AFSM Quarterly News July 2021 QNT 124
The magazine of the Association of Former WHO Staff Members (AFSM)
Supporting former staff and helping them to stay in touch and informed
In full bloom! The avenue of Japanese flowering cherry trees in front of the main building Photos of the new building, now completed, on the back covers
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“Give a breath for health” On 7 April a fundraising campaign was launched by Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson Becker, WHO Goodwill Ambassador for health promotion See News from WHO, selected and edited by Sue Block Tyrrell, on page 7
Champion goalkeeper Alisson Becker, World Health Organization Goodwill ambassador for health promotion, is kickstarting a new global fundraising campaign, titled “Give a Breath for Health,” driven by the WHO Foundation and WHO. The initiative aims to support the delivery of oxygen and other life-saving supplies to health facilities around the world treating patients with Covid-19.
Photo: © Alisson Becker
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CONTENTS EDITORIAL
Our Health – Long Covid 4 We hope that our readers are staying safe and well. AFSM during the pandemic 6 Each year retirees must sign and return the Certificate of Entitlement News from WHO 7 (CE) to the Pension Fund, to confirm their continued right to the Pension Fund: Certificate of pension. You should soon receive by post the form for 2021. Entitlement 2020 11 Readers’ Recipes 13 Unfortunately, every year some of the forms do not arrive at the New AFSM members 13 retiree’s address, or do not arrive back at the Pension Fund. In 2020, News from around the world 14 those of 582 WHO pensioners went astray. The Fund provided AFSM In Memoriam 19 with a list of their names and limited contact information. Book Review: Alien Aloft 25 Our committee members Sue Block Tyrrell and Barbara Fontaine Readers’ Letters 26 painstakingly checked the list and identified those they would try to Astronomy: July-Dec 2021 27 Health and the Arts 28 contact. The other names were provided to the Regional AFSMs and Corrigendum: Directory 2021 30 Jean-Paul Menu contacted their focal points. Strenuous efforts were The new WHO building 31 made to trace and advise the retirees concerned, whether members or not, of the urgent need to contact the Pension Fund. See page 11 We should all be grateful for their dedication – whose CE might go astray next time?
Keith Wynn
EDITORIAL BOARD IMPORTANT CONTACTS Keith Wynn, Editor-in-Chief and layout, AFSM: Office 4141, WHO, CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland. Tel.: +41 (0) 22 791 3192 Yves Beigbeder, Sue Block Tyrrell, or e-mail: [email protected] or [email protected]. The AFSM office is covered on Laura Ciaffei, David Cohen, Tuesdays from 9:30 to 12:00. Alternatively, please leave a message and someone Maria Dweggah, Lindsay Martinez, will call you back. Website: https://who.int/formerstaff/en/. Resources for Jean-Paul Menu, Dev Ray, retirement: visit the site, https://www.who.int/formerstaff/issues/retirement/en/. Rosemary Villars. Formalities in case of death of a former WHO staff member: visit the AFSM website, https://www.who.int/formerstaff/about/en/ The translation of all articles is Health Insurance (SHI): Tel.: +41 (0) 22 791 18 18; in case of absence please leave a undertaken by the Editorial Board and message, someone will call you back, or send an e-mail to: [email protected]. The HQ SHI Helpdesk in office 2140 is open as follows: Monday: 1–3pm / Tuesday: 9–11am Catherine d’Arcangues, Michèle Evans and 1–3pm / Wednesday: Closed / Thursday: 9–11am and 1–3pm / Friday: 9–11am. and Anne Yamada. Pensions (UNJSPF): Contact by e-mail is no longer possible. Visitors between 09.00 The opinions expressed in this and 17.00 Monday to Friday except Thursday, at the Geneva office, Du Pont de Nemours Building, Chemin du Pavillon 2, 1218 Grand-Saconnex, at the New York newsletter are those of the authors and office, 4th floor, 1 Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza (DHP), Corner of 48th Street and 2nd not necessarily those of the Editorial Avenue, New York, NY 10017. Write via the “Contact us” link on the Fund’s website: Board. https://www.unjspf.org. Documents for NY by post, address to: United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund, c/o United Nations, P.O. Box 5036, New York, NY 10163- Please send your contributions for 5036, USA. Documents for NY by courier (DHL, etc.) or registered mail, address to: publication in QNT to: Keith Wynn United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund, 4th floor, 1 DHP, 885 Second Avenue, New [email protected] York, NY 10017, USA. Documents for Geneva, address to: UNJSPF, c/o Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland. Telephone: Geneva: +41 (0) 22 928 88 00 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS or New York: +1 212 963 6931. See also the list of Toll-Free and local numbers at https://www.unjspf.org/toll-free-numbers/. In the case of non-receipt of the We very gratefully acknowledge the monthly benefit or the death of a beneficiary, visit the website: invaluable support of the Printing, https://www.unjspf.org/emergency/ for instructions. Distribution, and Mailing Services. Remember to always have your Unique ID number handy when contacting UNJSPF.
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OUR HEALTH
Long Covid, the physical and mental sequelae of Covid-19
Covid-19 (Coronavirus disease-2019), a condition caused by the SARS-Cov-2 virus, can give rise to physical and/or mental symptoms several weeks or even months after its onset: this form of Covid-19, referred to as Long Covid (1), is characterized by intense fatigue, shortness of breath, headaches, insomnia, loss of smell or taste, neuromuscular disorders, problems of balance, concentration or vision, and also mental disorders, such as anxiety or depression. As they become identified, these various sequelae tiredness, loss of smell and taste, or shortness of – the pandemic is barely more than a year old and breath and cough. we are still far from fully understanding it – are the subject of several international studies. On 9 People aged 35–49 most likely to report symptoms of long February WHO organized a virtual international Covid seminar (2) specifically devoted to this question, Percentage of people reporting a symptom at least five weeks from assumed date of infection thus recognizing the existence of this entity. This Long Covid must "be considered of the utmost importance" for health authorities, said the WHO Regional Director for Europe. A study published in The Lancet, involving more than 1,700 hospital patients in China, found that six months later, 63% of them still complained of fatigue, 26% of difficulty sleeping and 23% of depression or anxiety. This post-Covid syndrome also affects previously healthy people who have not suffered from a severe form of the disease. Both charts were prepared by the UK Office for National Statistics (ONS). Coronavirus Infection Survey, 26 April 2020 to 6 March 2021. Fatigue most common Covid-19 symptom after five weeks 1. It should be noted however, that the relatively low percentage of Estimated five-week prevalence of symptoms Long Covid among those over 70 is due to the higher mortality in this age group, which consequently lowers the percentage. 2. Other statistics give shortness of breath as one of the most common symptoms, just after fatigue. However, overall, all the studies point in the same direction.
The consequences of the disease are not only physical: a British study from the University of Oxford involving 62,000 people with Covid-19 (4), shows that 20% of patients displayed psychiatric disorders within 90 days following infection: problems adapting, anxiety, insomnia, post- traumatic stress, depression, and even dementia in These results emerge most notably from the some rare cases. follow-up carried out since March 2020 by the Another study – the largest to date with 236,000 Geneva University Hospitals (3) studying 700 patients – reviewing the mental assessment of people, 25% of whom were health professionals. former Covid-19 patients, indicated that one in The average age was 43 years and nearly 70% three people who have overcome the disease have displayed no underlying health problems. Six weeks been diagnosed with neurological or psychiatric after the diagnosis, 33% of them still suffered from
4 AFSM Quarterly News July 2021 QNT 124 disorders within six months of infection, (The However, the scale of the confinement Lancet psychiatry) (5). implemented during the pandemic is Anxiety (17%) and mood disorders (14%) were the unprecedented. The consequences of isolation are: most common diagnoses. The incidence of boredom, social isolation, stress, lack of sleep, neurological damage such as cerebral haemorrhage anxiety, post-traumatic stress, depression and (0.6%), stroke (2.1%), and dementia (0.7%) was suicidal thoughts, addictive behaviour, overall lower, but the risk was higher among hallucinations, and also over-eating and obesity. patients who had been severely ill. Domestic violence also increases, brought on by round-the-clock idleness and living in too close While the risk to an individual of most of these proximity. neurological and psychiatric disorders is low, the effect on health systems could be "considerable" We can add to this the decline in birth rates that due to the scale of the pandemic, notes Professor has occurred throughout the world – a cause of Paul Harrison (University of Oxford, UK), lead concern for the future. Conversely, an increase in author of the study. Especially since many of these unwanted pregnancies has been observed. disorders are "chronic", requiring health systems to As it can be seen, we are still far from fully be equipped "to meet these needs". understanding this pandemic. The only relatively effective measure of control available to us at Anxiety disorders already observed in Italy present is vaccination, but to date, only a small An earlier Italian study (6) carried out on 400 portion of the world’s population has been infected patients in the Milan region already vaccinated. Furthermore, as variants of the virus indicated an initial increase in post-traumatic emerge, it remains to be seen how well the stress, followed by depression in patients with available vaccines protect against them. Covid-19. According to this study, coordinated by If you have persistent signs of fatigue, anxiety, etc. the Italian hospital centre of San Raffaele and even if the acute phase of the disease is declining, published in the journal Brain, Behavior and it is strongly recommended that you consult your Immunity, 55% of patients hospitalized for Covid- attending physician and if necessary, a psychiatrist. 19 develop a psychiatric disorder – post-traumatic stress, depression, anxiety, insomnia and Dr David Cohen obsessive-compulsive disorder – one month after their discharge from the hospital. According to psychiatrist Marion Leboyer (7) “The References consequences of Covid-19 (...) involve infected 1. Long Covid: term coined by an English patient, has people who show concern for themselves or their been widely adopted. loved ones, but also uninfected people, exposed to 2. See WHO website. stress, anxiety (...). The inflammatory effects of the 3. Geneva University Hospitals: study published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, 8 December 2020. infection leave sequelae which increase the risk of 4. The Lancet psychiatry: Bidirectional associations psychiatric pathologies”. between Covid-19 and psychiatric disorder: retrospective cohort studies of 62,354 Covid-19 cases in the USA: Prof Paul The role of confinement J. Harrison et al. 9 November 2020. 5. The Lancet psychiatry: Six-month neurological and The disorders observed during this pandemic are psychiatric outcomes in 236,379 survivors of Covid-19: a not only due to the disease itself: confinement is retrospective cohort study using electronic health records also responsible for many physical and mental Prof Paul J. Harrison et al. 7 April 2021. dysfunctions. 6. Francesco Benedetti Brain, Behavior and Immunity, 4 August 2020. The psychological effects of isolation are well 7. Director of the University psychiatry departments of known (polar expeditions, submarines, prisons). Henri Mondor Hospitals in Créteil (Val-de-Marne), director of the Fondation FondaMental (https://www.fondation- fondamental.org/).
