The message below is from the Department of Operational Support, United Nations Headquarters, New York, 8 September 2026 Time is running out to register for Term 4 language and communication courses! Secure your spot by Monday, 14 September. Offered to all eligible participants from 28 September to 11 December 2026, courses include online, in-person, and hybrid learning opportunities tailored to various skills and topics. If you are seeing a “waitlisted” status on your enrol

Dear colleagues and friends, Since the changes to the UN Headquarters-administered health insurance plans took effect on 1 July 2026, many of your members have written to your Association and/or to me directly. Your concerns are legitimate, and I want to address them directly, and to tell you plainly what FAFICS is doing about them. What changed. The changes are described in two UN Information Circulars — ST/IC/2026/2 and ST/IC/2026/3 — an increase in premiums across every UN

Dear Colleagues, Six weeks ago, we successfully concluded the 56th FAFICS Council session. Thanks to your active participation, the meeting yielded productive discussions and important decisions that will help guide the Federation's work. We are now beginning preparations for the 57th FAFICS Council Session, tentatively scheduled to take place in Geneva from 19 to 23 July 2027, the week before the meeting of United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund (UNJSPF) Board. The decision

Dear Member Associations and colleagues, I would like to thank you all for making the 56th Session of the FAFICS Council such a success. Once again, the Council demonstrated the strength of our Federation through constructive dialogue, thoughtful decision-making, and our shared commitment to protecting the interests of retired staff, surviving spouses, and other beneficiaries. It was an excellent meeting in which we addressed the critical issues facing FAFICS, regarding pensi

As is customary, please note that AFICS/NY office will be closed for business from: Monday, 17 August to Labor Day, Monday, 7 September 2026, and will re-open for business on Tuesday, 8 September 2026.

The UN is currently seeking volunteers with language skills at or near UN Level I and II of the UN Language Framework to participate in an important UN educational project. Your participation will also provide you with a valuable opportunity to assess your language skills at this level. The project The UN is currently developing an innovative Computer Adaptive Language Test for all UN personnel to help them assess their language proficiency levels. To ensure the quality and r

This communication, from the United Nations Health and Life Insurance Section, (HLIS) provides important information regarding changes in the benefit provisions, monthly premiums, and after-service health insurance (ASHI) contribution amounts that came into effect on 1 July 2026. In addition, a statement is being sent to your home address with your ASHI contribution amount effective 1 July 2026 Health Insurance Premium Increases effective 1 July 2026 All premiums for UNHQ adm

Darshak Shah, President of AFICS New York, elected as President of FAFICS at the 56th Annual Council. The FAFICS 56th Council Session has elected a new President... Darshak Shah, current President of AFICS NY. Darshak will be taking over the responsibility from Jerry Barton (current Pres of ARICSA Vienna). Three new VPs were also elected, Nancy Hurtz-Soyka (AFICS NY) Maria Machicado (AFICS Bolivia) and Aye Win (AFICS Myanmar). The meeting also elected a new Treasurer, Peter

Author: Aysel Toprakli Aysel Toprakli served in the Information Communication Technology Division of UNICEF as Senior Production Associate. For me a sustainable life starts with the environment I inhabit. This is my home, my city, and my country. We can extend this to our planet Earth which is home for all humanity, nature, and other creatures. How can we sustain our environment? It starts with being mindful of using our resources such as water, electricity, transportation, a

Author: Stephen Schlesinger Author of Act of Creation about the UN’s founding, American historian, political commentator, and international affairs specialist. In the mid-1990s, Mr. Schlesinger worked with UN Habitat. The American presidency has played a central role in the operations of the United Nations for all 80 years of the Organization’s existence. There are obvious reasons for this: the United States was the original architect and mastermind behind the founding of the

Delia Barcelona is the Secretary of the Federation of Associations of Former International Civil Servants (FAFICS) Author: Delia Barcelona Many Member Associations of the Federation of the Association for Former International Civil Servants (FAFICS) engage in outreach initiatives usually aimed at helping marginalized and disadvantaged groups and often mobilizing not just their members but other volunteers from the community. Sometimes, these activities are also intended to as

Author: Mac Chiulli Fundraising on Red-Nose Day/Mac Chiulli For decades, my identity was defined by my career. From the age of 16 until my mandatory retirement from the UN, I was a dedicated "workaholic." I loved the hum of the international atmosphere and the challenges of the private and public sectors. Honestly, the prospect of retirement was frightening; had it not been mandatory, I might still be at my desk today. However, I’ve discovered a beautiful secret: there is abs

Author: Olivier Adam Olivier Adam is a retired UNDP staff member and former Executive Coordinator of UN Volunteers. Many of us who spent our careers in the United Nations system were drawn to it by a sense of purpose—a belief that our work could contribute to something larger than ourselves. We moved across duty stations, adapted to new countries and cultures, and gave decades to the pursuit of development, peace, and human dignity. When that chapter closes, the transition in

Author: Gail Bindley-Taylor Toily Kurbanov with Darshak Shah/Toily Kurbanov An Interview with Toily Kurbanov The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme, now in its fifty-sixth year, may be less widely known than some other UN programmes and agencies, yet it has become an increasingly important part of the Organization’s development, humanitarian and peacebuilding work. Established by the General Assembly on 7 December 1970 at the initiative of then Secretary-General U Than

Formerly UN Under-Secretary-General for Communications, candidate for UN Secretary General and currently an Indian Member of Parliament, author and diplomat. Author: Shashi Tharoor When the United Nations marked its 80th anniversary last October, reports described the mood at the General Assembly in New York as anything but celebratory. The hall that once echoed with the optimism of postwar reconstruction, decolonisation and peacekeeping, instead reverberated with uncertainty

A debate entitled “UN Town Hall: The Next Secretary-General” will take place on Thursday, 23 July 2026 from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in the General Assembly Hall, with candidates for the position of Secretary-General. UN staff members are invited to participate in this town hall, which marks an important milestone in the selection and appointment process of the next Secretary-General. This town hall will provide a unique opportunity to hear directly from the candidates as t

Lawrence Harding, former Chief of Section with the Demographic and Social Statistics Division, passed away on May 28th at the age of 96. Lawrence joined the Division in 1975, retiring in 1990. He continued to consult for the UN in several countries, the most notable being Namibia, where he was responsible for establishing the first-ever Statistics Office and conducting a national census. Lawrence was born and raised in Freetown, Sierra Leone. He was awarded a bachelor’s deg

The AFICS/NY editorial team is delighted to annouce the publication of the latest bulletin, volume 55 number 2. The theme of this edition is volunteerism. You can view and download the full bulletin here.

Message sent on behalf of FAFICS President Jerry Barton Dear Member Associations, Our annual FAFICS Council is approaching rapidly. I hope to see you, either in Vienna or remotely during the Council. Please remember that our Council starts on Monday, 20 July 2026, at the Vienna International Centre. I am pleased to provide further details below on the planning and schedule for our upcoming 56th Session of the FAFICS Council, which is going well, building on the invitation

The United Nations Health and Life Insurance Section, (HLIS) just announced three important updates. Follow the links below for more information. Anthem have issued new insurance ID cards effective July 1st: Updated Anthem Insurance ID Cards; Important information for Anthem PPO members | Health & Life Insurance Section HLIS published the new ASHI rates in the Retiree toolkit: ashi_summary_26_06_2026_08_31_55.pdf A new ST/IC/2026/2 was published. This ST/IC needed a reissuan