XUNICEF News and Views

  John walking back to Poggio after a hike in the hills Spring bursts onto the Umbrian hills in a profusion of color and perfume. Vivid yellow Spanish broom covers the hills carpeted by purple, blue and pink wildflowers, with splashes of red poppies everywhere— a painter’s dream. And then there are the flowering olive trees, with their shiny green leaves, rustling like tiny mirrors in the breeze. The only competition for attention is the blooming white jasmine which cascades over every wall and perfumes the countryside.

The Invisible Baron of Flinders Street: Jack Williams 1901-1982  by John Williams (Author), Mehr Khan Williams (Other Contributor) John Francis (Jack) Williams was one of the most successful of the media barons who helped shape Australia in the twentieth century.

Article shared by Mehr Khan Williams

John and I are shocked and deeply saddened to learn of Maryam’s sudden death. On her way to meet friends, her life was snuffed out on the road allegedly by a drunk driver. I am told she died instantly and was spared the pain of knowing who killed her.I have known Maryam since 1998 when she came to work with us in Florence. Every contact with her especially when we stopped working together, was a joy! Maryam had a wonderful sense of humor and was a good story teller. Always fun to be with. She was a serious professional colleague, deeply committed to social justice and human rights. Her own focus was child rights especially the right to health. Her other side was her love of fun, music and art. Deeply imbued with the best of the Persian tradition, Mariam was self-effacing, generous to a fault, warm, and very loving. She had many, many friends, and I was fortunate to be among them. We will miss her sorely. I painted this picture of poppies for her at her request because she loved pop...

 I am sharing a few photos both of the mountains and of my paintings. All of us who have worked for the UN have passed through Geneva at one time or another and marveled at the beauty and grandeur of the Alps. Many mountain ranges around the world are magnificent. But the Alps are special for many reasons, not least the layering of the blue ranges and their easy accessibility from Geneva. When I worked in Geneva for over two years, the big windows in my office overlooked Lake Leman and, in the distance, Mont Blanc. I reminded myself every day how lucky I was to have such a splendid view. Balloons I returned to the Alps briefly for an eight day painting workshop this summer. I did not think I would be particularly impressed by the mountains since I had been there, traveling in the alpine region on our trips from Geneva to Annecy and Chamonix. But I was indeed very pleasantly surprised and charmed. I had never spent time in an alpine village and this was certainly different from Gene...

  Catching the Light

Gnarled Cherry Tree - Central Park, NYC Be sure to visit Mehr Khan's full gallery of artworks shared with us - click here

For nearly 29 years, I served UNICEF in many different capacities and in different duty stations. Helping to improve the lives of the most underprivileged people in the most underserved countries— children and women— was not a job; it was a cause. Perhaps, the most interesting and exciting part was in communication and social mobilization. The foundations for this were laid by UNICEF’s first Executive Director, Maurice Pate. Its third Executive Director, James P. Grant tirelessly advocated for children and demonstrated that simple solutions were available to deal with tough problems. This massive effort culminated in the World Summit for Children at the United Nations in New York in 1990. At the largest gathering of world leaders, Presidents and Prime Ministers spoke on children for two days. I was proud to be part of the communication team not just for the Summit but for all of UNICEF’s work. But my memories of my time in UNICEF also include other amazing experiences. Here below are t...