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AFSM
Your Committee’s activities during the Covid-19 pandemic (episode five)
Even though the pandemic situation is improving in some countries, it is getting worse in others and the inequality of access to vaccines has been denounced by our Director-General. In Geneva our situation has hardly changed over the past three months. Two of us now have permission to access our office. The new building is now operational and the relocation of all offices from the main building has commenced. We have requested that our new office continues to be adjacent to those of the Staff Association and we await the response. When the situation returns to normal it is important that our members can gain access without difficulty. The volunteer members of the Committee of our Association have An early form of Zoom meetings rarely had as much work as during this period. Virtual meetings by Zoom do not cease to multiply, whether among members of the Committee, with other former staff associations, and increasingly with different services of WHO, Health Insurance, Pensions, Office of the Director-General, and technical units. We have sent out lots of messages (too many for some) to inform you, our members, about immunization options. These messages are of necessity based on official documents of which we are made aware, however we know that rumours were circulating about the availability of vaccinations in the Geneva region and in neighbouring France. We cannot confirm these one way or “There’s someone waiting to join us. another. Fortunately, there no longer appears to be any shortage Hello George, we can see you of vaccines for older people. We do not have much information but we can’t hear you, about the situation in other countries. The initiative of the office unmute your microphone.” of the WHO Representative in Madagascar to identify WHO retirees living in the country for vaccination purposes is to be applauded. There were no objections to our proposal to postpone the Executive Committee elections to October 2022 and we thank you for that. Would you please note that our General Assembly will be held on 6 October 2021. With this edition of the Quarterly News, we enclose the President’s report of activities for the past two years. As mentioned in the previous issue, the AFSM website is due to be changed significantly. It will still be integrated into the WHO website, but many archival documents, such as the complete collection of back issues of the Quarterly News will no longer be accessible there. We are still searching for solutions and we will keep you informed. Elsewhere in this issue, you will find an article by Barbara Fontaine about the non-receipt by the Pension Fund of completed Certificates of Entitlement. This is a recurrent problem. For the past few years, the Pension Fund has fortunately sent us a list of the WHO retirees concerned and Barbara outlines the different means that the members of our Committee use to trace these retirees. This year, in consultation with the WHO Pensions Unit team, we adopted an even more systematic approach. First, we sent each Regional Association the list of retirees living in the countries of their Region so that they could contact as many of them as possible. Then, the administration of each Regional Office completed the research. The
6 AFSM Quarterly News July 2021 QNT 124 overall results have been transmitted to the Pension Fund. This approach allows for better coordination among our associations and with the WHO administration, and we hope it will be possible to trace the maximum number of retirees whose Certificate has been lost. The cooperation among the WHO pensions office at headquarters, in the Regions, and regional former staff associations, has been unprecedented. The outcome will be evaluated to learn lessons and further improve our research capabilities. Finally, you will read under the heading News from around the world, about the organization of a virtual meeting of the heads of associations of former WHO staff around the globe; this initiative should lead to the preparation of an action plan aimed at offering even more services to our members worldwide. All of these activities take up a lot of our time and we remind you that applications to join our Committee are very welcome. Even if the elections are postponed for a year, you can still volunteer to be co-opted now.
The AFSM Executive Committee and the Editorial Board of the Quarterly News
NEWS FROM WHO
Highlights of news from WHO
Virtual Governing Body Meetings
Seventy-fourth World Health Assembly
The theme of this Assembly held virtually from 24–31 May, under the presidency of Mrs Dasho Dechen Wangmo, Minister of Health of Bhutan, was “Ending this pandemic, preventing the next: building together a healthier, safer and fairer world”. A few staff were around the table in the Executive Board room, together with the President. A high-level segment led the Assembly with speeches by Alain Berset, Federal Councillor, Head of the Federal Department of Home Affairs of Switzerland, who was physically present, followed by virtual statements by the President of France, the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, the President of South Africa, the President of Estonia, the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, the Prime Minister of Spain, the Prime Minister of Tonga, the UN Secretary-General, and a child protection activist – Kailash Satyarthi. The Director-General then gave his opening remarks, speaking for almost one hour on many health issues – https://www.who.int/director-general/speeches/detail/director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the- world-health-assembly---24-may-2021. He stressed that the pandemic will not be over until and unless transmission is controlled in every last country. The vaccine crisis is a “scandalous inequity that is perpetuating the pandemic” and Dr Tedros urged Member States to support a “sprint to September” to vaccinate at least 10% of the population of every country by that date, and a “drive to December” to achieve the goal of vaccinating at least 30% by the end of the year as a minimum. He paid a special tribute to the sacrifices made by health workers worldwide striving to protect people from Covid-19, citing three examples: a health promotion officer in Kenya, an intensive care specialist in Mongolia, and an intensive care specialist in Romania who had suffered third-degree burns to 40% of his body through his efforts to save patients when a fire had broken out in the hospital. At the end of his speech, the DG’s Award for Global Health was awarded to this Romanian specialist Catalin Denciu; and to Rosalynn Carter
7 AFSM Quarterly News July 2021 QNT 124 for her long-term work on mental health; and to Jemimah Kariuki, a Kenyan doctor working on maternal and child health, who had led efforts to enable pregnant women to access care during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Assembly had an extensive agenda. A new Associate Member – the Faroe Islands, joined Puerto Rico and Tokelau as the third Associate Member of WHO. Thirty-five resolutions and decisions were adopted in different areas of public health, including: diabetes, disabilities, ending violence against children, eye care, HIV, hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections, local production of medicines, malaria, neglected tropical diseases, noncommunicable diseases, nursing and midwifery, oral health, social determinants of health, strategic directions for the health and care workforce, and a historic resolution on strengthening WHO preparedness for and response to health emergencies. The Assembly fully endorsed WHO’s proposed Programme Budget 2022–2023 of USD 6121.7 million which included a 5% overall increase and a 16% increase of the base segment: the budget will be financed by USD 956.9 million of assessed contributions and by USD 5164.8 million of voluntary contributions. In his closing remarks – https://www.who.int/director-general/speeches/detail/director-general-s- closing-remarks-at-the-world-health-assembly---31-may-2021, Dr Tedros thanked Member States for the support they had expressed for WHO and for making it stronger. The reports of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response – https://theindependentpanel.org/mainreport/, the Independent Oversight and Advisory Committee for the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, and the Review Committee on the Functioning of the International Health Regulations are unanimous in their view that the world needs a stronger WHO at the centre of the global health architecture. The DG pointed out that WHO cannot grow stronger without sustainable financing – this matter has been one of his priorities as part of the WHO Transformation. He welcomed two big differences at this Assembly – firstly, the message that a strong WHO needs to be properly financed had been amplified by all the expert reviews that had reported to the Assembly, and secondly that there is a way forward. Dr Tedros thanked the Working Group on Sustainable Financing for its work and encouraging interim report to the Assembly – the final report will be submitted to the Executive Board in January 2022. He highlighted one recommendation which will do the most to strengthen both WHO and global health security – calling for a convention, agreement or other international instrument on pandemic preparedness and response. This idea will be discussed further at a special session of the World Health Assembly in November 2021. In closing, Dr Tedros called upon all Member States to enshrine the right to health in their constitutions. The right to health cannot – must not – become an empty slogan: it must become the experience of every person in every nation.
