XUNICEF News and Views

Tigashire, Sethule - a warm Zimbabwean welcome! Below is some quick information for your final preparations for your consideration.  Please do not hesitate to let us know if there is any further information that you might want to know in advance.   Entry Visas: By now you should have obtained your KAZA Univisa or Zimbabwe and Botswana Visas and submitted these to Shearwater Reservations.  Airport Transfers:    Shearwater is providing all airport pick as part of the programme cost, therefore, by now you should have submitted your air tickets to Shearwaters and airport transfers confirmed. Money Matters:  Visa, Master Card, American Express can be used at the hotel and at most facilities in Victoria Falls.  Banks and ATMs are also available. United States dollar is the main currency used in Victoria Falls.  By now you should have fully paid for your accommodation and program costs . Dress Code: wear lightweight, breathable clothing.  Go more f...

 

 

  Who's the Sole Palestinian Woman in the US-Led Board of Peace? Author: Arshi Qureshi Publication: PassBlue Date: February 11, 2026 Click here for the article Summary: Hana al-Tarazi, a Palestinian lawyer from Gaza, has been named social affairs commissioner on the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), making her the only woman on the 15-member technocratic body and the only Palestinian Christian. Al-Tarazi spent years representing women in Gaza's courts, handling personal-status disputes involving family law and Islamic jurisprudence, often advocating for mothers seeking custody, inheritance rights, or financial support. She studied law at Al-Azhar University in Cairo, becoming one of the first Christian women to enroll, and later became the first Christian woman in Gaza to argue cases in sharia courts. The NCAG operates under the US-led Board of Peace, chaired by President Trump with lifetime veto power, and was established to administer Gaza...

   

  As expected!! Important aspects of this election were that it was fair and free, people could exercise their rights to universal adult franchise without fear and intimidation!! Only the coming days and months will tell if people's aspirations will be fulfilled!! Shafiq Beaming with pride, a group of young women voters, who just cast their ballots for the first time, pose for a celebratory photo outside Dhanmondi Girls’ High School polling centre yesterday. Photo: Orchid Chakma A woman's message to the government we just elected Author: Naziba Basher Publication: The Daily Star Date: February 14, 2026 Click here for the article Summary: For the first time in her adult life, the author stood in a voting line that felt real, with no predetermined result and no hollow theatre of democracy. This generation practiced citizenship rather than performed it, making a calculated choice rather than a romantic one. Voters faced a choice between politics that openly imagines a future wh...

  First, warm congratulations to the people of Bangladesh for reclaiming their democracy through peaceful elections. And gratitude to Prof. Muhammad Yunus for steering the country to this peaceful, safe landing despite enormous challenges.  This seems like a fair assessment of Muhammad Yunus by David Bergman.    I believe Yunus was the right person to lead Bangladesh at a difficult historic juncture, and, on balance, he discharged his responsibilities wisely and fairly.  In politics, it is impossible to please everybody. In a highly polarized domestic context, where he faced the hostility of elements of the Hasina-led Awami followers (who had hounded him viciously earlier), and the highly exaggerated media diatribes from neighboring India, Yunus kept his composure and equanimity. Like Thailand's Anand Panyarachun, history will remember Yunus as a historic transitional figure in Bangladesh.  Regardless of what Yunus decides to do next, my respect for hi...

A YOUNG EXPLORER  

 *HOW ENGLISH AND ENGLISHMEN MAKE FUN OF EACH OTHER* *Enjoy the fun & the pun.* *Q: Can February March?* *A: No. But April May!* *Q: Did you hear about the painter who was hospitalised?* *A: Reports say it was due to too many strokes!* *Q: Have you heard the joke about the butter?* *A: I better not tell you, it might spread!* *Q: How do you know that carrots are good for your eyesight?* *A: Have you ever seen a rabbit wearing glasses?* *Q: Music Teacher: What's your favourite musical instrument?* *A: Kid: The lunch bell!* *Q: What did the triangle say to the circle?* *A: You're pointless!* *Q: What do you call a ghosts mom and dad?* *A: Transparents!* *Q: What do you call a group of men waiting for a haircut?* *A: A Barbercue!* *Q: What do you call a person that chops up cereal* *A: A cereal killer!* *Q: What do you call a South American girl who is always in a hurry?* *A: Urgent Tina!* *Q: What do you call two fat people having a chat?* *A: A heavy discussion!* *Q: What ki...

