Page 32 - Bulletin, Vol.82 No.3, December 2023

AFICS NEWSLETTER DATED 4 NOVEMBER 2023

Dear friends,

It is often difficult to separate information from disinformation. It has to be said
that we have entered an era where communication often takes precedence over action.
Communication has become a weapon.

How can we form an opinion on the human tragedies and natural disasters that
continue to unfold in 2023?

How can we maintain our neutrality and inform the members of our association
without hurting anyone's feelings, without ignoring yet another tragedy?

I am therefore enclosing the excellent text from FAFICS, which was able to say it
all in a concise and well-balanced way about the situation in the Middle East, a
document that is both neutral and full of empathy for the people who are suffering and
the humanitarian staff who are paying a heavy price in the current situation.

I am also enclosing the Secretary-General's message for United Nations Day.

***********

Statement of Concern

I write on behalf of the Federation of Associations of Former International Civil Servants
(FAFICS).

Our Federation is very concerned about the increasing number of States suffering from
armed conflict and/or terrorism, with loss of life and millions of people forced from their
homes, whether in Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, or the Oceania
region.

As the global organization that represents, defends, and protects the interests of
Member Associations of Former International Civil Servants and retiree communities
around the world, the Federation expresses its concern over the destruction of lives and
property and in particular in the on-going conflict in Israel and Gaza as well as the still
raging Russia-Ukraine war and the military-civilian hostilities in Myanmar as well as in
various other parts of the world.

On the newest outbreak: Israel – Gaza

We are concerned about the violence and inhumanity that have devastated thousands
of civilians, including women, children, and the elderly. We mourn the loss of so many
lives and condemn the heinous acts inflicted on civilians.

AAFI-AFICS BULLETIN, Vol. 82 No.3, 2023-12 30

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