Executive Board, 149th session
The Executive Board followed the World Health Assembly and was held virtually on 2 June under the Chairmanship of Dr Patrick Amoth, Director General for Health of Kenya, who was present in the room. The Director-General thanked the outgoing Chair – Dr Harsh Vardhan, Minister of Health and Family Welfare of India – and announced that he is the recipient of a Special Recognition Award for World No Tobacco Day in view of his tobacco control championship over many years: he was instrumental in developing a policy to ban e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products in India, and, in view of the high consumption of oral and chewing tobacco in India, he took steps to ban spitting in public to curb the spread of Covid-19. The Board completed the nine non-technical items on its agenda in less than six hours. A proposal to hold an Executive Board retreat will be considered. Dates of future governance meetings were decided: the Special Session of the World Health Assembly 29 November – 1 December 2021; the Executive Board 24–29 January 2022; and the Seventy-fifth World Health Assembly 22–28 May 2022.
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Selected items of other news, demonstrating the due to the conditions in which we are born, grow, continuing heavy workload of WHO in areas other live, work and age. than Covid-19 • On the same day, a “Give a breath for health” fundraising campaign was launched by Brazilian • The process of election of the next Director- champion goalkeeper Alisson Becker, WHO General has started and will culminate in Goodwill Ambassador for health promotion, to appointment at the 75th World Health Assembly kickstart a global effort for purchasing oxygen and in May 2022. other life-saving supplies and therapeutics: the • For those of you who remember the Oracle- first donation will enable supplies to be made to based GSM – WHO’s enterprise resource locations in the Amazon and to collaborate with planning system in place since July 2008 – you the efforts of PAHO/WHO in support of the may be interested to learn that support for this Ministry of Health of Brazil and the State Health system will run out by end 2021: staff were Department of Amazonas. invited to design an icon and choose a name for • On 14 April, during a Global Diabetes Summit, co- the new system to replace it and selected the hosted by WHO and the Government of Canada, name “Business Management System”. with the support of the University of Toronto, a • On 18 March, WHO, the Office of the High new Global Diabetes Compact was launched Commissioner for Human Rights, the United which aims to bring a much-needed boost to Nations Department of Economic and Social efforts to prevent diabetes and bring treatment Affairs and the United Nations Population Fund to all who need it – 100 years after the discovery launched a report on ageism, calling for urgent of insulin. action to combat ageism and better • Also on 14 April, WHO and the International measurement and reporting to expose ageism Organisation of the Francophonie signed a for what it is – an insidious scourge on society. Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen • The Healing Arts 2021 campaign, a call to action access to health in Francophone countries. by the world of the arts in response to the • On 15 April, a new report “2020 Antibacterial mental health crisis caused by Covid-19, was agents in clinical and preclinical development” launched in the United Kingdom on 22–26 was launched: WHO highlighted the continuing March by CULTURUNNERS as part of the WHO global shortage of innovative antibiotics – none series of solidarity events. of the 43 currently in clinical development • On 30 March, 25 heads of government and sufficiently address the problem of drug international agencies came together to issue a resistance in the world’s most dangerous joint call for an international pandemic treaty bacteria. to signal that high-level political action is • On 19 April, Greta Thunberg, the climate and needed to protect the world from future health environment activist, joined WHO’s Covid-19 crises. press conference and stressed the need to • On 31 March, Carl Bildt, former Prime Minister support vaccine equity. She made a donation of of Sweden, was appointed WHO Special Envoy €100 000 via her foundation to the WHO for the Access to Covid-19 Tools Accelerator. Foundation in support of COVAX to purchase • Following receipt of the report of the Covid-19 vaccines. On the same day, a new international team’s field visit to Wuhan from initiative called the Global Youth Mobilization 14 January–10 February, WHO called for further was launched to fund young people’s ideas to studies, data on the origin of the SARS-CoV-2 combat the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. virus, and reiterated that all hypotheses remain Greta Thunberg, the DG and youth open – the report can be found at representatives from the Global Youth https://www.who.int/health- Mobilization called for applications from young topics/coronavirus/origins-of-the-virus. people around the world to support innovative • World Health Day 2021 on 7 April focused on Local Solutions. A Global Youth Summit was held building a fairer, healthier world: the Covid-19 virtually from 23–25 April to discuss the issues pandemic has highlighted our unequal world,
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facing young people across the world and • On the same day, the DG praised the encourage them to get involved in the commitment by the United States administration mobilization. of President Joe Biden and Vice-President • On 20 April, Romain Grosjean, the French-Swiss Kamala Harris to support the temporary waiver professional racing driver, announced his of intellectual property on Covid-19 vaccines in a support for the WHO Foundation and will race bold move to end the pandemic as quickly as with the Foundation’s logo displayed on his race possible. suit and helmet in 2021. • On 6 May, WHO convened 11 leading figures in • 24–30 April was World Immunization Week, economics, health and development from around with the theme “vaccines bring us closer”: a the world as the first members of a new WHO new Immunization Agenda 2030 was launched Council on the Economics of Health for All: the with a strategy to maximize the lifesaving impact role of the Council is to provide independent of vaccines over the next decade. advice to the DG on addressing interrelated • World Malaria Day on 25 April celebrated the health and economic challenges and on mapping achievements of countries that are approaching a way forward that supports communities and – and achieving – malaria elimination: a new countries to build healthy societies. WHO report “Zeroing in on malaria elimination” • On 10 May, the WHO Foundation launched the summarizes progress and lessons learned over “Together for India” appeal to raise funds to the past three years: a few days earlier, WHO support WHO’s work in India, including the had issued a press release announcing that the purchase of oxygen, personal protective RTS,S malaria vaccine had reached more than equipment and medicines - https://donate- 650,000 children in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi: covid19.india.who.foundation/ . this vaccine is the first and, to-date, the only • On 13 May, the DG announced the winners of the vaccine shown to reduce malaria in children. 2nd Health for All Film Festival. It attracted nearly • A Step Safely report was launched on 27 April, 1200 short film submissions – both amateur and providing recommendations and strategies to professional – from 110 countries with prevent and manage falls which take the lives of competition categories based on WHO’s major 684,000 people each year and lead to disabilities global public health goals. Six prizes and three for 172 million more. special mentions by the jury were announced. • On 3 May, the DG congratulated all those in the Full details can be found via the link, Democratic Republic of the Congo who had (https://www.who.int/initiatives/the-health-for- helped to end the 12th Ebola outbreak in the all-film-festival) . country but stressed the need for continued • 17–23 May was the 6th UN Global Road Safety vigilance. week, highlighting the benefits of low-speed • On 5 May, WHO released a new set of global streets in urban areas and calling on policy- benchmarks to help countries reduce salt intake makers to limit speeds to 30 km/h (20 mph) on and save lives, as most people continue to streets where pedestrians, cyclists and others consume double the WHO-recommended 5g of most at risk mix with motorized traffic. Every daily salt intake, thereby putting themselves at year, more than 1.3 million people die in road greater risk of heart disease and strokes. traffic crashes. Globally it is estimated that • As last year, World Hand Hygiene Day on 5 May 40–50% of people drive above the speed limit is particularly important during the pandemic: and that every 1 km/h increase in speed results in the theme this year is “achieving hand hygiene a 4–5% increase in fatal crashes. The risk of at the point of care”, with the slogan “seconds death and injury reduces considerably when save lives – clean your hands!”. speeds are lowered. • Also on 5 May, WHO and the Federal Republic of • On 20 May, a new One Health High-Level Expert Germany launched a new global hub in Berlin Panel on zoonotic diseases was launched to for pandemic and epidemic intelligence, data, improve the understanding of how diseases with surveillance and analytics innovation. the potential to trigger pandemics, emerge and
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spread. The panel will advise four international • World No Tobacco Day is celebrated on 31 May – organizations – the Food and Agriculture the campaign in 2021 is “Commit to quit” – the Organization of the United Nations, the World Covid-19 pandemic has led to millions of tobacco Organisation for Animal Health, the United users saying they want to quit and they are Nations Environment Programme and WHO. invited to sign the online pledge – Three-quarters of all emerging infectious https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-no- diseases originate in animals. tobacco-day/world-no-tobacco-day-2021. • On 24 May, WHO and the Swiss Confederation • Those interested in reading the Mid-term WHO signed a Memorandum of Understanding to results report can find it via the following link launch the first WHO BioHub Facility in Spiez as https://www.who.int/about/accountability/result part of the WHO BioHub System announced in s/who-results-report-2020-mtr. November 2020 to enhance the rapid sharing of viruses and other pathogens between laboratories and partners globally. Further information and documentation can be found on the WHO website – www.who.int.
Sue Block Tyrrell
PENSION FUND UPDATE
Certificate of Entitlement
The annual rite of passage to retaining the status of recipient of a UN monthly pension is the Certificate of Entitlement (CE). All retirees from the UN itself and UN agencies, as well as surviving spouses and other secondary beneficiaries, are required annually to sign this form and return it to the UNJSPF to certify they are still in flesh and blood and thus entitled to the pension. Sounds simple. Indeed, one should think so. But the reality is another story.
