XUNICEF News and Views

A fitting response to Trillionaire Elon Musk by Nick Kristof of the NY Times. U.S.A.I.D. Cuts Killed People. That’s the Truth.

The US State Department announced more than $1 billion in humanitarian and disaster response assistance to UNICEF and the World Food Program through new global macro awards, covering more than 40 countries, with UNICEF receiving over $218 million and WFP more than $800 million, the funds will go toward food, nutrition, health, child protection, logistics, and water and sanitation.

On May 25, 1986, 40 years ago, almost 20 million people in 274 cities ran 10K at the exact same time to support famine relief in Africa.

Q1. When the big budget cuts (the "Future Focus" plan) hit in 2025, how did it change your plans to stay with UNICEF or move to a new post?

  Reimagining International Geneva: From Bureaucracy to Bold Humanitarian Innovation Emmanuel Tronc Global Geneva Click here for the article   Summary: Emmanuel Tronc argues that International Geneva is stagnating under bureaucratic inertia and siloed institutions, risking irrelevance in a rapidly changing humanitarian landscape. Drawing on field experience, he calls for a more agile, collaborative, and locally grounded humanitarian ecosystem that prioritizes innovation, independence, and real partnerships with local NGOs and affected communities. He promotes the development of a “Humanitarian Hub” as an inclusive, flexible platform to incubate new ideas, strengthen cooperation, support ethical practice, and engage the Global South as equal leaders rather than consultees. Tronc contends that Geneva can reclaim global humanitarian leadership only by replacing hierarchy with curiosity, streamlining systems, aligning with field realities, and embracing shared governance and ...

A solar engineer checks a solar-powered street lamp. © Abbie Trayler-Smith/DFID Fascinating - Harking back to Willy Brandt-led Independent Commission on International Development Issues and its 1980 report, " North–South: A Programme for Survival , Germany's new development strategy, as outlined in BMZ's current action plan—" Strong Partnerships for a Successful Global Economy ", is both a nod to history and a bet on the future.

  The 'Accra Reset': Time’s up for the legacy aid system Sara Jerving // Devex // 01 October 2025 Click here for the article Summary Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama, supported by African leaders and global partners, has launched the “Accra Reset,” a bold initiative to move beyond the legacy aid model toward health sovereignty and equitable global cooperation. First endorsed in August at the Africa Health Sovereignty Summit, the Reset has now expanded to include climate resilience, food security, and economic growth. Backed by over $1 billion in pledges from African development finance institutions and private banks, it aims to create new governance, financing, and business models rooted in national ownership. The Reset proposes moving beyond global goal-setting (like the SDGs) toward practical business models and financing systems, including pooled pledges, strategic “deal rooms,” and the SUSTAIN initiative to strengthen health systems with domestic resources and pri...

Tedros says 400 WHO jobs phased out By Paula Dupraz-Dobias – Geneva Solutions Click here for the article. Summary WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus confirmed that 400 jobs have been cut since January as part of the UN health agency’s restructuring, about half of them at headquarters in Geneva.

 Linkedin post shared by Gautam Banerji

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Article shared by John Gilmartin Here in the States we’re having a collective moment, Elon’s AI company, Grok, is ranting nazi screeds, He Who Cannot be Named changes tariffs and threatens global darkness hourly, as the markets defy the doomsayers, and heat domes rule the affluent at play. Meanwhile in Seville this week, the head of the UN, a sort of shabby group of heads of state, and very serious senior persons have collected to declare,

Shared by Niloufar Pourzand Click here for the article Summary Around 100 activists from the BDS movement gathered at Geneva’s Broken Chair monument to protest the AI for Good Global Summit, accusing the UN and major tech companies of complicity in “economic genocide” linked to the Gaza war.

Shared by Maie Ayoub von Kohl Click here for the article Summary At the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) , 15,000 delegates gathered in Sevilla amid a projected 17% drop in global aid and the formal dissolution of USAID.

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Shared by Tom McDermott Last week we posted an article and link to the Jubilee Report: Tackling the Debt and Development Crises .  The article below ties closely to the issues discussed in the Jubilee Report, including how can countries escape from unsustainable debt traps? 

Pope Francis’ Jubilee Commission Calls for a Radical Overhaul of the Global Financial System In June 2024  Pope Francis convened a high-level commission in June 2024 to address the worsening debt, development, and climate crises facing the Global South.

Article shared by Kul Gautam Thank you, Switzerland.  Admire your spirit. Wish other OECD countries would be as enlightened and generous as Switzerland.  Kul

Shared by Robert Cohen Click here for the article Summary UNICEF staff are mounting strong opposition to major budget cuts, warning that the reductions threaten services for children in wealthy countries and may severely hamper UNICEF’s fundraising capacity in Europe.

Article shared by Narinder Sharma I found this article very informative and well explained about ODA funding situation. Sharing with you in case it has not reached you.

Article shared by Sharif Alam Click here for the article Summary UNICEF expects a funding drop of at least 20% in 2026 compared to 2024, largely due to deep cuts in U.S. foreign aid.