Fragmentation of UN headquarter functions Ronny  Patz   Linkedin 11 February 2026 Click here for the post One of the weirdest developments of UN80 is the increasing fragmentation of  headquarter functions, including to Germany, Italy, or Spain. At yesterday's  board meeting, Italy reminded everyone that not only are functions moved to Italy, but to two different cities, increasing even within-country fragmentation. We saw last year what happens when agencies like IOM move functions to Germany (Berlin), and when funding dries up, offices are quietly closed down. I wrote about this last year: https://lnkd.in/dU3nqXfJ I don't want to argue against relocations per se, but there has never been an honest discussions about how the HQ functions of the entire system should look like, and whether centralization or decentralization are actually useful. So everything happens by competition now, not by cooperation, which is the opposite of what UN proponents talk a...

A group of Buddhist monks reached Washington, D.C., Tuesday, walking single file across a bridge over the Potomac River to cap a 15-week trek from Texas that has captivated the country. - NPR See article below the photos.

 

USAID was one of the first agencies Elon Musk 'fed to the Woodchipper' on behalf of the Trump Administration.  Many articles have appeared in the months since those cuts detailing the damage done. In n this op-ed the author details again the long list. 

According to the article, the US will soon make an 'initial payment' of its dues.  Something is better than nothing and we can be pleased to see some movement at long last.  It is also nice to see that Trump views the UN more positively than we thought.  Tom

Fort Snelling National Cemetery - Minneapolis Opinion | The Greatest Generation fought fascism. Let's not forget their lessons.

Dear Marta, I believe this is very wise advice to S-G Guterres, especially coming from a very pro-UN historian, Stephen Schlesinger, the author of “Act of Creation: The Founding of The United Nations,” which won the 2004 Harry S. Truman Book Award. This is one of the finest books I have read on the origins of the UN, and a must-read for all aficionados of the UN. I believe Guterres has much to gain and nothing to lose by reaching out to Donald Trump at this critical juncture for the UN. As Schlesinger says, "Guterres owes it to his constituents, 193 countries, and the entire world to make the call. Trump has publicly invited him to do it. If he doesn’t, he’ll never know whether he could have reversed the UN’s troubled straits. It’s only a few numbers to punch on the keypad to put the call through. He should do it to preserve the institution that he has spent almost 10 years running. It will be his greatest legacy — and, if he does not, his greatest shame". I hope you and Jo...

Avery, You are my guardian angel and hope for the future. The phrase “Ubuntu “ is one of my favorites. It was used by the former South African leader Nelson Mandela after he was released from 27 years in prison.  Thanks for bringing back his memory and reminding me of the significance of “Ubuntu”. Uncle Jimmy (Jim Mohan) IOC President's speech - Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games Opening Ceremony Source: Olympics.com (IOC official website) Click here for the Speech :   Date: February 6, 2026 Key Context:  This was Kirsty Coventry's first opening ceremony speech as IOC President. She became the first woman to officially declare an Olympic Games open. The ceremony took place today at San Siro Stadium in Milan. "In Africa, where I'm from, we have a word: ubuntu. It means: I am because we are. That we can only rise by lifting others. That our strength comes from caring for each other.  No matter where you ...

Good Evening All, Here is another piece from Lancet I think useful to XUNICEF.   What's interesting for me to to see Prof/Dr Stanley Plotkin among the authors cited.  You've heard me already reminiscing about Maurice Hillelman the head of Merck vaccine research in the 70's 80's and still active in the 90's (Maurice was at the Children's Summit, so was Jonas Salk), but here is Stanley Plotkin summing up the impact of vaccines in the USA mainly since the 1960's, and then nicely discussing the future impact of current changes.  All this in one readable tight paragraph.  Here's a sample;  " Routine childhood immunisations prevented an estimated 32 million hospitalisations and over 1 million deaths in the USA from 1994 to 2023. 3  As a result, the USA has been a global leader in vaccine policy, "   Dr. Plotkin is the author of Vaccines, which is now in its eighth edition and used widely in the field. What is the value of preventing 32 million child...