Every year there are literally several thousands of retiree associations for assistance and thus availing UN pension beneficiaries for whom the annual CE itself of the associations’ large networks of retirees has not arrived at its final destination at the UN and their personal connections. Pension office. To give you an idea of the order of In collaboration with the WHO Pension Office, the magnitude, for example, 4061 of the 2020 CEs have AFSM Executive Committee and its regional sister gone missing which represents about 5% of all associations regularly join forces in the world-wide beneficiaries. For the 2019 CE, 3486 were missing, search for those appearing on the missing CE list. representing roughly 4,5%. That’s a lot of people The focus of this collaboration is exclusively on who could find themselves without their monthly WHO retirees and their beneficiaries, while the UN income. Fortunately, though, pension payments and other agencies focus on their group of retirees. are not immediately suspended. Before this This year the WHO section has 582 entries, in occurs, the Fund goes through the annual exercise comparison to last year’s list of 776, with a regional of tracking down missing CEs, calling on the various
11 AFSM Quarterly News July 2021 QNT 124 breakdown of 317 in AFRO, 90 in AMRO/PAHO, Thus it would appear that one of the main reasons 42 in EMRO, 53 in EURO, 54 in SEARO and for missing CEs is haphazard postal service but this 26 in WPRO. is not the only reason. Sometimes the CE has The Fund provides some contact information to gotten lost in the cavernous UN administration, facilitate the search. As to be expected, the only to surface weeks later if it surfaces at all. Or, preferred means is by email but, unfortunately, the recipient forgot about the form as it lay hidden email addresses are available for less than 30% of under a growing pile of papers. Or, sometimes, the the concerned beneficiaries. If the beneficiary is retiree had health issues and was unable to take an AFSM member, then we have their full contact care of the matter in time. Or, some are details on file. If not, then some of us resort to incapacitated and their affairs are in the hands of a other tracking means, such as searching through lawyer or trustee. Or, some are no longer with us. Facebook, LinkedIn and electronic phone books, The Fund, keen to improve the return rate of and even undertaking general internet searches. validated CEs, has put into place several The latter has led to interesting finds and goes to mechanisms drawing on the advantages of hi-tech. show how many of us now have an electronic For one, the CE for dollar-track recipients can be presence. In one case, a former colleague was downloaded, then uploaded at the MSS, by-passing tracked down to an NGO where he now works and entirely the use of the postal system. And very another to a high-level position in his home recently, two new mechanisms have come on country’s public health system. stream. One is the possibility of uploading the It is astounding, nonetheless, that in today’s world double-track CE at the MSS although there is still of instant virtual connectivity CEs continue to go the risk of not receiving the CE by regular post. missing. Therein, however, lies the crux of the And then there is the Digital CE available for use by problem. The Pension Fund typically posts 60,000 all pension recipients. This last option totally CE forms annually for validation, including all eliminates the risk of poor postal service, thus double-track recipients and those on the dollar- being the most secure way for those on the track who do not access the MSS. The CE double-track to process the annual CE. validation process is thus very much at the mercy Since the publication in AFSM’s last newsletter of of conventional postal systems, both outbound and an article detailing how to enrol in the DCE inbound: the quality of service in the country programme, the Fund has made some where posted, of the international transit and of improvements to this new system. For one, it is the home country delivery service. The quality of now available in Spanish, in addition to English and domestic postal systems varies greatly from French. And bugs have been worked out for use on country to country as well as within a given a tablet. Further, it has come to our attention that country. For example, it is well known that the US geo-location technology is used for the DCE. This postal system is not as efficient as it once was. In means that enrolment in the programme must take Europe, one pensioner living in a small French place in your official country of residence as well as village complained that she never receives postal the submission of the annual DCE. Otherwise, the mail because the service is non-existent, as did programme will not function. another living in a small Spanish village, and the This annual rite of passage will soon start again. postal deliveries of many residents in France close to the Swiss border routinely go amiss. FAFICS has The 2021 CEs will be mailed end June, that is, if you brought to the Fund’s attention the issue of are on the double-track, do not use the MSS, or haphazard postal service on the African continent have not yet taken advantage of the DCE which greatly hampers communication between programme. So, keep your eyes open for the African-based pensioners and the Fund. These delivery. examples only underscore the challenges faced by the Fund and beneficiaries to successfully complete Barbara Fontaine the annual CE validation process.
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READERS’ RECIPES
Smoked salmon and lime clafoutis (serves 4) A delicious recipe to enjoy on a summer evening with a salad and a nice glass of chilled Riesling or Macon Uchizy
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Cut the smoked salmon into small pieces, wash and grate the peel of the limes. In a bowl, mix the 2 eggs and 2 yolks, milk and cream. Add the corn-starch, grated limes and pepper. Blend well until you obtain a smooth and consistent mixture. Butter and line the clafoutis mould with the breadcrumbs. Line the bottom of the mould with the smoked salmon and gently pour the mixture over the filling in the clafoutis mould. Bake in the Ingredients: oven for 35 minutes. 2 eggs and 2 egg yolks Tip: It is important not to add any salt to the 20 gr soft unsalted butter mixture as the smoked salmon is already salty. 25 cl liquid cream You can replace the smoked salmon with smoked 25 cl whole milk trout or smoked fera. 20 gr corn-starch 50 gr breadcrumbs Tina et Yves Colombo 250 gr smoked salmon 2 limes pepper If you have a favourite recipe suitable for the Autumn, please share it with us all.
NEW MEMBERS We have pleasure in welcoming the following members into the AFSM family
New Life Members New Annual Members
Carmencita Castillo Siobhán Landecy William L. (Sandy) Beeman Carole Combet-Curt Divina Maramba Kanti Kumar Bit Diane Duke Reine Roussel Rasmussen Innocent Ntaganira Gloria Haselmann Rosina Salerno Mona Romer Luminita Hayes Armin Schmier Susan Spackman Susan Holck Eileen Tawffik
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NEWS FROM FORMER WHO STAFF MEMBERS’ GROUPS AROUND THE WORLD
News from around the world
Towards a global AFSM?
The wealth of information reported in the News from around the world section of each issue of the Quarterly News attests to the dynamism of the global networks of former WHO staff. The associations for South-East Asia (AFSM-SEAR) and for the Americas (AFSM-AMR/PAHO) are the longest established, both having been created over 30 years ago. In 2014, the African Region created a network (Retired but not tired) which has just become an association. In Manila an association was officially established in 2016. In Copenhagen, from 2001 one committed person has been dedicated to ensuring regular contact with former WHO and United Nations staff residing mainly in the Scandinavian countries. Finally, in Cairo, an association was established in April of this year, as you will see in the contribution from Sonia Miskjian below. The total number of members of these associations is estimated to exceed 2,000. In Geneva we have enjoyed frequent contacts with these associations for many years, however until recently there was very little interaction between them. The pandemic, having forced us all to become familiar with the use of virtual meetings, led to an idea in early 2021 to propose the organization of a virtual global meeting among the principal officers of these associations. The responses were enthusiastic and our meeting was held on the 2nd March, and commenced at 8 a.m. in Washington / 9 p.m. in Manila. The first objective was to get to know each other better. It quickly became apparent that the moral and logistical support offered to the associations by the Regional Offices varied greatly, from excellent to non-existent. We recalled Dr Tedros’s statement to our General Assembly in 2017: “Former staff are still part of the WHO family… Retirement must not break this relationship”. It would be appropriate that this vision be shared by the Regional Offices. It was therefore decided that our association would draw the attention of the Director-General to this disparity. In a preliminary meeting we had with the DG's Office and the Director of the Human Resources and Talent Management Division, it was agreed that we would prepare an outline for submission to Dr Tedros. There is no question of our associations amalgamating into a federation. We do not seek to create a new structure, which would impose constraints and additional workload on the associations. On the other hand, better coordination among Regions – for example to contact retirees whose Certificates of Entitlement have not been received by the Pension Fund – will be of benefit to all. AFSM-AMR / PAHO has volunteered to host the second meeting in September 2021 where this item will be discussed. We will also report on the outcome of our contacts with the office of the Director-General. To be continued
Jean-Paul Menu
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Regional reports
