XUNICEF News and Views

Darya (her artist name) is a young Afghan woman, mentioned in the final pages of my memoir, My University of the World: Adventures of an International Film and Media Maker . She contacted me in November 2021, after the Taliban had taken control again in her country. She’s an example of resilience in the face of difficult circumstances—something needed by all of us who cherish human rights and freedom today, given the recent political changes in the U.S. and trends in other countries. She uses her art for social change.

Is it as Gollum says in The Lord of the Rings, “My Precious” (metals) -- used in defense, green energy, high tech, and aerospace, etc.? Ukraine's soil contains trillions of dollars of rare metals, as Putin knows. Read the articles below and decide for yourself.

Bill Hetzer visited Neill McKee in Albuquerque, New Mexico on October 18, 2024 and they reminisced about the good old days in UNICEF. Bill was the Chief of Internet, Broadcasting and Photo Services in UNICEF, New York, for many years and Neill met him when Bill organized a conference on animated film for development in Prague, Czechoslovakia in March 1990, just after Neill had joined UNICEF Bangladesh as Chief of the Information and Communication Section.

Hello all! My latest book, My University of the World: Adventures of an International Film & Media Maker is the winner of the 2024 New Mexico & Arizona Book Awards in the autobiography & memoir category.

Neill McKee sent us his review of the book Persistence of Light  by John Hoyte, which also features Richard Jolly trekking across the Alps with an elephant.

My career--travel memoir, My University of the World: Adventures of an International Film & Media Maker, which includes my years in UNICEF, is the 2024 winner for autobiography in the National Indie Excellence Awards (NIEA), their 18th annual contest.  The NIEA is based in California, USA, but open to authors and independent publishers from around the globe. (See more information on the link below the image.) 

In my latest memoir, My University of the World: Adventures of an International Film & Media Maker, I tell the story of the creation of Meena, a role model for girls' education, health, protection, and all child rights in South Asia. In 1990, after becoming the Chief of Communication for UNICEF in Bangladesh, I brought together a great team to create Meena—entertaining, well-researched, multimedia stories that engaged children, parents, and whole communities. Meena ran regionally for 20-25 years and continues today in Bangladesh, 32 years after launching—part of the culture now. Today, “Meena Day” is still celebrated annually in Bangladesh on September 24th, and I continue to get weekly messages from young adults, both women and men, throughout South Asia, thanking UNICEF and mentioning how these stories influenced them in their childhoods. Children and adults around the world can be entertained and educated. See more details, play the cartoons, and read the comic book episodes...

Recently I was asked if I'd like to be interviewed on The Authors Show regarding my latest book, My University of the World. Neill

My travel-career memoir, My University of the World: Adventures of an International Film & Media Maker, has just won the award of Finalist (1 of 2 in second place) in the autobiography category of Book Excellence Awards (2024). I was told, "There were thousands of entries from around the world and your book was selected for its high-quality writing, design, and market appeal." This award is similar to the IPA Distinguished Favorite Award won a few weeks ago (1 of 2 finalists in the career category). In each category of these two contests, there is always only one overall winner. I'll keep trying!

My travel memoir, My University of the World: Adventures of an International Film & Media Maker, has been recognized as a Distinguished Favorite in the career category by Independent Press Awards.  The story first covers my years (1970-1987) as a filmmaker with Canadian University Service Overseas (CUSO) and Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC), the trials and tribulations of travels through Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Then, I tell how completing a master's in Communication led me to join UNICEF as a multimedia producer and team leader in Bangladesh and Africa during the 1990s; followed by eight years with Johns Hopkins University, based in Baltimore and Moscow, Russia. Finally, from 2008 to 2012, I worked for AED/FHI360 in Washington, D.C. where I became the director of a large global communication project (140 staff and millions of $ to program properly in a short time). I also included over 200 images, and personal stories such a...

A new memoir on my career, just released. See short pre-publication reviews below and a summary, places to buy, and full reviews on this link: https://www.neillmckeeauthor.com/my-university-of-the-world I hope you enjoy this journey through the developing world from 1970 to 2012. Regards, Neill This book is also available on Amazon - click here: This book humanizes the lives and work of development workers and the environments they work in. With humor and sensitivity, McKee also allows us into his own life and family for some of the most endearing parts of his story. -Mehr Khan Williams, former U.N. Assistant Secretary General and Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights The lucky reader travels shotgun with McKee during his adventures in numerous countries: harrowing flights, back-breaking overland trips, frigid lodging, humorous cultural misunderstandings, and local foods consumed to be respectful. Interwoven in the narrative are engaging details of his multi-continent courtship wi...

In July 2022, I completed the first draft of a new memoir on my adventures as an international film and media producer, manager, and facilitator for most of 1971 to 2012. Then my wife Beth and I flew to Cali, Colombia. I had visited Cali several times during 1975-1984, and never thought that I’d ever return to see the city or the beautiful Cauca Valley again, which Simón Bolívar, the great liberator from Spanish rule, called “a paradise on Earth.” See the article as published on Neill McKee's website The occasion of our visit was the marriage of our son Derek, to Maria Claudia, who was born in Cali, where her family still lives. My son married into a great South American family of mixed Spanish, African, and Amerindian descent. Derek and Maria Claudia continue to live and work in Montreal. The trip also served as a family reunion after 2.5 years of the Covid pandemic and a celebration of our 50th wedding anniversary—a happy occasion for all! Cali, once the home of the Cali Carte...

What was your last assignment with UNICEF? I was only with UNICEF 11 years, starting in January 1990: 4 years as Chief of Communication and Information in Bangladesh, 5.5 years as Regional Programme Communication Officer in ESARO, and 1.5 years as Chief of Basic Education, Child Care, and Adolescent Development (BECCAD) in Uganda, helping to create a new program on HIV/AIDS. I resigned from UNICEF in December 2000 to join Johns Hopkins University.

  by Neill McKee, September, 2021 Website:   www.neillmckeeauthor.com Contact:   neillmckeeauthor@gmail.com A joule is the amount of energy used to lift a small apple one meter An exajoule is a billion billion joules The Sun delivers nearly four million exajoules to our Earth each year And all the world's plants capture only three thousand of those While we humans consume a paltry five hundred in all our activities and industries Which is equal to the amount of energy our planet receives from the Sun in just ninety minutes