XUNICEF News and Views

On 14 December 2012 a mass shooting occurred at the Sandy Hook elementary school in Newton, Connecticut in which 20 first grade children and 6 staff members were killed.

On The American Dollar it is Written In God We Trust. But the Question Is: Do we Trust in God, or Must God Put His Faith in the Almighty Dollar* What a difference a Dollar makes.

The Treaty of Westphalia in 1648 ended the Thirty Years war in Europe by establishing the founding principles of a modern world order based on state sovereignty and relations among states.

Two mini reunions almost 20 years apart with Habib Hammam and Shahida Azfar: At the Hammams' with the late Manou Assadi and Saad Houri

It was so sad to learn about Andrea's passing. I sent a personal email to Jeannie and posted a brief note on our xunicef portal. 

Article contributed by Habib Hammam and Fouad Kronfol Among the many articles published on the Palestine crisis, I found this one about Edward Said of utmost importance, not only historically but also because it is as current as can be in today's news circulating around the world. Said's views and his articulation of the Palestinian cause are worth a serious read among all who are concerned and empathetic to the catastrophe being incurred on the people of Gaza, as well as on Palestinians in the West Bank and within Israel.  It is as if he is alive today and his views are being reviewed by many in the media and in academia, particularly in the West. Fouad Click here for the article in the Guardian Excerpts: "One reason people have always turned to Said is his ability to articulate a moral position with a sophisticated historical sensibility. Said described the Palestinian people as “the victims of the victims”, showing how Palestinians have become inexorably part of Euro...

Editor's note: On April 26th we were pleased to publish a remarkable retirement message written by Fawzia al Hamdani, Finance Officer in UNICEF Yemen and shared with us by Habib Hammam.  If you missed it, be sure to read Fawzia's A Loving Farewell to UNICEF ,    Now Habib has shared with us a video tribute to Fawzia prepared by her colleagues.  Fawzia clearly made a deep impression and will be long remembered.  

Please find below the retirement message that Ms. Fawzia Al Hamdani, National Finance Officer, Yemen sent to colleagues after 44 years of service. The letter speaks for itself to all UNICEF colleagues and more broadly about the successful struggle of a an able and determined woman in Yemeni society. I take some pleasure and a lot of pride in having been the person who first recruited Fawzia to UNICEF when I was Representative in 1979 and worked with her again when I returned to Yemen 1997-2000. Her ability and personality always elicited respect and she set an example for many women in UNICEF and in Yemen to follow. I am receiving copies of many messages of love and admiration sent to her from Yemeni women whom she mentored over the years, imparting her love for UNICEF. Habib Dear Beloved UNICEF and Beloved Colleagues in Yemen and outside Yemen, Deep and warm greetings from me, For those who are new and don’t know me, I would like to introduce myself as the first Yemeni lady and one ...

Allowing work in hazardous jobs. Definitely in violation of the CRC. Habib In a pre-dawn session on Tuesday, the Iowa state senate voted to allow children to work longer hours and serve alcohol, the latest move by Republican-controlled statehouses to combat a labor shortage by loosening child labor laws . The Iowa bill would expand the number of hours that children under 16 can work from four to six a day, allow minors to work in previously prohibited industries if they are part of a training program, and allow 16- and 17-year–olds to serve alcohol with a parent’s permission. It passed the state senate by a vote of 32-17, two Republicans joining every Democrat in opposition. The vote took place just before 5am, after protests and delay tactics by Democrats. “We do know slavery existed in the past but one place it doesn’t exist, that’s in this bill,” said Adrian Dickey, the Republican responsible for shepherding the bill to passage, according to the Iowa Capital Dispatch . “It simply i...