AFSM-PAHO/AMRO: The Newsletter of March 2021 has been published. The editorial by AFSM President Gloria Coe reflects on her third year in this position, and the remarkable accomplishments of what is, after all, a volunteer organization. One of the most recent undertakings has been the survey of the health and well-being of members during the Covid-19 pandemic, with the findings included in this issue of the newsletter. Looking to the future the President makes the plea for more members, and for more members to become involved in helping to keep the Association running. An article, also by Gloria Coe, follows: “A Brief History of the Funding Streams of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau and the Pan American Health Organization and the Leadership of Dr Fred Lowe Soper”. This is not at all as dry a subject as one might imagine, and the progress from 1902 to the present day is vividly brought to life by the author. Carol Collado contributed to the regular Health Insurance and Pension Update with current news, and this is essential reading for any of our own members living in the Americas. The Newsletter continues with an article by Yvette Holder describing the fun virtual Christmas party held by retirees living in the Caribbean. The article “Results of the AFSM Survey of PAHO/WHO Retirees During Covid-19” mentioned in the editorial and compiled by Mario Libel, Yvette Holder, and Ignacio Alberto Concha-Eastman is by necessity detailed. It includes contributions from members in the Americas and Europe. Well worth reading (see the link below). Helena Espinosa Restrepo reflects on childhood memories of her grandmother in her article Grandma Tales. A wide-ranging and fascinating account. Health Tips: Cognitive Decline in Old Age is Preventable by Martha Peláez. This article summarizes one evidence-based intervention tested in Finland: “The Finnish study to prevent cognitive decline and disability (FINGER)” and highlights useful tips from the guidelines published by WHO and the Lancet Commission. The FINGER programme is a multidomain lifestyle intervention programme focusing on four components: Nutrition, Exercise, Cognitive Training and Social activation, and Management of vascular risk factors. “Prevention is possible” concludes this article, which is a recommended read. (see the link below). An article by Gloria Briceño G on PAHO/WHO Women Volunteers of Colombia describes the work of this group founded 20 years ago, based on the concept of creating a group of women linked to PAHO, be it the Representative's wife, consultants’ wives, consultants, and people with a link with the institution, motivated by their interest in developing social and community activities. The issue continues with numerous artistic contributions submitted by members during the year of Covid-19. Sumedha Mona Khanna concludes this issue with her reminiscences, Reflections on My Work in PAHO (1968-1983). Many former WHO and PAHO colleagues feature in this account. An interesting and informative edition; we recommend that you access it online. The Newsletters can be read in English at https://www.afsmpaho.com/newsletters and in Spanish at https://www.afsmpaho.com/newsletters-spanish Keith Wynn
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AFSM-SEARO: The newly-elected Executive of AFSM-SEAR has now taken up its responsibilities in earnest. While it continued to be in touch with retired colleagues, the current situation and predicament of Covid-19 has indeed posed enormous challenges, both in terms of communications and reaching out to these former staff. Despite constraints, we were able to remain in contact with as many retired colleagues as possible and help them in various matters, especially relating to Pensions, CE letters and SHI. We have formed a sub- committee on Pension Matters and are working closely with the local UN Pensioners' Association, HQ- AFSM as well as with UNJSPF directly as required. We assisted many former colleagues in the matter of the Digital CE, and issued user-friendly tips and guidelines on registering, validating and issuance of Digital CEs. AFSM-SEAR welcomes and appreciates the global Zoom meeting of AFSMs, and was happy to participate and provide its input. This is a good initiative, and we look forward to this continuing global network, aimed at valid and pertinent support to, and inclusion of, regional AFSMs so that global issues may be expressed and solutions found. Of the high expectations of this global network, one is the strengthening of support from Regional Offices and their administrations to the local AFSMs, especially on Pension and SHI matters. In this regard, AFSM-SEAR feels strongly that it would be ideal if a formal structure could be established in the Regional Offices, large Country Offices, and at HQ to liaise and coordinate with AFSMs on issues of concern to former staff. The continued support of the Administration is gratefully acknowledged. K Rajan
AFSM-EMRO: Enchanting news: Following the success of the First Global AFSM Meeting which was held virtually on 2 March 2021, and organized under the chairmanship of Dr Jean-Paul Menu, President of AFSM/Geneva, a number of positive ideas and actions were revived among the Regional Associations of Former WHO Staff Members. The aim being to strengthen our ties and relationships, just like in a family with common issues, concerns and mutual interests. One such positive outcome came about through the participation of Mrs Hana’a Ghoneim, one of our former colleagues – unofficially representing EMRO – who was inspired to establish an AFSM for EMRO similar to those in HQ and other regions, which have existed for many years. She immediately took action by selecting former colleagues to become members of the Committee, cutting short the traditional election process. In record time a Committee was established consisting of WHO retirees and one former WHO staff member. Having introduced the newly-established Committee to the Regional Director, Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari, he immediately responded by arranging a virtual meeting with the Committee members. The Regional Director was extremely supportive of this approach and the main topic of discussion was to strengthen collaboration between the WHO Regional Office and the newly-established AFSM-EMRO Committee. The RD kindly instructed the units concerned to collaborate fully and provide the necessary support. The primary aim of the Committee is to locate and reach out to all retired colleagues, former staff and their surviving dependents. A database was established for former colleagues in both Alexandria and Cairo to become members of AFSM-EMRO, with plans to strengthen communications and information on the following issues: 1. Special assistance for retirees to obtain their Covid-19 vaccinations being administered by the Ministry of Health and Population through the support of WR/Egypt. 2. Collaboration with the Regional Office.
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3. Ensuring easy access to the updated version of the SHI rules and Pension Fund. 4. WR Offices to be informed of the existence of the AFSM-EMRO Committee, in order that they arrange to locate and establish contacts with retirees residing in their country of assignment. 5. Future retirees will be introduced to the AFSM Committee in order to share their future contacts and to remain connected. 6. Induction courses to be arranged by HR/EMRO to those approaching retirement age with the support of the AFSM Committee. 7. Development of a Facebook page where various technical, medical news and information with short accompanying videos will be shared. 8. To arrange social activities in order to maintain our wellbeing and stay connected. Last, but not least, we are fortunate and grateful to both WHO and the UNJSPF for being able to lead happy, healthy and comfortable lives after retirement, especially considering the extremely difficult times that the whole world is experiencing due to the pandemic. Therefore, we should be thankful to God. Sonia Miskjian
WHO Retirees’ Representative in Scandinavia: Remembrance Day in Denmark, 5 May 1945 was Remembrance Day in Denmark at the conclusion of the Second World War, when the hostilities came to an end. On 5 May 2021, H.M. Queen Margrethe II of Denmark unveiled and inaugurated a simple, yet elegant black granite sculpture designed by renowned Danish artist, Per Arnoldi. It represents a tilting boat floating on a white plaque, and is a symbolic commemoration of the evacuation by boat of Danish jews from Denmark to Sweden in October 1943. The title of the statue is simply “Oktober 1943”. Honorary guests included the Mayor of Fredensborg, the town where the Queen’s summer palace is located and her residence during the summer months; the Vice-Mayor; the Chief Rabbi, Bent Melchior, whose father Marcus Melchior was instrumental in saving the Danish jews in 1943 (he and his family lived as refugees in Sweden); the former Ambassador Ole Philipson; and Per Arnoldi, the artist.
Per Arnoldi sculpture: “Oktober 1943”. Photo: Jill Conway-Fell
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Poignant speeches were made and Ambassador Philipson related his experience as a twelve-year-old child, when he and his family had to walk along a narrow jetty and climb into a dinghy in the middle of the night. Small boats, including privately owned ones, were often used by members of the Danish resistance movement, and others, all of whom risked their lives. The enemy troops had made holes in many boats so that they could not be used. These frightened people, who had to remain completely silent, were transported to the island of Hven, which is in Swedish territory. Normally, the journey takes an hour, but as the crew had to avoid enemy patrol boats, it took four hours. A warm welcome awaited them. In this way, seven thousand jews were saved from deportation and concentration camps. The photograph of the sculpture was taken on a misty, rainy day, Hven island is just discernible in the distance. Another wartime statue created by Per Arnoldi is titled Blackened Seas, this too is made of black granite, celebrating and expressing gratitude to the sailors who fought on the side of the Allies. It stands in the Garden of Memories where Danes who had sacrificed their lives are remembered. Jill Conway-Fell
AFSM-Africa: AFRO Retired but not tired: Strengthening partnership with AFRO for retirees. Further to a request submitted to the Office of the WHO Regional Director for the African Region in March 2021 by the Executive Committee of the AFSM/AFRICA, the Regional Director convened and chaired a meeting on 7 April 2021. The main topic on the agenda was the strengthening of the collaboration between the WHO Regional Office and the AFSM/AFRICA that includes the establishment of an AFSM Office and a physical address in Brazzaville, Congo. In her opening remarks, the Regional Director, Dr Moeti Tshidi, welcomed the participants and re- iterated her commitment to further improve support to retirees and their families. Taking the floor thereafter, Dr Kalambay Kalula, AFSM-AFRICA Coordinator acknowledged the availability of the Regional Office to assist the retirees in this endeavour; furthermore, he provided an overview of the landmark achievements and perspectives of the association. The organisation of the constitutive General Assembly on 29 May 2021 is a key step for strengthening the collaboration with AFRO. A detailed plan of action will be discussed with the Regional Office after the General Assembly.
Solange Kouo Epa (AFSM-AFRICA Secretary)
Our colleagues in AFSM-Manila have no major news items to report as we go to press.
