XUNICEF News and Views

New UN stamps celebrate the Organization's 80th anniversary UN News  2025-10-24 On 24 October, the United Nations Postal Administration (UNPA) celebrates the 80th anniversary of the United Nations with the issuance of three stamp sheets. In 2025, the United Nations marks its 80th anniversary, celebrating eight decades of promoting peace, human rights, social progress, and sustainable development. The theme, “Building our Future Together,” emphasizing the need for collective action to address global issues.

Going through a box of UN First Day Covers which I acquired at an auction a few years ago, I found these two covers that have an interesting story:  

News shared by Niloufar Pourzand Click here for the article in India Education Diary Summary The Department of Posts and UNICEF issued a commemorative postage stamp to celebrate 75 years of their partnership in working towards child rights in India.

This week I revert to the philatelic materials issued by countries for the IYC by featuring countries starting with the letter M. This is a continuation of the previous week's feature as there were many countries to show.

I was encouraged with the last Soliloquy when a few readers commented on the column related to philatelic materials issued for IYC. This week I continue with the series featuring stamps and covers issued by countries starting with the letter M. With the increased violence towards children that we are currently witnessing including in Gaza, West Bank, Sudan,Myanmar, Congo etc.it is perhaps useful to remind ourselves of the promises and plans that the IYC spawned all around the world and to surmise how quickly matters have degenerated in these conflict areas so that the messages of peace, human rights, child rights and development need to be reactivated and reemphasized. We start with this stamp from the Malagasy Republic (Madagascar) which shows a boy and two girls with books, toys and fruits in their hands.The banner at the bottom is inscribed with IYC in Malagashe and French. This is the First Day Cover of the same stamp. There is no cachet. The post mark is dated 1 June 1979 and ...

I have decided to resume my column on philatelic materials related to the UN or UNICEF. This week I feature items related to IYC issued by countries starting with the letters K and L . From the philatelic point of view the fall -out from IYC has been greater than all other UNICEF-related events put together. That says something about the importance of the Year for UNICEF and for Children. Interesting that the 1979 year now falls almost exactly mid-way through the entire life of the Organization, and no other event has generated such widespread recognition and commemoration. 2024 also happens to be the 45th year anniversary of this singular event in UNICEF history and one which I hope will be appropriately recognized by the international community.

This week I want to continue the series on philatelic materials describing some of the historical aspects of Palestine. While the first and second articles touched on Gaza under Egyptian administration and the West  Bank under Jordanian administration, this week features materials from the State of Palestine itself. 5694 : Here are the second and third oldest stamps issued for Palestine in 1918 (I couldn’t afford the first one).The stamps were those used by the British Expeditionary Force in Egypt and over-printed with "Palestine". Note that the first stamp has the value of one piastre while the second has been over-printed with a new currency, and valued at "5 Milliemes". 5697:From the new series of stamps in 1920/1921 here are three stamps with the over-print of Palestine in three languages; Arabic, English and Hebrew. We are now under the British mandate and these stamps were printed in Jerusalem. 5698: The same set  of stamps were re-printed in 1921/1922 in Lond...

Last week I featured philatelic materials issued by Egypt (UAR) for use in the Gaza Strip when it was under Egyptian responsibility. To continue the thread of the story this week I feature stamps issued by Jordan when it administered the West Bank after the creation of Israel in 1948.While Gaza continues to be the main story with the horrible situation after only a few days of a humanitarian pause, things are heating up in the West Bank and it looks like Palestinians there will be facing increasing dangers from the occupation. According to latest OCHA information since 7 October there have been 243 Palestinians killed by the ISF and by armed settlers, including 65 children. 5679: This is part of a longer set of stamps issued for use in the West Bank. They are the original stamps issued during the British Mandate when the country was called "Transjordan" with an over-print of "Palestine" in Arabic and English. They show the Amir Abdallah Ibn Hussein who was the rule...

By "overwhelming popular demand" (at least 2 XUNICEF colleagues !) I revert to my column on philatelic materials related to the UN ,UNICEF and other Agencies.

From Fouad's Soliloquy No 1 of 100 - 22 December 2021 For more than two years Fouad in his “Soliloquy of a postage stamp” has allowed us to have an immersion in the collection of postage stamps that he began many years ago as a hobby. The Soliloquies include stamps featuring a variety of themes. Some of them around UNICEF, UN, the Specialized agencies, epidemic. Others commemorating important international events namely IYC, anniversaries, Nobel laureates including UNICEF etc. I must say Fouad does not only collect stamps, but he carefully studies each one as reflected in his Soliloquies. In addition, the stamps are artistically presented with informative explanation of design and content. Judging of the way he describes each stamp - design and contents, one can say that Fouad has a great love for stamps. I really don’t know how his wife Nadia feels about this new love (smile). One hundred issues of the Soliloquy! Quite a Sisyphean task that requires research, patience and a great ...

More than two years ago (23 January 2021) I started this Column about philatelic materials issued around the themes of UN, UNICEF, Specialized Agencies, and related subjects. I did not anticipate it to last this long, but the more materials I featured the more it became of interest to me personally as I found myself developing another new angle to my stamp collection. Judging by the very small number of comments in the Digest it is a fact that not many of our XUNICEF members are interested in a hobby that used to be one of the most popular in the world especially among youngsters. I persisted by focusing my exhibition on stamps and covers that provided an historical perspective on philately related to the UN and its different entities. Some colleagues have suggested I collect these Digest items into a volume...this is something I might consider. Meanwhile, here we are at the ONE HUNDREDTH issue of the Soliloquy, so I decided to make it a special one by featuring the different subject...