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international international

and later publications for the Asian Development “Let us save succeeding
Bank in Manila.
generations from the scourge
In 2001, I was appointed as communication lead at of war, reaffirm our faith in
UN DESA to work on the UN Summit on Financing
for Development in Monterrey, Mexico. More than fundamental human rights, in the
50 Heads of State attended the conference in 2002, equal rights of women and men,
including US President George W. Bush and Cuba’s
Fidel Castro. It was a difficult and consequential and promote social progress and
period as I began work in New York in September
2001, just before the horrific 9/11 attacks. better standards of life”

Following the stint in New York, I assisted
UNICEF to evaluate a communications campaign
on early childhood care and development in again condemned the invasion in Ukraine, the
the Maldives. My team and I lived mostly on genocide against innocent Palestinians, the
a yacht and we sailed to various settlements in killings of civilians, women and children. Even
the archipelago to meet with the inhabitants to UN staff and aid workers as well as journalists
investigate how effective the campaign had been. have been deliberately targeted by the Israeli
As I was wrapping up the project, while still on a military. The civil war perpetrated by strongmen
boat in the Indian Ocean, I received a call from in Sudan is all but forgotten.
Geneva asking if I’d be interested in working on
communications for the UN World Summit on The UN has been obstructed from providing
the Information Order, which was held in Geneva aid to countless suffering people in Gaza and
in 2003 and in Tunis in 2005 and managed by the around the world. The withdrawal of financial
International Telecommunication Union (ITU). support from agencies dealing with global
From the ocean to the Alps was an attractive health, refugees, migrants, gender equality,
prospect. And here I’ve been ever since, retiring humanitarian affairs and other aid agencies have
in 2016 as the head of the Press Office and affected not only the number of experienced UN
spokesman for ITU. staff dedicated to providing valuable services
but also the countless millions downstream
We are now three generations of UN family: who have benefited from their work. At a time
My father worked with the UN Office of Public of increasing conflicts, natural disasters and
Information UN/OPI), which is now the the impact of climate change, leading to floods,
Department of Global Communications. Our drought and famine, the attack on the UN and
son, Nikhil, started out with UNIDIR, the UN aid agencies is particularly cruel.
Institute for disarmament Research, in Geneva
and went on to be appointed to the UN Security History will be the judge of the actions of a few,
Council expert panel on Somalia as the weapons the privileged, that have resulted in unimaginable
specialist to look into Al Shabaab activities. His death and destruction among hapless, voiceless
partner, Paz, manages climate change adaptation populations, unable to exert their rights as
at UNEP, Nairobi. Our daughter, Mihika, worked human beings. One can only hope that better
for UNTV and Radio in Geneva. My father-in-law sense will one day prevail, the UN will once
too was based in Zambia and UNECA in Addis again be strengthened and its inherent values
Ababa, working with the International Labour reaffirmed. “Let us save succeeding generations
Organization (ILO) as an expert on cooperatives. from the scourge of war, reaffirm our faith in
fundamental human rights, in the equal rights
It is terribly hard to watch as multilateralism has of women and men, and promote social progress
come under relentless attack and the UN itself and better standards of life”. These are the lofty
is being vilified and ignored by members of the goals enshrined in the UN Charter, which “we
Permanent Five at the UN Security Council as the peoples of the United Nations” determined
well as other Member States. The veto power 80 years ago…
has been wilfully misused in support of military
aggression, even though the UN has time and

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