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IN MEMORIAM
Recent deaths1 of former WHO staff members as reported to AFSM
Abeyesundere Nihal Anton Aelian 12.02.2021 Koubaka Theophile 21.08.2020 Agullo Sandra Elisabeth 07.03.2021 Kpinsaga Teentekawana Djarba 17.11.2020 Amin Melba 25.12.2018 Lassman Stanley 08.12.2020 Angel Luis Octavio 20.01.2021 Lekoubi Alphonse 21.11.2020 Bachet Genevieve J 01.03.2021 Lima Dyla Duarte 08.03.2021 Baloch Ghias Uddin 31.12.2020 Lucas Adetokunbo O 25.12.2020 Batouma Henri 07.10.2020 Malbec Pamela 26.11.2020 Bentley Joan 30.11.2020 Maskey Chandra P 16.01.2021 Bertulini Lucia Helena 01.02.2021 Massamba Gabriel 12.11.2020 Browne Catherine Soo Sim 02.12.2020 Mayenga May Makitu Donatien 24.12.2020 Chang Wen-Pin Not known Mercier Michel J G 01.02.2021 Christensen Hanne 24.12.2020 Mero Endre Gabor 12.12.2020 Djossou Honorine 17.02.2021 Mollah Mokbul H 26.01.2021 Donald John James Hould 10.01.2021 Mounguengue Gaston S 27.12.2020 Ebongue Adolphe 13.11.2020 Novoa Zapata C 15.09.2020 El Samani El Fatih 23.12.2020 Pedersen Karny 02.10.2020 Elmiger Pia-Monica 19.02.2021 Pibouleau Joan Phyllis 11.09.2020 Filipe Pedro Antonio 18.10.2020 Roch Catherine 10.01.2021 Funes Noemi C 10.12.2020 Sangala June Muriel 04.02.2021 Gamboa Roger Augusto 03.12.2020 Sawadogo Jerome 10.02.2021 Gotsche Ulla 10.10.2020 Schmid George Philip 14.01.2021 Gray Robin 04.12.2020 Segura Concepcion 16.02.2021 Guilbert Jean-Jacques 03.02.2021 Sharma Ashok Kumar 31.12.2020 Gunaratne Methsiri V H 19.03.2021 Sinha Dinesh P 04.12.2020 Herzog Frederique I 22.12.2020 Storey John 19.02.2021 Hetmanek Marion 27.02.2021 Sutisnaputra Omaj Masum 24.12.2020 Hoadley Alfred W 21.02.2021 Thein Dan 15.03.2021 Hogan Robert Clayton 23.12.2020 Vaccaro Perla Violeta Torres 20.12.2020 Jansen Adriaan 07.01.2021 Wahdan Mohamed Hilmy 24.12.2020 Kane Ibrahima 30.12.2020 William U 22.03.2021 Kassambara Mabo 28.01.2021 Zanetti Jennifer Mary Not known Kessler Alexander 30.12.2020 Zikmund Vladimir 18.10.2020
1 The present notification of deaths was gratefully received from UNJSPF and covers Q1 2021. We have endeavoured to ensure that deaths already published have not been repeated in this list, however we apologize in advance if there are omissions or repeat entries. The editorial policy is to publish, once only, the names on the list of death notices we receive, and this regardless of whether an obituary has already been published; appears in the current issue; or will appear in a future issue.
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The deaths were also announced of the survivors of former staff members: Abla Awad, Omar Aleman; Bala Subramanian, Anandhi; Berg, Rosmarie; Brzosko In Buono, Krystyna Maria; Christensen, Hanne; De Leon, Badita Pardilla; Ibrahim, Marie; Jaffre, Michelle; Jokic, Gordana; Khan, Shamim; Meylan, Paulette; Ntsoko, Antoinette; Ochrymowicz, Jan; Randriamanana, Lucile; Rossi-Espagnet, Maria; Shehata, Margaret Morcos; Smith, Irene Edith G; Sow, Nafissatou; Venulet, Barbara Maria; Villarreal, Elena; Yi, Daw; Yudina, Yulia; Zwane, Nester Funani.
John H Bland, born on 1 December 1930 in Skipton, Yorkshire, UK, died 11 April 2021 in Gex, France
John Bland died after Crisis in 1962. He was happily deported to Jamaica a relatively short and continued to work with Reuters in not-very- period of illness. He painful postings including Trinidad, Mexico, had celebrated his Barbados then back to Europe with stints in 90th birthday on Germany and the UK. 1 December 2020 in He was offered an initial two-year contract with his usual warm and WHO in 1974 becoming Editor-in-Chief of the hospitable style, at his World Health Magazine published ten times a year treasured home in in eight languages, until retirement at age 60 in Mourex in France 1990. But he didn’t stop working for around 10 overlooking Lac more years, partly for WHO as a consultant and Léman and Mont partly as a freelance journalist. Blanc, surrounded by John was nothing short of organized1 and loved a select (Covid- lists: he left notes on how many countries he’d compliant) group of family and friends. visited, 103; who were his heroes, Shakespeare, In his own words, he had the great good luck to Wordsworth, Graham Greene, Brahms, Bach, have two quite distinct careers in his life. Mahler and the Legends of King Arthur. He was a Firstly, as a Reporter/Foreign Correspondent with regular at the Shakespeare Group after his The Yorkshire Post, and then Reuters, and as retirement and at the Reading Club and kept up Features Editor of The Daily Telegraph Magazine. regular meetings with former WHO colleagues. Secondly, as an International Civil Servant with His great sadness was the death of his wife of 65 WHO for over 16 years, plus post-retirement work years Olivia in 2019. And again, in his own words, for five years with the Leprosy Division. his own real “claim to fame” was, with Olivia’s connivance, to beget three children – Alastair, Presciently John’s first job with Reuters was to Andrew and Helen – and through their connivance report on the UN General Assembly in New York to acquire four fine grandchildren – Julie, Lucie, after which he took up his posting in Havana, Cuba. Victoria and Rosa – of whom he was very proud. With his wife Olivia their stay was a happy one And they, of him. punctuated with amazing experiences – meeting Fidel Castro as well as Che Guevara – but ending Alastair Bland, Andrew Bland and Helen Bland with some six days in a Cuban jail for taking photos of the missiles during the start of the Cuban Missile
1 Editor’s note: “Organized” is the standard WHO spelling, however this WHO preference for “z” was one of John Bland’s pet hates, and he always used “organised”, etc. My apologies to the late Editor-in-Chief of the World Health Magazine.
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Ann Pollinger, born 31 December 1940 in Bengeo, Hertfordshire, UK, died 22 February 2021 in Versoix, Switzerland
Ann started work in and was much appreciated by staff she came in Geneva with WHO in contact with. On a personal note, we became very 1965 in the Division good friends and when I had my daughter she of Public Health became “Aunty Ann” and was a great support to Administration, at me. We had a lot of contact outside the that time located in Organization and were often arranging social the Hotel events for which she always offered her lovely Intercontinental. house as a venue. We spent weekends skiing from her chalet and she was a very social and generous She met Georges at person. During the last four or five years of her one of the local working life she was transferred to one of the MSU dancing venues and groups of WHO. after a brief return to the UK came back to Geneva to marry him and After her retirement, and then sadly the death of start work running their very popular and Georges, she decided to visit some parts of the successful Tearoom and Chocolaterie in the rue de world she had always wanted to see. Two places Mont Blanc, Geneva. which attracted her were Vietnam and the United States. She attained the great age of 80 on 31 In the mid-seventies she returned to WHO and December 2020 but passed away in her sleep remained there until her retirement in 2000. following a stroke in February 2021. She will be During this period she worked in the Division of very much missed, but remembered, by all her Strengthening of Health Services and it was at this family and friends. time I met Ann. She was very hard working and would never say no to anyone who asked for help Carolyn Allaman
Nihal Anton Aelian Abeyesundere, born 18 February 1932 in Sri Lanka, died 12 February 2021 in Sri Lanka
Nihal spent the early Officer and a Regional Malaria Officer. This was part of his life in when his passion for public health was ignited, and Sri Lanka, first which led him to a committed career in this field. graduating as a He became the Chief Epidemiologist in the country medical doctor in 1970–1973, and thereafter the Director of the Anti- 1965, and Malaria Campaign, 1973–1982. His vast experience subsequently his early in public health in Sri Lanka led him to a career with professional years until the World Health Organization, first as a 1982. During his early malariologist in Bangladesh and then in Nepal. In career he served the 1989 he was appointed as the WHO Representative Ministry of Health in in Bangladesh in which post he served until Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) retirement, and after which he returned to as a District Medical Sri Lanka.
