XUNICEF News and Views

In my pre-UNICEF days I worked for a couple of NGOs including CARE in Bangladesh, so I have always appreciated the efforts of CARE and other NGOs to widen our awareness that there are many crises that never make the headlines. Note that 9 of the 10 crises they identify are in Africa.   Tom CARE Crisis Report: Ten Overlooked Humanitarian Crises That Didn't Make Headlines in 2025 Michelle Nunn, President and CEO of CARE; Charlene Pellsah Ambali, Assistant CARE Country Director in Zimbabwe CARE January 28, 2026 Click here for the article Click here for the report Summary CARE released its tenth annual Crisis Report analyzing global online media coverage of humanitarian crises from January 1 to September 30, 2025.

The UN System Is Collapsing and Taking Careers With It Wayan Vota,  Career Pivot, July 16, 2025 Click here for the article Click here for background paper posted by the same author on Linkedin The United Nations is experiencing its most catastrophic workforce contraction in modern history, with nearly 20,000 job losses across the UN system under the UN80 initiative. 

Israel Tells Doctors Without Borders to End Its Work in Gaza David M. Halbfinger and Aaron Boxerman The New York Times January 6, 2026 Click here for the article Summary Israel has ordered Doctors Without Borders (MSF) to cease operations in Gaza after the organization failed to comply with new restrictions requiring registration of all Gazan employees and limiting criticism of Israel's conduct in the war. 

Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Statement, Revoke planned international NGO ban, humanitarian leaders urge Israeli authorities 02 January 2026 UNICEF NEW YORK, 31 December 2025 We urge the Israeli authorities to reconsider their plan to ban many of the international NGOs operating in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT).

Israel to Ban Dozens of Aid Agencies from Gaza as 10 Nations Warn About Suffering Jason Burke in Jerusalem The Guardian December 30, 2025 Click here for the article Summary: Israel announced it will stop dozens of aid organizations from working in Gaza within 36 hours for failing to meet new requirements to hand over personal details of Palestinian and international staff.

Adapting to lost U.S. contributions Devex Click here for the article Summary The Trump administration’s liquidation of U.S. foreign aid has forced NGOs to rethink survival strategies.

Trump’s “America First” global health plan sidelines NGOs — even blocking the Global Health Council Helen Murphy, Devex Trump’s team bars health NGO from UNGA side event Summary A newly revealed U.S. global health strategy devalues NGOs by favoring bilateral agreements and private sector partnerships.

Article shared by Tom McDermott 'Trump washing' of websites is continuing - not just among UN agencies but also among major NGOs. This article focuses on 'climate-cleansing', but we may expect similar changes on DEI and human rights issues.

Article shared by Shamsul Farooq A meeting in Geneva on 08 March was organized by UN Charter Reform Coalition to discuss UN Charter Reform in the light of US recent decisions to dismantle the multilateral system, Including cutting funds or withdrawal from several UN Agencies and if these are signs of END of UN.

Appeal shared by Kul Gautam Encouraging to note the outpouring of support for USAID from a large cross-section of US NGOs. I wish the Republicans would pay heed... Kul

Article shared by Viviane Sakkal This story of a fashion shoot in Lucknow that went viral and turned a group of slum children into celebrities caught my eye - an example of real innovation.  Viviane

We can still improve children’s well-being — if we act now

The International Council of Volunatary Agencies has issued a new report on the dysfunctions of the aid coordination structures at country level, often the Humanitarian Coordination Team (HCT) meetings.

© Visualizing Palestine - Click image to expand DCIP reports a sharp increase in Palestinian child fatalities in the West Bank since October 7, 2023, with 20% of all such deaths since 2000 occurring in this period. The report documents 141 child deaths between October 7, 2023, and July 31, 2024, at a rate of "one child every two days." Key quotes: "Israeli forces are killing Palestinian children with calculated brutality and cruelty all throughout the occupied Palestinian territory," said Khaled Quzmar, DCIP's general director. "The international community must act urgently to enact an arms embargo and sanctions to protect Palestinian children's lives." "When an Israeli soldier targets a Palestinian child, or an Israeli military official orders the targeting of a child, they are in violation of international human rights, humanitarian, and criminal law," stated Ayed Abu Eqtaish, DCIP's accountability program director. "Not a sing...

Progress towards 2030 for the SDGs has so far been laxluster, to say the least.  Oxfam International's new head, Amitabh Behar, argues that the primary obstacle isn't external crises like the pandemic or war, but rather the political system's prioritization of the super-rich over ordinary citizens. Behar contends that governments have become beholden to powerful interests and are failing to address the systemic issues that hinder progress on the SDGs.

A convoy organized by the NGO American Near East Refugee Aid (Anera) was hit by an Israeli missile and the lead vehicle was destroyed, killing 5 employees of a local transport company. The Anera convoy was carrying delivering medical supplies and fuel to an Emirati-run hospital in Rafah. The convoy and its route had been approved by the IDF in advance. Israeli forces apparently mistakenly concluded that the convoy had been hijacked by 'armed assailants' and was being diverted. Anera described it as a “shocking incident” in a statement on Friday and said that those killed were from a local transportation company. It was urgently seeking more details about the incident. Click here for the article in the Washington Post Click here for the article in the Guardian

Article shared by Gloria Kodzwa Further analysis on the tragedy associated with international agency funding, a case of Save the Children Gloria

Article shared by Gloria Kodzwa Many lessons learnt. Please share with ex unicef retired colleagues. Gloria

Article shared by Gloria Kodzwa Inevitable. Many of these organizations expanded rapidly and with multiple global conflicts, this was inevitable. We will see similar experiences with other global organizations. Gloria

Report shared by Baquer Namazi All the outrage expressed world wide is not stopping the crimes against humanity by the current regime ruling Israel. However, public outrage must continue to be expressed, as pressure mounts among the justice minded jews in Israel and America, not to forget the whole world. Baquer