XUNICEF News and Views

Iran Strikes: Early Reports of Children Killed in Schools At least 85 girls aged seven to twelve were killed and 93 injured when a strike hit Shajareh Tayyebeh elementary school in the southern Iranian town of Minab as U.S. and Israeli warplanes attacked Iran on Saturday, the start of the local workweek. Many  parents had already dropped off their children at schools when the attacks began.

As announced last week by Tom McDermott, we are discontinuing the preparation of our weekly "Editorial", which has mainly been a content listing of the articles published on the XUNICEF blog.  Instead, we simply invite you to browse through the listing of articles on our blog, in the same way as you do when reading an online news magazine or - for that matter - any other blog.

How Honest is the Global Humanitarian Lottery?   Mukesh Kapila  Fading Causes (YouTube Channel) 

 

 

HIDDEN IDENTITY It seems that Jeffrey Epstein’s influence extends well beyond the Final Frontier. ***** The news streams are so persistent that one cannot avoid them.  Today, we have been treated to photos of former President Clinton in a pool with Ghislaine Maxwell and stories of the former President seeking funding for the Clinton Global Initiative from Jeffrey Epstein.

 

Many thanks, dear Sam, for sharing this inspiring article. So proud of our RESULTS.org colleagues and the transformational advocacy skills that you have instilled in them. I recall fondly how RESULTS advocacy helped mobilize similar US support for the highly successful "child survival revolution" interventions spearheaded by UNICEF in the 1980s and 90s. Let's hope that these life-saving appropriations for global health, approved by Congress and signed by the President, will actually be disbursed, and not withheld by OMB under any pretext. Thank you.

 

  Pour la version française, voir ci-dessous  For the French version, please see below UNJSPF News - February 2026 Join our next Pension Townhall sessions. Check the dedicated  Pension Townhall page  for more information. Secretary-General Appoints Robert van der Zee of Netherlands Representative for United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund Asset Investments Mr. van der Zee served as Chief Financial Officer at the World Food Programme (WFP) in Italy (2024-2025), bringing 30 years of experience across various financial management roles. He possesses extensive and in-depth organizational and financial knowledge and expertise along with a strong track record of senior leadership in both the financial services industry and in international organizations.   Click  here  to read the article. Published on 2 February 2026 Understanding your pension: the milestone years explained You might be wondering whether working a few more months o...

As we all know 2026 will be UNICEF's 80th Anniversary. There will certainly be many manifestations throughout the Organization to commemorate this date some of which we hope will be shared with our group. On the other hand the XUNICEF Network itself should start thinking of how we as a group and as individuals can contribute to the global effort. Here are a few ideas of major events and issues that we can work with to determine those which we want to showcase in our Blog and in any other publication or activity. We would appreciate your views and suggestions as early as possible so that a plan can be developed .

 How many unicef cars with UN flags will be driving around Nairobi?

 

Plastics is not a problem There is a serious need for public education on dangers of nanoparticles of plastics on human health, much more beyond environmental pollution by plastics.

  South Sudan Opposition forces allege that government troops killed at least 25 civilians, including women and children, in what they describe as a "massacre" in Pankor, Ayod county. The killings come as fighting in Jonglei state has displaced more than 280,000 people since December, with UNICEF warning of widespread sexual violence, a near-total absence of GBV services, and a cholera outbreak that has now reached 98,000 cases nationally. 

 

A soon to be published collection of verse born from the embers of war and the whispers of peace;  rooted in the ache of longing, the grace of family, the fire of passion, the solitude of the soul, the fracture and the healing of the human heart, the silent witness of observation, and the eternal shelter of a mother's love.

This is an important and very timely report, coming as the Human Rights Council opens its latest session.  Tom

 

 Niloufar has shared the below interesting article" Global humanitarian aid slashed by one-third" - Governments drastically slash their international development assistance budgets as they focus on domestic concerns — and aid organizations warn acute food insecurity will expand as a result. https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/news-opinion/news/global-humanitarian-aid-slashed-by-one-third/

 

 

 

 

Sometimes, articles spark off some interesting comments and discussion. Don't miss any of this! We recommend you visit the blog throughout the week.  The last six comments made by our readers appear in the right margin (if you visit the blog on a laptop screen). If you visit the blog on your smartphone, tap the 'hamburger' (the three small horizontal bars on the top right of your smartphone screen) and the last six comments will appear. Join the talk. For more tips, click the label 'Tip' at the end of this post, or wherever the label 'Tip' appears.

 

Redaction as a Management Tool : Author's Name Redacted

During the heat of last summer, readers may remember “Think Snow!” presenting a collage of the snowy Alps. Now as many of us are enduring actual snow and freezing temperatures, I thought a look towards spring with colorful flowers might be welcomed! **********************************************************************************