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Nihal was a true gentleman, a vivacious person He and his wife Nalini were blessed with two with an exuberant and buoyant personality. He was devoted children and three grandchildren who a committed public health professional, and was were the pride and joy of his life. They were outspoken on important issues to further the cause surrounded by a wide but close circle of family and of public health. He played an important role in the friends with whom he shared a rich social life. He Association of Former United Nations Civil Servants lived his life to the full, with generosity and charm. in Sri Lanka, serving as its President and adding He will be greatly missed by his family, his friends much life and energy to all its social and charitable and the public health community in Sri Lanka. activities. Hema Dassanayake and Kamini Mendis
Methsiri Herath Gunaratne, born 11 February 1944 in Sri Lanka, died 19 March 2021 in Sri Lanka
After his early studies Methsiri, a modest man of few words, stands out in Colombo, Methsiri prominently as one who never said a bad word later qualified as a about anyone. Even in times of stress he remained medical doctor in New calm and cool, never losing his composure. His Delhi and specialized in expertise on non-communicable diseases was tropical medicine in widely recognised. Even after retirement several well-known centres in countries requested his services but he was keen to London, Liverpool and enjoy his retirement. Hawaii. He enjoyed going on foreign trips as well as in Sri He was the son of Lanka. He was a silent benefactor to many charities Dr V T Herat and people in need. He was very much a family Gunaratne, the first man. During a brief illness to which he finally and only Sri Lankan to hold the position of Regional succumbed, he was lovingly cared for by his wife Director of the World Health Organization. Isramali, daughter Natasha and son Dimitri. Methsiri followed in his father’s footsteps and When I think of Methsiri, I am reminded of the joined WHO at an early stage in his career and was words of William Shakespeare, based in Fiji, Thailand and Indonesia. Later, until his retirement he served as Regional Adviser at the “His life was gentle, and the elements WHO Office in New Delhi. So mixed in him, that Nature might stand up And say to all the world, ‘This was a man!’” During my five-year stint in New Delhi for the UN in Julius Caesar, Act 5, Scene 5. the 1990s, we became close friends. Dayanath Jayasuriya
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Rosemary Bell, born 13 November 1932 in London, UK, died 25 April 2021 in Geneva, Switzerland
Rosemary Bell passed members – but not male staff – automatically lost away peacefully in her international status upon marriage to a Swiss), she 89th year. Born in founded the Working Group on Questions London to hard- Concerning Women. (A subsequent name – the working parents, Women’s Group – was deemed inappropriate Rosemary never had because membership included men, and the group the opportunity to was renamed Fifty-Fifty.) Many of the group’s attend university. Her recommendations for gender parity were accepted exceptional intelligence by DG Halfdan Mahler, and our Staff Rules were and grit allowed her to ultimately brought up to date. Improvements such shine both in, and as flexible working hours were won thanks to joint outside, WHO. pressure by Fifty-Fifty and the Staff Committee. Rosemary joined WHO in the 1950s first as a Outside WHO, Rosemary’s dedication to secretary in EURO, becoming fluent in Danish. At community service ranged from work with WHO Headquarters, where she acquired French Amnesty International and cat rescue shelters to and Italian, she worked in Immunology. driving elderly patients to medical appointments. Contributing her writing and organizational skills to She continued these activities after retiring in this complex scientific field, she rose to become a 1992. An avid lifetime reader of English, French Technical Assistant and ultimately a Technical and Italian, she subscribed to multiple newspapers Officer. and magazines, including Le Canard enchainé, enjoyed gardening and golf, and was a pillar of the A deeply caring, ethical person with a lively interest Shakespeare Group. Rosemary will be sorely in politics and a strong sense of collective missed by her many friends from WHO and the responsibility, Rosemary served for years on the greater Geneva area. WHO Staff Committee. In 1974, alerted to anomalies in our Staff Rules (e.g., female staff Suzanne Cherney
Sandra Doyle, born 24 September 1948 in Chapeltown, Yorkshire, UK, died 19 April 2021 in Ornex, France
Sandra came to Essential Drugs, and the Communicable Diseases Geneva at the end of Management Support Unit, before becoming a August 1970 as part of Documentalist in the communication centre of the the generation of Communicable Diseases Cluster, where she secretaries who were remained until her early retirement in August 2006. recruited from the UK Sandra was seconded year after year to the at that time, but she governing bodies secretariat to support the work of was always proud of the Executive Board and the World Health her Yorkshire heritage. Assembly. She became an experienced member of Sandra gained the team and filled various positions, probably the experience in several most important being the head of the Reports units, notably in Office during the Executive Board. She knew more Leprosy, Mental Health, the Action Programme on
23 AFSM Quarterly News July 2021 QNT 124 about processing resolutions than many senior Sandra had a big heart and was a real friend to staff and they all relied on her expertise. many. She could make you laugh and put people at In the late 1980s Sandra was a very active member ease with a natural calm demeanour. A truly of the Staff Committee, being its Information multicultural person, she loved to travel and learn Officer. She also sat on many staff/management about others. She loved hiking in Nepal as well as committees as a staff representative and remained travelling in Tuscany where she maintained an committed to helping others throughout her apartment. She was trilingual, with Italian being as career. natural for her as English and French. Sandra will be missed by those who had the pleasure of working Known for her honesty, Sandra was adept at with her. making balanced decisions for the better of WHO and those she worked with directly. She was Edin Karahasanovic and Patrick Tissot, with input always helpful to newcomers to the Organization from Marjory Dam and Mary Roll-Vallanjon and never hesitated to share her vast experience.
Socrates Litsios, born 11 February 1937, in New York, USA, died 5 May 2021, in Baulmes, Canton de Vaud, Switzerland
Socrates, known as During his last decade at WHO and into retirement Socco, moved to Socco flourished in a new field: history. He WHO, Switzerland in published The Tomorrow of Malaria (1996) and 1967, shortly after Plague Legends: from the Miasmas of Hippocrates obtaining his to the Microbes of Pasteur (2001) and his Magnum doctorate at MIT. He Opus, the two history books on WHO: The Third and started as Chief, Fourth decades (2009 and 2012, respectively). Operational Research My memories of Socco are many. He enriched in the Division of meetings with his original thinking. He was one of Research and the few who supported and encouraged young Communication associate professional officers, like me. We often Sciences – a legendary met in the corridors, like me he did not like to be Division where people shut in an office. To cap his intelligence and with a mixture of disciplinary backgrounds sought technical know-how, he contributed that element to bring innovation to public health. This was an that is most important in team work: humanity. important period in the development of WHO and Socco was right in the middle of it. Against a On 10 May, the funeral service in Baulmes summed backdrop of the cold-war, shape was given to the up the characteristics that made it such a privilege th concept of Primary Health Care and the Strategy of to be Socco’s friend – a 20 century renaissance Health for All by the Year 2000. Preparations were man. His 60-year marriage to Susi, an artist in her made for the iconic 1978 Alma Ata Conference1. own right, was remembered – she passed away in 2017. They are together again, leaving us with a With his analytical capacity and sound memory great void, but with wonderful memories and a (until the very end) Socco was a great storyteller of legacy of valuable publications. the events and personalities playing key roles. From 1975 to 1980 he co-led Primary Health Care Robert Bos in the Division of Strengthening of Health Services. He then held various senior positions in the https://www.researchgate.net/publication/11014149_The_Long_and Malaria Action Programme which merged into the _Difficult_Road_to_Alma- Ata_A_Personal_Reflection#fullTextFileContent Control of Tropical Diseases Division in 1990.
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BOOK REVIEWS
Alien Aloft Unravelling identity in pursuit of peace
Erik Jensen
Erik Jensen was the son of a Danish curate in Copenhagen and a lively, fashionable, young Danish woman who had her "finishing school” in Paris. Three years into his curacy Erik's father accepted a post in London and became chaplain to the Danish legation. This was the beginning of the boy's British education, and of his becoming English in spite of some resistance from his father and his being sent back to Denmark for University education in 1950. Erik did not enjoy Denmark at that time and went to America where he obtained a degree from Harvard before returning to England and Oxford, and a period in Heidelberg. His meeting with the bishop of Borneo, and an interest in comparative religion, led to him accepting a position in Sarawak to do research and assist the bishop in certain duties as required. This led to years of commitment to the Iban from Lemanak and assistance to the Publication Date: 29 March 2021 advancement of their communities. (For this, read ISBN 9781 91 20201 33 "Where Hornbills Fly: A Journey with the 200 pages. Price £10.95 Headhunters of Borneo", one of Erik Jensen's Copies are available via local bookshops and Amazon or earlier books). direct from the publisher at, The last part of the book describes the very http://www.ex-librisbooks.co.uk/ELSP.html distinguished UN career that followed between Enquiries to, [email protected] 1967 (entry at P3 step 1) and 1998, when he returned to Sarawak for an extended private visit to This extremely readable book is a "gentle" memoir: reunite with the people he had served in his early it is not full of strong statements or world- career. This UN part describes the very difficult, shattering events. It is the flow of a life lived sometimes successful, and sometimes frustrating serving the world in different ways, always missions that every UN staff member or ex-staff purposeful and appreciative of the positive results member will recognise, and it is a journey through reached, and understanding of the negative ones, unknown and yet so familiar occurrences and the latter being so much a part of any career in the happenings in UN life. higher echelons (and not only there) of the UN. The book has been reviewed by many distinguished I found the book consists of three parts. The first personalities, but I would like to emphasize what covers Erik Jensen’s life as a little boy and then a fascinating reading it is for all of us who have a link student gradually moving from his Danish with the UN, and is a good reflection of Erik’s background to his English identity; the second talks exceptional personality. of his time in Sarawak and the third describes his subsequent UN career. Coby Sikkens
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READERS’ LETTERS
Pandemics
The continuing Covid-19 pandemic reminded me of my time as secretary of the Advisory Committee on Health Research (ACHR), witnessing contributions from some of the world´s most brilliant brains. ACHR comprised over time, more than half of living Nobel laureates. An eminent one was Joshua Lederberg, a great friend of WHO, having advised successive DGs since the mid-fifties. During the 1998 session of ACHR, he quoted one of his own papers (1988), referring to the AIDS epidemic, as follows: “The ravaging epidemic of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome has shocked the world. It is still not comprehended widely that it is a natural, almost predictable, phenomenon. We will face similar catastrophes again, and will be ever more confounded in dealing with them, if we do not come to grips with the realities of the place of our species in nature. A large measure of humanistic progress is dedicated to the subordination of human nature to our ideals of individual perfectibility and autonomy. Human intelligence, culture, and technology have left all other plant and animal species out of the competition. We also may legislate human behaviour. But we have too many illusions that we can, by writ, govern the remaining vital kingdoms, the microbes, that remain our competitors of last resort for dominion of the planet. The bacteria and viruses know nothing of national sovereignties. In that natural evolutionary competition, there is no guarantee that we will find ourselves the survivor”
Source: Research and the World Health Organization, a History of the Advisory Committee on Health Research, 1959–1999, p.43, published in 2010, ISBN 978 92 4 156411 3. We have been warned.
