
Thanks, Thomas, for reverting back with your thoughts on debt and the role of International Financial institutions. These institutions do talk of fiscal prudence, debt sustainability, etc. but in reality, there are records of pushing debts on countries as well as forced currency devaluation, etc. on many occasions. Other problems associated with these institutions were their famous ‘structural adjustments’ of the 1990s which marginalised most social sectors.
These institutions are the God like figure of capitalism which has basically overshadowed all traditional ways of thinking on financial governance. In the coming decades there will be hardships for the majority of people. First issue is the dominance of capitalists on social services and the second is the invasion of governance by AI (which is now the biggest game of the capitalists). Small government is okay, but how small? As the AI is taking hold on public administration there will be mass layouts. Private sector also has limitations on its absorption capacity. Countries are unable to regulate capitalism/capitalists. Here is one simple example. People used to buy Microsoft Office to install in their computers. It has three different prices - student price, household price and business price. Now it is rented out on a monthly/yearly basis. Microsoft has recovered its investment in developing this software decades ago. Unfortunately, other software companies are following this example. Once you don’t renew the rental contract your software would not function. The idea of democracy and freedom has been fully exploited by unregulated capitalism.
These institutions are the God like figure of capitalism which has basically overshadowed all traditional ways of thinking on financial governance. In the coming decades there will be hardships for the majority of people. First issue is the dominance of capitalists on social services and the second is the invasion of governance by AI (which is now the biggest game of the capitalists). Small government is okay, but how small? As the AI is taking hold on public administration there will be mass layouts. Private sector also has limitations on its absorption capacity. Countries are unable to regulate capitalism/capitalists. Here is one simple example. People used to buy Microsoft Office to install in their computers. It has three different prices - student price, household price and business price. Now it is rented out on a monthly/yearly basis. Microsoft has recovered its investment in developing this software decades ago. Unfortunately, other software companies are following this example. Once you don’t renew the rental contract your software would not function. The idea of democracy and freedom has been fully exploited by unregulated capitalism.
In Response to a comment by Thomas Ekvall
Doreen Lobo commented on "Finding Rainbows and Stars - A personal journey (Doreen Lobo)"
Jan 24, 2026
Thank you Luis B and Margherita.
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