Pierre Mansourian
Malaria
When I joined SEARO in 1959 WHO was vigorously persuading governments to upgrade their malaria programmes from control to eradication. I doubt whether anyone knows of the origins of the disease, but what is certain is that it has devastated public health and the economies of a large number of countries in South-East Asia and Africa. It was Sir Roland Ross who discovered, in the early 1900s, that malaria is transmitted by female mosquitoes. Up until the 1960s quinine tablets were on sale in Post Offices in India for use as a prophylaxis. Then WHO took to its cudgels, determined to fight the scourge and eradicate it. But, alas, the vector proved to be too canny an opponent, even for WHO. The battle force against malaria and the mosquito was headed in WHO Geneva by Dr C. Alvarado. There were teams of malariologists, entomologists, insect collectors, engineers, statisticians, etc. both at Regional Office and country levels. There was even a special entry for malaria eradication in the accounts of WHO —malaria eradication special account (MESA). In SEARO the department was headed by Dr D.K. Viswanathan. WHO brought in specialists and all the weaponry in the armamentarium of insecticides: including DDT (dieldrin, BHC, etc.) and drugs. Governments were advised on the use of them and on strategies to be adopted. Everything worked well for some time. But the high cost of the new insecticides was telling on
26 AFSM Quarterly News July 2021 QNT 124 the governments. Buoyed by the apparent success, but concerned by the high expenditure, some of the countries slackened their efforts, resulting in the mosquitoes developing resistance. Nothing drastic could be done in the midst of other demanding health problems —smallpox, tuberculosis, leprosy, etc. Despite Man’s ingenuity, scientific, and technological developments, he could not subjugate the tiny mosquito! Nature’s way for the preservation of the species – Darwin at work?
JV Perumal (Sadly, the author passed away on the 15 May 2021. An obituary will be published in a future issue)
Socrates Litsios has passed away — a giant for intersectoral cooperation for public health
I first met Socrates (Socco) Litsios in the late 80’s when we were embarking on the launch of the WHO Commission on Health and Environment. This was to be set up to lay the foundation for a new WHO global strategy on health and environment, as a follow up to the World Commission’s “Our Common Future”. His advice was instrumental in giving the Commission a broad mandate to investigate the deep and numerous linkages between health and environment in the context of sustainable development. He truly was a person who was able to think ‘outside the box’ given his sharpness and innovative character. His intimate knowledge of WHO’s history, its changing priorities, problems and achievements remains unmatched. Above all, as he always pointed out, WHO programmes should be working in harmony with the basic principles of PHC. His human empathy and his outstanding contribution to the goals of WHO will remain with us. There is a touching obituary to Socco in this Quarterly News, prepared by Robert Bos.
Wilfried Kreisel
ASTRONOMY The skies for July–December 2021
During the second half of last year, even the most casual sky-watcher will have noticed the bright planets Jupiter and Saturn close together. They were particularly noticeable from the northern hemisphere, as they hung low over the southern horizon, forming part of the evening landscape. This year, they are still quite close together but a little higher in the sky as seen from the northern hemisphere, and a bit farther apart. In July, they rise in the late evening but by September they are well up in the sky during the mid-evening. Look south from the northern hemisphere to find them, and high in the north from the southern. Jupiter is the brighter of the two, and binoculars will show its four bright moons on either side of the planet, although not necessarily all at once. Saturn is yellowish, and even a small telescope magnifying 30 times or more will show its rings. With Jupiter as a guide, you should find Saturn easily. They will still be around by Christmas and, at the end of the year, they are joined for a while by brilliant Venus, making a spectacular line-up of three bright planets in the western twilight sky to see out 2021. Keep an eye on the Society for Popular Astronomy’s website, www.popastro.com, for news of any other sky events that might be coming our way.
Article kindly provided by the British Society for Popular Astronomy
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HEALTH AND THE ARTS
What is the evidence of a relationship between art and health?
This long period of confinement has given us much The report reviews artistic activities that aim to time to reflect on our basic needs. Satisfying these promote health and prevent health problems, as needs, even if they have been severely tested well as manage and treat physical and mental recently, is necessary for our physical and mental health problems and end-of-life care. A number of well-being. But our authorities have decided for us considerations can be drawn from the data which needs are essential or not. We might look mapped in this study; these concern both the askance at the fact that they considered smoking cultural sector and the health and social sectors. tobacco an essential need, but not that of admiring The report underlines that in the field of health, for works of art, as illustrated by tobacconists example, certain artistic interventions not only remaining open during confinement, but not produce satisfactory results, but may also be more museums, where the fine art on display reminds us beneficial than more traditional biomedical of eternal life. These works of art are the products treatments. They can combine several factors that of so many different periods of mankind's history. promote health simultaneously (such as physical Each culture has given rise to works that activity and mental health) and have a low risk of characterize the period in which it was created. The negative side-effects. Because artistic interventions works of early Dutch painters express the deep can be adapted to be relevant to people from anguish of the Middle Ages, while those of different cultural backgrounds, they can also Michelangelo show us the splendour of the provide a channel for reaching out to minority or Renaissance. But modern man has become hard-to-reach groups. extremely rational and has needed to analyse the relationship between the well-being brought on by art and its effects on health. The WHO Regional Office for Europe did just this by publishing a report on art and health in 2019. Its title "What is the evidence on the role of the arts in improving health and well-being? A scoping review” (2019) This ground-breaking report concludes: Engaging in art can benefit both mental and physical health. Since the beginning of the 21st century there has been a significant increase in research into the effects of art on health and well-being. This has occurred in parallel with the evolution of political practice and activities in different Member States of the WHO European Region, and beyond. However, due to a lack of evidence underpinning these activities, there has been little coherence in policy development among different Member States in the Region. This report aims to fill this gap by mapping the data currently available in the arts and health field. Over 900 publications were identified, including over 200 reviews, systematic reviews, meta-analyses and meta-syntheses covering over 3000 studies and over 700 other individual studies.
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Édouard Manet: “Boating”. Painted in 1874. Image taken from The Metropolitan Museum of Art stock of digital images of public domain works in the Museum’s world-renowned collection, downloaded from the Museum’s website for non-commercial use, the images can be used at no charge.
The link between art and health can exist (visits to museums, galleries, concerts, theatre); throughout life. From a young age to the end of and online arts (animation, digital arts, etc.). life, art can have a positive influence on health. For Certainly, one decision-maker who has followed example, young children whose parents read to the recommendations of the report has been the them at bedtime sleep longer at night and improve Director-General of WHO. Since his arrival he has their concentration at school, and dancing has authorized the introduction of several artistic frequently been found to provide clinically activities at Headquarters such as the Health Film significant improvements in motor-abilities in Festival which, in its second edition, is a huge people with Parkinson's disease. success, and an exhibition of paintings in the The report is also addressed to political decision- library in the main building. According to makers by inviting them to implement art-related interviews with the staff/artists at the opening activities such as: introduction or strengthening of ceremony, the practice of painting had helped mechanisms for referral of health or social care them to cope better with the problems of everyday establishments towards artistic programmes or life, thus confirming the positive link between art activities; and investing in more research, and health .... particularly in scaling up arts and health interventions, and evaluating their Laura Ciaffei implementation. The report reviewed the health benefits (through References active or passive participation) in five broad For quick access to the report for sale: t.ly/CreX categories of the arts: performing arts (music, For the full report in pdf: t.ly/EgEa dance, singing, theatre, film); visual arts (crafts, WHO Report: design, painting, photography); literature (writing, https://www.euro.who.int/en/publications/abstracts/what-is- reading, participation in literary festivals); culture the-evidence-on-the-role-of-the-arts-in-improving-health- and-well -being-a-scoping-review-2019
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CORRIGENDUM TO THE 2021 DIRECTORY OF MEMBERS
The printed copy of this Quarterly News contains e corrigendum to our 2021 Directory. a one-pag As you are aware, our Directory is only distributed in printed copy for reasons of confidentiality. Should you require a printed copy of this page, please let us
know by email – [email protected] – and provide your full postal address, and we will do our best to post it to you.
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Above: The new building; presently staff are gradually transferring from the main building. Below: Two views of the cafeteria in the new building.
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The new building; presently staff are gradually transferring from the main building. The cafeteria and its magnificent terrace are already open, strictly following Covid restrictions.
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